So, you trained for your race.  You did your race.  And now what?  It’s time to do a post-race analysis!

After a day or two of enjoying the post-race glow, the next thing to do is a thorough post-race analysis.  To me, this is one of the most important pieces of performance enhancement.  Taking time to analyze what went well, what didn’t go so well & what needs to change going forward is critical to our growth as athletes.  I know the temptation is strong to either pat yourself on the back & think “I did everything perfectly!” or to repeatedly drown in your sorrows.  But neither of those responses will make you a better athlete.  To improve our future athletic selves, we need to take an objective & critical look at our performances, make some notes & then implement adjustments!

Over the weekend I completed the run portion of Ironman 70.3 Oregon.  Here are just some of the many questions to ask yourself (and in the spirit of self-analysis…my own answers!):

1. Were You Ready?

Yes’ish.  I tried a new training protocol (for more info on this, click here) for this race which meant that I had no way of knowing what “ready” would feel like.  I assumed (and I was correct) that this “ready” would feel quite different than any “ready” I have felt in the past.  And to that point, I felt VERY rested, VERY fresh & not the least bit tired or fatigued.  In fact, I felt so good that I questioned whether or not I had actually run enough!  Oh, how those old habits of volume, volume, volume die hard!

2. What Did You Learn?

My biggest learning moment was really more of a reinforcement of the fact that no matter how awesome your training program, if your body has weaknesses, they will show up on race day.  I felt great to Mile 7…then my IT Band tightened up.  I’ve known for years that, if anything will cause me problems when running, it’s my IT Band.  And this time was no different.  To minimize this, I’ve worked hard over the past 2 years to improve my hip & IT Band mobility.  But clearly there is MORE to be done.  Now I get to do an even deeper dive into understanding how hips & IT Bands work!

3. What Are You Proud Of?

I am most proud of my plan to negative split.  This was my pacing plan using walk/run method:

• Mile 1 – To warm up, I did 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, then 4:1 ratio all at easy intensity.  And when I say “easy”, if I can’t nose breath, it’s too hard!  (For more info on nose breathing, click here & here.)
• Miles 2-6 – Run with 4:1 ratio at easy pace…again using nose breathing.
• Miles 7-10 – Run faster pace for 1st minute of 4:1 ratio.  The remainder 03 minutes at easy pace.
• Miles 11-13.1 – Continue with same plan.  Or if I felt great, run 1st 02 minutes faster, then remainder 02 minutes at easy pace.

Up to Mile 7 the plan went like clockwork.  And I do believe that, minus the IT Band issue, I would have been 100% able to follow this!

4. What Didn’t Go Well?

Well, the obvious – my IT Band…which dramatically affected my ability to stay on goal pacing.  🙁

5. How Well Did Your Respond to Things That Weren’t in Your Control (e.g., weather, other competitors)?

I’m actually pretty good at keeping my head focused on what I can control vs what I can’t.  It was really hot.  Can’t control the temp…but I can control hydration & ice.  I drank water & grabbed ice at every aid station.  Also, I tried to stay in the shade even if it meant running on dirt rather than the pavement.  I couldn’t really control my IT Band issue…but I could control my response to it – NO EGO!  Once it tightened up, I dropped my pacing strategy & focused instead on trying to minimize the injury risk.  Stretching regularly & more walking allowed me to finish without injury.

6. What Are Areas for Growth?

More experimentation with this new training protocol!  I will continue to tweak the volume & intensity amounts, frequencies, timing, etc. in order to see how performance is affected.

7. How Did Your Mental Prep Influence Your Performance?

I went in with a No Ego mentality – just do what I trained to do & ignore the race time & how many people passed me.  Since I encourage my athletes to do the same, I figured I’d better follow my own advice!  The only time I deviated from that was when, during one of my 01 min walk breaks, an older gal racing the full 70.3 jogged past me & asked, “Are you on a team?”  I said “Yes.”  And she responded, “Well, why the heck are you walking then?!”  I will admit…I’m human.  That comment irritated me enough so that, when I saw her ahead of me in the final Mile, I made darn sure (IT Band pain or not) to pass her in the finish chute!!  I know…  My ego got the better of me…  I’m not proud of that……

8. Did Your Pre-Race Plan Work?  If Not, What Can You Do Differently Next Time?

Yes & No.

Yes for my mental plan & my pacing plan.  Those were both spot on.

No for the final month leading up to race day.  In that last month my training program fell apart.  I was in England for 18 days, so no running there.  (Though we did do some hefty walks/hikes – a 13-mi & a 12-mi – but running was non-existent.)  Then, after 1 week home, I got sick.  And then, in the week before the race, a random foot pain popped up after a short, easy run.  After all was said & done, in that final month to race day, I managed a total of 4 short, easy runs.  It certainly wasn’t what I had planned.  No interval sessions.  Nothing over 1 hr.

9. Did Your Fueling / Hydration Strategy Work?  If Not, What Can You Do Differently Next Time?

Yep, both worked great!

Fueling – I’ve been working over the last 2 yrs on becoming more fat-adapted.  My pre-race nutrition (about 1-1/2 hrs prior to run start) was:

• 4 hard boiled eggs
• 1/2 c of cottage cheese
• 1/4 c of roasted, salted almonds

And that was it!  I felt full of energy the entire run!  I took 2 packets of peanut butter with me…but never needed them.  Yay for fat adaptation!

Hydration – I hyperhydrated the day before.  And during the race I drank water at EVERY aid station.

And there you have it, folks.  That’s my post-race analysis…the good, the bad & the ugly.  Remember that one of the best ways to improve is to detail what worked well & what needs to be changed.  So, after your next race, I encourage you to take a few minutes to get past your emotions & dig in!  Your future performances will thank you!

Happy training & racing!