Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [trail] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 0:52

Post #26 of 57 (1714 views)

trail wrote:

devashish_paul wrote:

5 letters. The moment you are happy, and not looking to get better, performance goes backwards.

Those things are not mutually exclusive for me, thankfully. I find it's possible to enjoy performances, and still go-to-work-with-lunchpail on Monday morning.

Agreed! That first part is complete nonsense and just typical BS motivations videos on youtube kind of talk. I get where it comes from. But if you can never be happy about a result and just keep punching your head into the wall, that will really eat up all motivation at least for me.
Now i might not be a type A personality person in the pure sense, but i always try and set myself some ambitious goals (for my weak athletic standard!), and hope to reach them. I'm never going to be front of pack maybe not even MOP but i try to relate the goals to the amount of training done. If i do 5 hours a week i can't expect to be even MOP.

To answer the overall Q:
I would say around 80 % of he time.
I have done 4 half (7:45, 6;40, 5;30 and 5:59), i have been happy to see progress in all of them, that last one was after 6 months off with no sport at all due to concussion and only 2-3 months training. I have done 1 full and my goal was to complete and so i did. For all my sprints/olympics i have set PRs so been happy with that. But i get that I'm nearing a level where a PR is not usual anymore and that could lead to another feleing.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 1:15

Post #27 of 57 (1709 views)

devashish_paul wrote:

5 letters. The moment you are happy, and not looking to get better, performance goes backwards.

NEVER

It's possible to be happy with how you performed in a given race in the knowledge that it's a stepping stone to further improvements.
You can be satisfied with an individual performance without your career losing purpose.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

philipshambrook

Apr 16, 19 1:28

Post #28 of 57 (1708 views)

I'm happy every time I get to the start line.

Trust me I’m a doctor!
Well, I have a PhD :-)

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [plant_based] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 3:51

Post #29 of 57 (1692 views)

plant_based wrote:

turdburgler wrote:

However as someone now sidelined with illness for a prolonged period, I can't help but to look at my performances longingly wondering how hard it is going to be to regain all of that fitness.

If Tim Don can get back to fitness, you can too - right? You're golden. You already have the muscle memory.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/...n-neck-keep-running/

Thanks for sharing!

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [rrheisler] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 6:26

Post #30 of 57 (1657 views)

rrheisler wrote:

I think there's a separation between being happy with a performance, and being satisfied with one. The day you reach the latter is the day when you hang it up.

I've had good days -- one's where I've been happy -- but I'm not satisfied yet.

+1 on this.
So many variables in triathlon that I think it would be impossible to ever be completely satisfied with a performance.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 6:28

Post #31 of 57 (1664 views)

Happy is a funny word... tend to be 'happy' with my race in general but there aren't many perfect races.. always room for improvement. I've won races and afterwards I'm thinking about things like my fumbling transition, goggles fogging, etc. Overall I enjoy racing, so I'm happy with the actual events but just critical of my self in general and a bit of a perfectionist.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [wintershade] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 6:48

Post #32 of 57 (1652 views)

wintershade wrote:

Yeah, but what if you nearly pass out when you cross the finish line, but what if it's just because you blew up your pacing? What if you went all out, but swam and extra 200 yards in the swim because your sighting sucked, and then had a crappy T1 because you didn't regain focus quickly enough.

Personally, I find how I feel when I finish to be a pretty poor indicator of my overall performance on any given day unless it's something pretty simple like a flat, windless road 5K.

Trial and error. If I feel tanked after swim, I did it wrong. Tanked after bike, I did it wrong. Tanked after run? How was my pacing, was it even? was the course flat or hilly? was the wind at my back or in my face?

then take into account other variables..
swim choppy or smooth
crowded swim or not
currents
how long a run to transition
did i lay my stuff out in the most efficient manner
how as my bike pace
my power
my nutrition
was I "hunting" or not
did my legs feel good - if not - what would have caused this in the prior week
etc

adjust according to the variables at play and if at the end I am tanked and the variables all were in my favor - then I left it out all there and am happy

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 6:48

Post #33 of 57 (1652 views)

devashish_paul wrote:

5 letters. The moment you are happy, and not looking to get better, performance goes backwards.

