Race Day Reflection Prompts

If you're finding this after finishing a race, first off congratulations! If the race went how you wanted, that’s awesome! If it didn’t quite go as planned, I hope you're still able to give yourself a pat on the back at some point. 

I know for me and I think for a lot of moms, it's so easy to get sucked right into moving onto the next thing. We often go from finishing a training run to getting kids ready for school or crossing the finish line to opening snacks. So I hope you get a minute to just sit with your race, either to celebrate your day or feel the sting of putting in the work and not getting the outcome you wanted (either one are worth celebrating). 

I want to help you use your most recent race to make the next one even better. If you are a runner who wants to continue to improve and enjoy running for years to come, it’s time to view your running like you're creating your unique guidebook for yourself. 

And your most recent race is an important chapter so let’s take 5-10 minutes and reflect. 

Parent-teacher conferences or when a team watches film after a big game are both modes of reflection to identify ways to continue to make improvements and celebrate little wins along the way. 

We can use this process not only to improve our running but make it more enjoyable too.

Pull out a piece of paper and pen.

Answer these 2 questions about race day and the day or two leading up to it. 

(Be as detailed as possible and just put it all out there): 

What went well that I would do again?

Ex. Bagel with peanut butter an hour before start, stomach felt good but not hungry. 

What do I wish differently? 

Ex: Chilly at start-pack extra layer to get rid of. Heavy traffic and hectic to park-leave earlier or get dropped off next time. 

Now that you have your lists. Take a minute and circle what you have control over. 

Brainstorm and list possible solutions to the things you have circled. 

You’ve just created a reference for when the next race rolls around. Now instead of starting from scratch or trying to remember how things went down you can look back at this to help you figure out those race day details. 

Hope this helps get you closer to the result you want on your next race. Check back for next week to use this process to take a deep dive into how your training went.

Keep Running Yourself Resilient!

Katlyn