When Your “A Priority” Race Doesn’t Go As Planned

 By: Doran Bosso

Every winter, endurance athletes begin to go stir-crazy, and it seems the only thing that helps is to plan next season.  More serious competitors will set up their races and training plans to achieve peak form at one or two “A Priority” races.   These are the races that the athlete wants to perform at their highest level.  In past years, one of my A Priority races has been Ironman Florida.

Expectations are high before any A Priority race.  Personally, I turn into an obsessed, nervous hypochondriac.  When you spend an entire season preparing for a race (not to mention spending money on entry fees, transportation, and a week’s stay in Florida), you want to perform at your highest level.  But what happens if you don’t?  Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way on this one.  

I’ll spare you the details, but basically the swim and bike went exactly to plan, and the run was off to a great start.  My day was going perfectly, until suddenly it wasn’t.  My stomach hurt, my pace slowed, and the last half of the marathon was miserable.  This isn’t an unusual iron-distance experience, but  I know I was better prepared physically, mentally, and strategically (pacing and nutrition) than I performed that day. 

Afterwards I was crushed.  I felt the whole year of training was a waste.  I had told people my goals and failed to live up to them.  Deep down I knew I was better than I raced that day, but the time on the clock at the finish line did not reflect my potential.  Even worse, I wouldn’t have another chance unless I signed up for the race next year (which I didn’t).  So what do you do if this happens to you? 

1.       Document everything quickly: Write a race recap as soon as possible, capturing all the details of the race before the long (and likely painful) day starts to blur in your mind.  Note everything you ate and drank, your pacing, mental state, physical state, and the general conditions of the course. 

2.       Analyze the race: Review the race recap and try to find what went wrong.  The most common mistakes are improper pacing, poor nutrition (too much or too little), or doing things you have not practiced in training (new foods, last minute gear changes, etc).  Write down what went wrong and how to avoid it next time.

3.       Review training log and taper:  Did you put in enough training prior to the race?  Were you dedicated enough to achieve the desired results? Look back through your workout log and determine if there were any warning signs that you may not have been prepared.  How was your taper leading into the race?  Did you get enough sleep and rest the week of the race? 

4.       Check your goals: Did your race goals correspond with the results you achieve in training or recent races?  Endurance athletes have a way of inflating their goals just prior to the race.  Often we feel so good during our taper that we decide to set our goal pace as a bit faster than we should.  This can lead to disastrous results (such as bonking on the run) and disappointing races.

5.       Get it out of your system: It is perfectly normal to be disappointed, but after you’ve performed the analysis of what went wrong, take some time away.  The big race is over, so spend time with family again, or get back into the groove at work.  You may have to force a bit of a smile for your support group, who has been with you through the months of difficult training and huge time commitment.   Take this time to show them some appreciation.

6.       Use it as motivation:  If it is an early or mid-season race, take the knowledge you’ve gained and apply it to your next races.  Use it as motivation when you don’t want to go that extra mile or train your weakest discipline.   If the A Race was the last of the season, take some time off, but don’t forget the experience; let it drive you through the cold winter months.  Also, take out the positives from the race and build on them. 

7.       Plan for next year:  Did your review of the race uncover a performance limiter?  Maybe you determined swimming was such a weakness that it meant you were too tired to bike and run as planned.  If this is the case, work with a swim coach or commit to swimming 4 times per week over the winter.   As you plan next season, dedicate a block of training to address the limiter that may be holding you back from your best possible race. 

One of the great aspects of triathlon is that we are constantly challenged by the sport.  Training and racing enables us learn more about ourselves and what we’re capable of achieving.  If you’re in triathlon long enough, you are going to have a bad race (or two, or three).  Take it as a learning experience and grow from the lessons!

Doran Bosso – Bio

Doran lives in Arlington and works for Skanska Infrastructure Development in Alexandria, VA.  Most of his spare time is spent training, racing, and learning about the sport of triathlon.  He has competed in over 30 races since 2005, tackling all distances from sprint to Ironman.  A student of endurance sport, he’s always experimenting with new training methods and the latest technology.  You can get in touch with Doran through his website (www.qwickness.com) or at doran.bosso@gmail.com.