~ Coach Phil Glotser
I had a horrible race. It actually stopped being a race for me after the first mile, at which point it turned into a slow and torturous death crawl. My legs just completely shut down, unable to respond to any conscious effort to go faster. That left me with four never-ending miles, during which all the emotions that one can expect to experience in a situation like this began to surface. I was angry, I was frustrated, I was disappointed. I vested a lot in this race - time, energy, and emotion. And the conditions were right - good weather, good course, good competition, and a good atmosphere. But a bad race. Immediately afterwards, I had no desire to talk to anyone, which is unusual for me since one of my favorite parts of races like this one is the socializing at the end. Instead, I headed right for home, where the coping process really began. Looking back, the best thing I could have done for myself at that point is to forget about it for a while - running, racing, training, all of it. It is not likely that I, or anyone else in my shoes for that matter, can make any quality assessments or decisions on these matters in the aftermath of a bad performance. The looming negative emotions are likely to distort any and all objectivity. Luckily, it was Thanksgiving, so all the family functions and gatherings that followed were just the distraction I needed. Otherwise, who knows how long I would have sat there wallowing in my own self-pity? And what good would that have accomplished? But once thoroughly distracted, it actually did not take all that long to calm down and put things in perspective. I was still unhappy with my performance, but now I could actually think clearly about what went wrong and what to do next. In other words, I started to think of this race as a learning experience. And that's probabaly the second best thing I could have done for myself. A few things became clear as day at that point. First, I would like to race again as soon as possible; second, I would like to never ever, ever shut down the way I did in this last race; and third, I needed to take a close look at how I prepared for the race to avoid repeating any and all mistakes that lead to this disaster. This third point especially became the key, for it motivated me to dig up all my running books and magazines and articles, which in turn motivated me to make a few major changes to how I will continue my training. In the end, I was psyched to resume my running, which I did the very next day, and, more importantly, I had so much more knowledge and information to bring into my training (and coaching) than I did before.
So what's the point of this reflection?? Well, I'd like to think that I am not the first nor the last person to experience a major setback, in athletics, in health/fitness, or just in life in general. As a matter of fact, if anyone has a similar experience to share and is willing to do so, please do! Let us all learn from each other. Let us all remember that goals are important, but so are the setbacks we run into on our way to reach them. And each setback is itself a crucial part of the process. It provides to a chance to pause and re-evaluate your goals and your strategies and actions to achieve them, as well as an opportunity to make any necessary changes or adjustments. Let us also not forget that as bad as they seem at the time, these setbacks are rarely as horrible as we initially make them out to be. Don't let the whirlwind of self-criticism and negative thinking keep you down. Remember too that there is a vast amount of resources out there to help you whenever you need it, no matter what situation you're in. Have you visited the internet lately?? And let Team Xcelerate be one of those resources!!! Between the combined knowledge of the coaches and other professionals we are associated with, and all the personal, practical experience of folks just like you that we have worked with over the years, I'm willing to bet that there's always someone in our Team Xcelerate community that can offer up some good advice, guide you toward the best plan of action, or simply relate to your situation, whatever it may be. That's what we're all about (and the hokey pokey of course :)
Take care yall!!!
