How Elite Athletes Strategize Their Schedules

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Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jonathan and I’m a London-basedprofessional triathlete. I’ve been racing at the elite level of triathlon for aboutsix years, and I now have the privilege of passing on some of my knowledge and experiencesfrom this sport to you, the AskMen readers. I hope not only to deal with all things swim,bike, run and Lycra-focused but to address the general amateur sportsman, the weekendwarrior, the businessman who’s striving for the best in his field.One of the beauties of triathlon is that there is so much variety to it, fromswimming, biking and running to the varying distances, terrains and locations. There aremany choices, but in order to be successful, making the right ones is important, and thereare many factors involved. For example, I recently wanted to compete in a racepurely to get a confidence boost after a period of sub-par training and racing, but I wasoverruled by my coach. It was a small race of no long-term significance to anything but myego. There was no real benefit in doing it, but I needed my coach's pragmatic view toremind me of this and help me see more clearly and make the right choice.Atthe start of the season, my coach and I plan out a rough race schedule, with the goal ofqualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona as my top priority. My coach and Ithen look at the points on offer at each race, taking into consideration how many we thinkwe’ll need to get by October to qualify, where we can most easily pick up points,which races might work well for sponsors and which might not, which races will take a lotout of me physically and which I can bounce back from quickly and therefore race againshortly after. There is always flexibility within all of these decisions, but at the endof the day there is also an acceptance that a lot of eggs will go into only a few baskets,and there’s risk involved. But doing the homework for each choice means thatI’ve controlled everything I can and will make the best decision I can. OnceI’ve done that, then I’m happy to accept whatever the outcome is.There’s nothing worse than seeing the result of a race you didn’t properlyconsider and seeing a missed opportunity when it’s too late.Factors: Smaller Or Bigger Picture?

Whatever the reasons, if you choose to race, you need to carefully consider a multitudeof factors. It’s important that you know from the start what the most importantthing is for you. It’s likely to fall into one of two categories: Firstly, it mightbe that you want to compete in that specific race regardless of anything else, likeoutcome, speed and competitiveness. Secondly and more broadly, it's that there is a goalbeyond that particular race that is the most important to you.With one ofthese two factors established, it makes your race choice easier. Obviously if it’spurely about that particular race, then your decision is made and your job is done.Register, train and go and enjoy. If, however, you want to break a PB (personal best) foryour overall time over a sprint distance race, then this will instantly narrow down thechoices. You might be looking to qualify for your age group to represent your country, inwhich case there are likely three to five races in that year where you can do that. Continue Reading

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