NEVER

QFT.

I race bikes, rarely, on only about 5 to 6 hours a week. People are shocked I can even keep up with the rides and races, much less lead at some point and throw attacks and stuff.

I never sniff winning. I keep getting told how strong I ride, etc.... because I can and do drop some folks. Just not the ones that matter.

All I hear in my head is......."you still got dropped by the winners".

I think for me, the exception is TT. But even then, that's got categories of success. Power output, aero, how well did I corner or u-turn, did I plan well (weather, tire pressure, splits). Perhaps power was good but I took the corners shit. Or perhaps planned really well but power was down.

At least with TT it can be "minor victories" for myself. I see my RR activities largely as failures and yet another very painful learning experience.

Right now.....anything as a new PR or something in my running makes me happy. I know I'm slow, but the improvements keep me happy since I don't compete in it whatsoever.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 6:56

Post #34 of 57 (1651 views)

The older I get, the more satisfied I am. Especially as I continue to PR. I just had my best executed 1/2 at Oceanside. I think part of being happy in races is finding the ones that work for you. I think I am better at 1/2s than fulls. I don’t race well in heat, then why would I do those races? Once we start to know ourselves, the more satisfied we will become.

I read a post on FB about someone who had a du coming up, but hadn’t bought a bike yet. Are they going to be happy with their performance? Probably not.

http://www.TriScottsdale.org

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [Sbernardi] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 7:05

Post #35 of 57 (1643 views)

Of the "A" races out there, basically happy 90-100% of the time.

I feed off of the positivity of the event and the feeling afterwards. Additionally, its the motivation / training that keeps me going, not the spot time at the end of the race.

Spent years playing tennis really competitively and got the real burn-out once expectations < reality- I now play maybe once a year.

Cardiovascular health for me is about the long game (I'm 33) and its just about being out there, enjoying the 6am sunrises, and the little moments of training madness that keep us all afloat.

For those where triathlon is their first "deep" endeavor into an athletic field, keep this in mind! Too many triathletes burn out for this exact reason.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 7:10

Post #36 of 57 (1637 views)

I'm often happy with my race performance. Sometimes I'm not, but I tend to take a fairly subjective assessment of it, and I separate race performance from training.

The overarching principle is "do I feel like that race was an accurate assessment of my physical condition?" And I try to set realistic targets for a race based on how training is going. So I might give the race an "A" but training a "C-", depending on how consistent I've been and whether I've been doing the things that I should be. Or vice versa, training might have been going great, but I did things on race day to sabotage my own efforts. Waking up late, skipping breakfast, improper pacing, not getting my head in the game, etc....

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [ChrisM] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 7:28

Post #37 of 57 (1624 views)

ChrisM wrote:

Often. And it doesn't mean I quit striving (been racing since 2004, not as long as others but longer than most). I often set ambitious goals, and I am often just outside them. Rarely am I so far off absent a mechanical or other serious unforeseen issue.

However more recently I've been judging my race performance more on how it makes me feel versus whether I was 45th or 50th in my AG at a large WTC type race. Did I pace correctly and hold back smartly where needed? Did I push appropriately? Did I give in to the voices in my head telling me to stop? This started a couple years ago when my Garmin flooded just before Oceanside so I raced it blind. 6th time I'd done the course, and TBH was super happy with my execution, didn't even look at my time until several days later. Now I race in a similar fashion, no running time although I do have the Garmin for data

I've had faster years and I've had slower years but if I execute to the very best of my ability at the time of the race, that's a success. Whether that result meets my "time goals" is not really relevant to me, and really just tells me there are things I have to work on if I didn't meet that goal.

Friend of mine writes the back page piece in the USAT Tri mag. Best line he wrote: "Ultimately, it's not about the time it took you to get from the start to the finish, but the time you had in between"

This is close to how I'd described my attitude toward race performance. I do set ambitious goals and look to do well by PB and relative to others in my age group. But success is really about how well I execute on race day, especially if conditions are challenging and I've got to think on my feet. Interestingly, I no longer race with a watch. It just so happens that about the time I quit wearing my watch I got both happier and faster.

