Evaluating A RACE SEASON
By Scott Lacy,
Processing a given performance, of any kind, is a skill. It needs to be honed and practiced, especially if the outcome of the processing is to be useful. And there is no golden ticket - processing any expenditure of energy is personal for every individual. One way I have found particularly useful to me for digesting the many components of a race and season is through an evaluation form and goal pyramid.
The use of an evaluation form creates a consistent process for breaking down a race. The attached form encompasses the many areas of racing often overlooked when thinking about the time between the start gun and the finish line. Starting with the previous night's sleep and food for breakfast to layering, pacing and technique, to mindsets, strengths, weaknesses, and more, allow for fully processing a race.
This form may be something for merely reflecting on the day or as deep as re-thinking each and every part of racing to learn from and change and perfect over many, many races. Most often, it is something in between and varies from race to race, as it does for me. Some races I use the form to think critically about a new warm-up routine or pacing strategy or mindset, and some days it is a fast fill-out and I never look back. I find it very important to identify a strength from the day - something done well, and a weakness - something to be improved upon. But most importantly, it is a way of moving on from the race. Whether a great race, a terrible race or just a race, it is a way of learning from it and leaving it be.
There are days a race goes terribly wrong and it becomes an effort of making it “The Best Worst Day” you can have. Or a race where everything goes right. Either way, as athletes we are incredibly good at over-thinking and dwelling on the past. My college coach had a rule: you had until the end of the warm-down to analyze the race, but once you took your boots off, it’s all eyes on the next race and best preparing for it. Or as a former Olympian told me how he thinks about each race: you ski it, you swallow it, and you sh*t it out. At the end of the day, the evaluation form allows for closure on the performance. And it takes practice to find personal closure after each race, but it is important to move forward.
An evaluation example from a day I woke up feeling terrible and had a great race
Personally, I love to learn from each race and the evaluation form is a way of doing that. And after 10 or 50 or 100 races, the many aspects of racing are honed and progress is made. My evaluations are often covered in side notes and comments on ratings and extra long thoughts on strengths and weaknesses. Then, over the course of a season, I have a record of progress and lessons learned allowing for a better processing of the season as a whole. I even fill out evaluations for important dryland time trials as well, adding to the record of a competition year.
As we near the end of a season, it may be a bit late to be talking about evaluating races with only the last few left. But the race evaluations combined with goal pyramids are important for evaluating a season at large and drawing closure on a competition year. I am confident everyone knows of the simplest form of the goal pyramid - a base of process goals, a mid layer of performance goals and a top cone of outcome goals. Usually created at the beginning of the training season and re-evaluated come race season. They can be for huge, long-term goals or smaller, short term goals, but often the outcome is a culmination of a lot of energy expenditure. Both the race evaluation and the goal pyramid are ways of breaking down complex things into smaller and more approachable aspects which allows for intentional and actionable thought processing about the larger outcome or performance as a whole. A method usable in any area of life.
My Goal Pyramid from this past year, not all outcomes were achieved, but some were
So now the ultimate processing, did the outcome goal get achieved? Did the season go as hoped? Did the race get won, or qualifying for the Olympics or moving into the top ten overall or going a whole season without injury? Yes or no? Either way, it doesn’t matter for processing and achieving closure even though dwelling on the yes or no is all too easy. Use the evaluation form and the goal pyramid to break down the things done well, the things to be improved upon, the best days and the worst days, the best worst days. Think about them, write about it, make a reel on instagram or season edit or final blog post or simply a talk with a coach. LEARN from the season and from every race. Accept it and acknowledge the huge amount of energy put into the season and past year of training. Accept your-self and be proud of the energy put in. And move forward more educated and prepared than ever before for the next goal ahead!
Killer racing this season, cheers and see you on the trails.