Half-way into the 2009 season I've realized that this year has and will continue to be a learning season. As much as I like to focus on results, I've come to accept that its necessary to have a learning year before a performing year. Last year I learned how NOT to train and race. I completely overtrained for my first experience at World Championships and ended up with a major injury, missing six months of training. This season I'm learning how to train and race properly, and one of the most important aspects of that is, well, not training or racing.
Historically I haven't been one to take recovery all that seriously. I've always been the type of athlete who prefers to ignore nagging injuries and get on with training. I could either be classified as tough, stubborn, or stupid. But diving head first into elite level training this year with the PTC its been a pretty steep learning curve with regards to proper recovery. If you don't train smart and commit to proper recovery practices, you get hurt. If you're hurt and continue training then you're sabotaging your own goals and racing season. I've had my share of injuries this year, most of which have been unavoidable (injuring both my wrists in two seperate bike crashes) but I've been forced to learn when to take time off, focusing on my long term goals and not stressing about missing a couple workouts. Lesson 1 - don't be stupid. Seems simple, but 95% of humans don't follow it.
After missing a number of swims with shoulder tightness, and finally getting a diagnosis on my wrist, I accepted that Peterborough is out this weekend. Lesson 2 - know when not to race (...and don't pay for races 4 months in advance). With my A-races being nationals and worlds, its important to know when not to compete and possibly sacrifice training for my real goals this season. As Craig told me this past week, the difference between elites and age groupers is elites know when not to race. Its not as easy as it sounds.
Lesson 3 - set goals, not expectations. If you expect to perform a certain way then you're setting yourself up for disappointment - either you meet your expectations and there's nothing positive, or you don't meet them and you have a negative experience. I've done that for my entire athletic career. But I finally realized that setting goals is much more constructive and conducive to good performance, and so far this year its worked for me. In my early season races I've had some great results, partially because I've gone into the races looking forward to seeing what I can do, rather than expecting to podium or win my age group by ten minutes. My goals this season are to win my age group at nationals, break 2:00 at Worlds and come top-15, and have strong results throughout the season to work towards a provincial elite card next spring. Lofty goals, but what are goals if they aren't challenging? Goals are constructive, expectations will never create a positive outcome.
If you've actually bothered to read all of this, you'll realize that none of my lessons are particularly profound or original. Well there's nothing all that complicated about training and racing. As I find myself in a strange place in the sport, somewhere between age group and elite both in terms of training and in results, I find that racing at the elite level is a lot simpler than most age groupers tend to make it (lose 30lbs before shaving 12 grams off your SLC-SL, for example). Just a few good lessons to remember going into my training for the races that count. Don't be stupid, remember my long term goals, keep racing a positive experience.
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