I think someone mentioned the difference between 'happy' and 'satisfied.' It's a good point. I'm always happy when I'm doing a tri and after: I'm doing something I love, I'm outside, and I'm on my bike. That's about as great as life gets.

When I cross the finish line, I evaluate whether I've met my goals. That's an objective process, not an emotional one. There's always room for improvement. If there wasn't I wouldn't be doing this sport. You always want to feel like you're getting smarter and faster and that search to do so is what drives you. But unless I've truly screwed up - ie, unless I've disappointed myself by making a weak decision, given in to the voices telling me to stop or slow down, not being my 'higher self' - then I'm always happy even if I also know I could have physically gone faster. But I'm still going to see how I can improve.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [PhilipShambrook] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 8:54

Post #38 of 57 (1594 views)

PhilipShambrook wrote:

I'm happy every time I get to the start line.

Hear, hear.

I've battled some tough back issues, and my fastest days will always be in the past. I'm happy that I'm able to line up and give it a go every single time.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 9:00

Post #39 of 57 (1592 views)

Expatiations matter

I have hit most of my goals racing but I feel like I never hit them when I'm training. Kind of weird yes but I have been pleasantly surprised. However my expatiations are realistic.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 10:09

Post #40 of 57 (1574 views)

My hypothesis is that no one has ever run a 100% perfect race, ever.

Sure, they can collapse at the finish line, crush a record or PR, etc. but there is always a scenario where they could have tweaked at least 1 thing to go faster.

So in my mind it's silly to say that you can never be happy unless you run the perfect race. Because you never will.

However, you can set concrete and realistic goals for yourself and be happy if you achieve those goals. They can be time based, place based, whatever, but you should set expectations for yourself beforehand and then evaluate your race against those goals and what you could have done better to achieve them.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 13:39

Post #41 of 57 (1544 views)

When I first started racing (over 10 yrs ago) it used to be based on doing the same races and getting a PB ..

Not any longer. I’ve got repetitive injuries that flare up so for some races, it’s getting to the start line. Otherwise, I base my performance on the difficulty of the course and conditions, and how prepared I was for it - as I’ve shifted to racing on trails and ocean instead of on the road and tri’s. I like to try different races so I don’t look at PBs any longer as the courses for each race varies so much. The more challenging the course and conditions and my ability to perform well - the happier I am with the race. Though, similar to others I’ll never be 100% happy as improvements can always be made.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

Apr 16, 19 14:30

Post #42 of 57 (1534 views)

Given that racing is not my career, nor does anyone really give a shit how good or bad I do in a race...I don't take it all that seriously. So as long as I don't have medical bills, or a broken bike when all is said and done...I'm pretty happy. I'm of course competitive, and try to do my best...turn myself inside out if I'm on a good day. I'm doing this for fun, as a hobby. If after a race I constantly feel disappointed in myself, I should probably find a new hobby.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [TriSolo] [ In reply to ]

Apr 17, 19 3:48

Post #43 of 57 (1488 views)

TriSolo wrote:

rrheisler wrote:

I think there's a separation between being happy with a performance, and being satisfied with one. The day you reach the latter is the day when you hang it up.

I've had good days -- one's where I've been happy -- but I'm not satisfied yet.

+1 on this.
So many variables in triathlon that I think it would be impossible to ever be completely satisfied with a performance.

Agreed. Last year I trained the hardest I ever have for IM 70.3 Lake Placid. I was sure I was ready, having put in some of the toughest bike and run workouts I ever have. Yet, that course still got me, I became it's beatch. I was unhappy with my result, but satisfied with the overall experience. I walked away thinking about taking another shot and how I would train smarter and harder next time. The thing about this sport is you keep on thinking "how can I improve?" And there are a myriad of ways to improve. That's a big part of the draw for me.

"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Apr 17, 19 4:39

Post #44 of 57 (1472 views)

I think that i am very uncompetitive and enjoy the training. I do all this to keep fit - to be able to run for a bus when I’m 80 and to give myself the best chance at having enjoyable later years.

I did a sprint tri at the weekend and know I didn’t do as well as I could have - but I was over it by the time I got home.

