I had the good fortune to come down with a nasty head cold this holiday season. It started after youth Skimo practice the weekend before Christmas. As an endurance athlete, coach, and high country denizen, I know the signs all too well. It begins with a scratchy throat, some sneezing, and a general feeling of ADR (“ain’t doin’ right,” as my cowgirl Mom used to say). I knew I was in for at LEAST a week of rest, fluid management, Neti Pot, and ….reflection. I say that I was fortunate to come down with this malady, because, as with all really good, and by good I mean bad, injuries and illnesses, they make us slow down and take a look at the bigger picture. So, I made a cup of tea, one of thousands in this lifetime, and the tea tag read, “Your potential self is infinite.” If you are a fan of Yogi teas, you may have seen this one. I got to thinking about my human potential, and that of the athletes that I work with and am surrounded by. As we enter into this New Year, I am sure that many of you are thinking about how to maximize your infinite potential in 2022, I know I am! Here are some big picture points to ponder to get the most out of this year.
- Reflect! In a busy world, it’s easy to just keep moving. But if you want to get better at something, you need to ask The Three Questions. After a race, key session, or at season’s end, there are three questions that beg reflection in order to maximize your potential in your next race, session, season or in this case, YEAR. “What went well?” What are you good at? What are your strengths? These are the things that you want to continue doing and capitalize on. You might find it easy to do long endurance workouts, meal prep, and meditation – yes! Continue on! You may not need to spend as much mental energy or focused training on improving these things, just keep up the good work. “What DIDN’T go so well?” These are your weaknesses, or, as we say in the triathlon world, your limiters. These are the things that you know you need to work on. It could be your flip turn in the pool, Skimo transition times, nutrition for ultrarunning, or simply showing up for a given workout with enough time and energy to do it WELL. These are the things that need to be identified and addressed to reach your potential. And lastly, “What can I do better next time?” This is a chance to come up with an action that will address your limiters. What will you actually DO to reach your potential? Make a plan and WRITE IT DOWN as to what, when, and where you will actually practice your flip turn, transitions, race day nutrition, workout scheduling. Oh, and coaches are awesome for helping with this!
- Focus on the The BIG things! As coaches, we get a lot of “I read about ______. “ “What do you think about ________?” This question is usually about supplements, ergogenic aids, gadgets, recovery methods, and fad diets. When it comes down to training for endurance sport, the main things to focus on are quality of training intensity and volume, adequate nutrition (you need carbohydrate, Friends!) + hydration to fuel your training, and sleep quality. Those are the Big Things. If you can consistently show up for your workouts well rested, fueled, and hit your targets for the day, THEN we can start to talk about deeper dishes for your TT wheelset, NormaTec booties, and adaptogens. There are some bigger picture parallels here, too – what are the Big Things in your life outside of sport? For most of it, family and work are pretty important. Can you apply the three Q’s here? There is a bit of a hierarchy of needs here – once you have your family and work life mostly dialed (no one is EVER 100% dialed here- we are humans, after all), you are then able to train better because you have a solid foundation and support to reach your potential.
- Revisit your “WHY” In the Catholic faith, part of the prayer of penance is “Forgive me Lord, for what I have done and what I have failed to do.” For me, this means that my inaction is as bad as my actions. When I neglect to hold the door open for someone, volunteer for a cause that I believe in, or take an opportunity to use the gifts that God gave me to better myself or help others, I feel that I am not living up to my personal potential. Why do YOU think it is important to reach your personal potential? Why do you want to be the best version of yourself that you can be? THAT is what will get you to lay out your workout clothes, make that post-workout recovery meal, and get into bed early so that you can CRUSH IT AT LIFE the next day. Identifying your “why” may also help you identify your Big Things in life. I had to cancel/skip two coaching sessions -youth Skimo and Masters swimming – due to my illness, and I was surprised to find that I was actually heartbroken. I had been looking forward to these sessions and the opportunity to share my love of Skimo and swimming with others, even though the planning and mental energy is a source of eustress. I realized this week that I really love my job as a coach and I want to continue to reach my potential in my career. If all of this reflection has you questioning your “WHY,” it’s time for a deeper dive and perhaps some action in the New Year.
Well, now you know that I am a) sick at the time of writing this, and b) Catholic, which means that I must get some rest so that I can go to Christmas mass. I hope everyone has a great holiday season, and if you need a healthy break from all of this thought and reflection, might I suggest a long ski/run/ride while listening to David Sedaris’ “Santaland Diaries”?
