I’m a coach. That means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. One of the many “hats” I wear is helping athletes prepare and plan for an upcoming event…but there’s so much more to that than you might expect. So much more. I recently listened to a podcast about these very things and I decided to share some of my own keys to "preparation."
Athletes pick the perfect the race. Together we’ll train the body, practice nutrition and hydration strategies and create a plan that feels foolproof. Nothing could possibly go wrong now and we’re ready to rock it…and then…just as the famous quote goes, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Things just happen in races. Sometimes it’s within our control and others, well, life has a funny sense of humor. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the years is the importance of patience within a race. An ounce of it goes a very long way, but we’re human so we don’t want to accept it. We get into an event and the very moment things start to get hard or go off the rails, we abandon ship. The panic alarms go off in our brain and all those negative thoughts start to quickly rush in…but it’s easy to put the brakes on it…we just have to PAUSE. No really. Just pause. That could mean slowing the pace for a brief moment or even walking to try and work it out. The act of simply pausing is going to help us face what’s really going on. At that very moment, we own the things that are going on inside the brain and the body instead of letting them snowball out of control and turn into a floundering mess of cramping, coughing, and struggling to the finish line. That’s when the assessment starts. Hydration? Nutrition? Hitting a wall and just need a little break? These are all normal things that happen and by hitting that pause button, we can take the time to figure it out, fix it, and then be patient until the pain or discomfort goes away. But that act alone takes practice. Yes…patience actually takes practice.
For me, racing is a great test of our physical abilities, but it’s also about building those problem solving skills. We can train and train and train but I don’t care who it is, almost everyone will say their race day didn’t go exactly as planned. That’s not always a bad thing and sometimes it’s better than expected…but still…it didn’t fit the mold we made for ourselves when we stepped off that day. But…here’s the big key to problem solving – it starts with being honest with ourselves during a race. Sit in sensations and let stuff happen. Feel what’s really going on before ever attempting to fix it. We’re so quick to shut down anything that’s the least bit uncomfortable but how will we ever know what’s wrong if we don’t “get down in it.” Sometimes a little suffering is necessary to know what’s going wrong and serve as a reminder of what NOT to do the next time around.
So…a successful race may not be the race we intended but sometimes it’s so much better than we could ever expect. That’s racing – and life. We can’t pick the way the world works and sometimes…well… it just doesn’t turn out the way we’d like it to be. But – preparation, patience and a little problem solving can get us back on our feet and moving forward. Plus, the lessons we learn along the way are worth more than any PR could ever be.