On Monday morning I went for a short, easy swim to loosen up - and swam the first 400m quicker than I did the race - not good, I know.

I’m more of a runner though, and would be slightly more disappointed if I didn’t hit my time targets on a run race.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [trail] [ In reply to ]

Apr 17, 19 4:51

Post #45 of 57 (1468 views)

trail wrote:

devashish_paul wrote:

5 letters. The moment you are happy, and not looking to get better, performance goes backwards.

Those things are not mutually exclusive for me, thankfully. I find it's possible to enjoy performances, and still go-to-work-with-lunchpail on Monday morning.

Me either, thankfully as well.

I couldn't imagine going through life not being able to take pleasure from successes because I was afraid it would take me backwards. I'm hoping Paul was being sarcastic.

If anything, the races where I do my best make me push that much harder to see what I can do to top what I had just done.

For the OP: I think my numbers are nearly opposite of yours. I'd say that probably 90-95% of the time I'm happy with my results.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

Apr 17, 19 5:03

Post #46 of 57 (1463 views)

I like this question. Last year I did 5 triathlons and also BQ'd (in my tenth time running a marathon). Out of those races I'd say that I was happy with my performance on all except one. I really crapped the bed at Raleigh 70.3 Out of the other races, while I was happy with the performances I also sat down and tried to analyze what I could to do to get better/faster. I think that's what is great about triathlon. Since there are three sports we are constantly trying to optimize training to give us the best results when racing and then after the race, go back and re-adjust to try to go faster. Even for the BQ attempt, when I ran it my goal was to BQ after many failed attempts. I finally did, and am still riding the high from it months later, but at the same time, I negative split the back half and really didn't feel beat up post race and was back to training fairly quickly. I now wonder how fast I could have gone and am plotting how to go faster and in my next marathon.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

Apr 17, 19 5:19

Post #47 of 57 (1457 views)

natethomas wrote:

I’m curious about how folks here evaluate their races. I’m guessing that many of us are type A and have relatively high expectations for ourselves. Personally, over the past 11 years I’ve had three open running races and two triathlons where I looked back after the race and felt I hit my top goals. This covers around 45 triathlons and 60 or so running races. I have had decent results, and I often set a high goal that I feel is achievable based on training going into a race - only a handful of times (~5%) of the time have I really hit my high goal.

I’m wondering what others feel in regards to successful races.

in no particular order

a. first ironman
b. first IM AG win
c. any race with an overall win (only a few running races for me)
d. first Boston marathon

all of these went relatively well and i will always look back on them fondly. if i ever run an ultra or take up MTB/xterra i am sure those will be added to the list.

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

Apr 17, 19 5:25

Post #48 of 57 (1452 views)

Pretty much never.....I have been doing running races since 2009 and triathlon since 2013. I was happy with first 1/2 marathon I run :-)

2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [natethomas] [ In reply to ]

Apr 17, 19 5:32

Post #49 of 57 (1448 views)

natethomas wrote:

I’m curious about how folks here evaluate their races. I’m guessing that many of us are type A and have relatively high expectations for ourselves. Personally, over the past 11 years I’ve had three open running races and two triathlons where I looked back after the race and felt I hit my top goals. This covers around 45 triathlons and 60 or so running races. I have had decent results, and I often set a high goal that I feel is achievable based on training going into a race - only a handful of times (~5%) of the time have I really hit my high goal.

I’m wondering what others feel in regards to successful races.

I'd say that you are either setting your goals at unrealistic levels if you are only achieving them such a small percentage of the time, or you need to work on race prep and your mental game.

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Re: How often are you really happy with your race performance? [Jason N] [ In reply to ]

Apr 17, 19 6:04

Post #50 of 57 (1435 views)

Jason N wrote:

Given that racing is not my career, nor does anyone really give a shit how good or bad I do in a race...I don't take it all that seriously. So as long as I don't have medical bills, or a broken bike when all is said and done...I'm pretty happy. I'm of course competitive, and try to do my best...turn myself inside out if I'm on a good day. I'm doing this for fun, as a hobby. If after a race I constantly feel disappointed in myself, I should probably find a new hobby.

This is the most sensible post in the entire thread. I only replied to bump your quote.

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