Race What You Know, But Know Where You Are

MUSINGS FROM A COACH - 25 JUNE '24

As we're gearing up for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, I thought I'd share some sage advice I received eight years ago before the Rio Games from an experienced Coach. I wanted to know if he had any advice for me, as a Team USA Coach, to help the athletes prepare for the big stage.

He told me (I'm completely paraphrasing here) that it was important for the athletes to understand that the actual race is something they know and know well. In this case, the triathlon (swim, bike, run) is the same sport everywhere they've raced. A race is a race, but what's different is the venue! The Olympics and Paralympics are huge and often a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He told me that the athletes can't and shouldn't ignore that; rather, they should embrace and acknowledge that.

The race is the same, but the event is different. They should "experience" all of it and take it all in. Because of the enormity of the event, they should understand that they may lose some control of their time leading into the race. Being organized and precise with our training needs to also be accompanied by flexibility and adaption skills that are required when preparing to race on the world stage

This dovetails nicely into what I've been driving home with many athletes I coach concerning the lead-up to a race and the race itself. I like to think of these in two-time blocks: the days before the event and the actual start of the event.

The first block, the lead-up time, is accompanied by the usual mental gymnastics (nervousness, anxiety, visualization, etc.) and preparing the body to race. It's this block of time (that could cover many days) when athletes should acknowledge that things may not go exactly as planned - they lose control of some of their time. However, the second block of time, the race, is something they are familiar with, and know that once that starting gun goes off, they will be in the moment of racing and will be in control.

It's amazing to watch world-class athletes compete at the highest level at the biggest events. They all have their unique way of preparing and executing to give themselves the best opportunity to succeed. Most of them will acknowledge that they know how big the event is but also acknowledge that is still just an event they know how to compete in.

So for your next race, think about separating the lead-up time to the start of the race. Know that the race is still a race no matter where you are, but don't forget to look around and enjoy the entire experience!

Gratefully,

Mark

CEO Team MPI