Don't Weight Your Racing Grades.
When I was in high school, we worked off a 4-point scale: A's were worth "4", B's were worth "3", and so on. If we were in college-level courses, our grades in those particular courses were weighted, meaning we got graded on a 5-point scale for them: A's were worth "5", B's were worth "4" and so on. On each report card, I had two class rankings and two grade point averages - one taking into account my college-level courses and one only taking into account my high school-level
courses. Got confusing at times because very little in this system was clear cut and precise.
Your racing needs to be black and white. As you decide how you are going to fill up your racing
schedule for the year, you will be determining which races are your most important (A), which are pretty important (B) and which are nothing more than hard weekend workouts (C). But once you designate your races as A/B/C, it is important to adhere to this ranking system (barring changes in priority due to illness or injury, etc.).
When you are preparing for an A race, everything you do leading up to that race is supposed to specifically gear you up to perform at your best during that race. Nothing less. You plant a stake in the ground at that A race and work backwards in order to create your training plan. Once you hit that peak, it is critical to recover, regroup and refocus for the next push. Inevitably, this will entail a short period of transitioning or de-training. If you have really prepared 100% for your A race - mentally, physically and emotionally - then the day after you should not be saying, "OK, I'm ready for what's next!" You'll need a short break to recharge the body and the batteries, whether you admit it to yourself or not.
So, does it make sense to schedule two A races a month apart? No. Yes, it is possible to hold a peak for 4-6 weeks, but it's a bit of a gamble. It is hard to stay peaked mentally, physically and emotionally for a sustained period of time. If you absolutely must designate two races in close proximity as A races, then it would be best for them to be back-to-back or no more than 2 weeks apart. Better to spread them out so there is at least 2 months between A race efforts.
Likewise, be honest with your training and effort during B and C races. Sure, the goal is always to
race as hard and fast as you can, but you have to keep everything in perspective. Everything is a dress rehearsal for your A race(s). So, does it make sense to "weight" your B and C races, effectively turning them into A and B races? No, it does not.
Put 100% effort in all your racing, but realize that "100%" is relative. There is 100% effort and also 100% fitness, which are two different things. When you go into a C race fatigued and blunt because you haven't backed off in your training, "100%" may only be 80-90% of your full potential. And that's OK. It's a dress rehearsal, remember? You get into trouble when you back off your training leading into B and C races in an attempt to have great results every time you race. What you are doing is possibly improving your performance in you B and C races, but you are also running the risk of hampering your chances of having breakthrough performances in your A races. By "weighting" your B and C races - assigning them greater importance than they truly deserve - you are risking diluting the performances of your A races.
Think of your A races as the climax in a dramatic movie. Throughout the movie, you can feel the energy, restlessness and tension mounting with every passing minute until the climax is reached. In a great movie, that climax can hit you like an earthquake. In a bad movie, it kinda passes and you wonder, "Is that the climax or did I miss something?" Create clear and differentiating boundaries around your A/B/C races, and your A races will be similar to the former scenario. Put too much emphasis on the B and C races, and your A races will instead be similar to the latter
scenario.
Define your racing goals clearly and adhere to them. Prepare the way you need to in order to have
breakthrough performances in your A races and chalk the rest of them up to rehearsal and experience. This does not preclude you from having very solid performances in your B and C races, but better for these to be nice surprises rather than something on which you are counting. I'd rather get beat at local/regional events and then win a national title than be a local hero and get throttled at nationals because I let my ego rather than common sense determine how I was going to structure my training around my racing.
Avoid this potential pitfall and you will have more energy and enthusiasm - as well as more power,
strength and speed - for your most important races of the season.
Happy Training,
Coach Nate
When I was in high school, we worked off a 4-point scale: A's were worth "4", B's were worth "3", and so on. If we were in college-level courses, our grades in those particular courses were weighted, meaning we got graded on a 5-point scale for them: A's were worth "5", B's were worth "4" and so on. On each report card, I had two class rankings and two grade point averages - one taking into account my college-level courses and one only taking into account my high school-level
courses. Got confusing at times because very little in this system was clear cut and precise.
Your racing needs to be black and white. As you decide how you are going to fill up your racing
schedule for the year, you will be determining which races are your most important (A), which are pretty important (B) and which are nothing more than hard weekend workouts (C). But once you designate your races as A/B/C, it is important to adhere to this ranking system (barring changes in priority due to illness or injury, etc.).
When you are preparing for an A race, everything you do leading up to that race is supposed to specifically gear you up to perform at your best during that race. Nothing less. You plant a stake in the ground at that A race and work backwards in order to create your training plan. Once you hit that peak, it is critical to recover, regroup and refocus for the next push. Inevitably, this will entail a short period of transitioning or de-training. If you have really prepared 100% for your A race - mentally, physically and emotionally - then the day after you should not be saying, "OK, I'm ready for what's next!" You'll need a short break to recharge the body and the batteries, whether you admit it to yourself or not.
So, does it make sense to schedule two A races a month apart? No. Yes, it is possible to hold a peak for 4-6 weeks, but it's a bit of a gamble. It is hard to stay peaked mentally, physically and emotionally for a sustained period of time. If you absolutely must designate two races in close proximity as A races, then it would be best for them to be back-to-back or no more than 2 weeks apart. Better to spread them out so there is at least 2 months between A race efforts.
Likewise, be honest with your training and effort during B and C races. Sure, the goal is always to
race as hard and fast as you can, but you have to keep everything in perspective. Everything is a dress rehearsal for your A race(s). So, does it make sense to "weight" your B and C races, effectively turning them into A and B races? No, it does not.
Put 100% effort in all your racing, but realize that "100%" is relative. There is 100% effort and also 100% fitness, which are two different things. When you go into a C race fatigued and blunt because you haven't backed off in your training, "100%" may only be 80-90% of your full potential. And that's OK. It's a dress rehearsal, remember? You get into trouble when you back off your training leading into B and C races in an attempt to have great results every time you race. What you are doing is possibly improving your performance in you B and C races, but you are also running the risk of hampering your chances of having breakthrough performances in your A races. By "weighting" your B and C races - assigning them greater importance than they truly deserve - you are risking diluting the performances of your A races.
Think of your A races as the climax in a dramatic movie. Throughout the movie, you can feel the energy, restlessness and tension mounting with every passing minute until the climax is reached. In a great movie, that climax can hit you like an earthquake. In a bad movie, it kinda passes and you wonder, "Is that the climax or did I miss something?" Create clear and differentiating boundaries around your A/B/C races, and your A races will be similar to the former scenario. Put too much emphasis on the B and C races, and your A races will instead be similar to the latter
scenario.
Define your racing goals clearly and adhere to them. Prepare the way you need to in order to have
breakthrough performances in your A races and chalk the rest of them up to rehearsal and experience. This does not preclude you from having very solid performances in your B and C races, but better for these to be nice surprises rather than something on which you are counting. I'd rather get beat at local/regional events and then win a national title than be a local hero and get throttled at nationals because I let my ego rather than common sense determine how I was going to structure my training around my racing.
Avoid this potential pitfall and you will have more energy and enthusiasm - as well as more power,
strength and speed - for your most important races of the season.
Happy Training,
Coach Nate
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