You’re BIG race is over, now what?
The big day happened, what’s next?
After your big race or at the end of your triathlon season it’s a great idea to go back through all the race data and your race preparation and see what worked and what didn’t.
Ideally, you are writing these details out within the first 48 hours after your race because your memory will fade about many things.
I recommend starting with looking at the actual race data and filling in the emotions and feelings about what went down.
I like to know the good things that worked and the things that sucked and everything in between.
I am not racing with my athletes so in order for us to work together to improve race performance I need to know how they feel during each section of the race and I can see from the data if they pushed as much as they were capable of physiologically or held back.
I can see from the data and the details about race conditions how well they handled everything and then see where we need to train differently to achieve the desired result on the next one.
It’s also extremely important to really feel into the accomplishment of just showing up at the start line and crossing the finish line, whatever the goal, that alone is a huge success.
So please take the time to celebrate yourself and your body and all that it is doing for you!
Triathlons are very logistical and due to the very nature of race, 3 sports in one there are so many things that can go right or wrong on race day.
This is easier if you are tracking your performance as I recommend with all my athletes.
We use Garmin and Training Peaks at Full Circle Coaching to help educate you about what parameters are important to measure and how to evaluate them.
It is actually pretty simple after you start to understand the why and the how.
Here is a short list of parameters you have control over as you train and race.
RPE- Rate of Perceived Exertion on a scale of 1-10
Pain Scale- 1-10
Heart Rate- Max and resting
Threshold Swim Pace/ 100
Swim Stroke Count/ lap
Bike Power, RPMS (revolutions/ minute)
Run Vo2 Max Pace, RPMS (footsteps/ minute)
Run Threshold Heart rate
Race Photos
All of these are measurable and controllable by you- notice I do not have speed listed on the bike because I don’t recommend training with speed that is a parameter that is out of your control.
If you are interested in learning more about how to train and race using simple data that starts with a heart rate monitor and a stop watch, I am opening 5 spots for my 4 month Triathlon Transformation Program. Schedule a call with me now and let’s talk about it!
Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. Creator of Triathlon Transformation. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997. She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Metabolic Efficiency Specialist, Mom, Mermaid and much much more.
