The Thinking Athlete
Athletes are very finely tuned individuals. Training, nutrition, recovery, and everything else that comes in between.
The day to day for each athlete varies but the nuts and bolts of how they operate are all very similar. Focusing on the intricate details of the session; concentrating on what their pace/power is, what their HR is doing; remembering to fuel and hydrate at the correct times.
Training is quite often based on specific metrics; ie pace, HR, power. However, one metric in particular that can sometimes be forgotten is RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion).
RPE requires an athlete to think and feel. Tuning into what they are feeling at a particular moment whether that is in an interval, recovery, warm up or cool down. Athletes can struggle to dial into this feeling as they become heavily reliant on a number to provide this feedback.
PB1 athletes are always reminded to tune into these feelings, and listen to how the body is responding as often as possible.
Why do we do this?
Because in a race if you let numbers drive and direct your race you may under-perform compared to what your potential is.
On the converse, if things aren’t going right on the day, then solely relying on numbers can result in a mentally frustrated and deflated athlete as they aren’t able to “hit the numbers” that they thought were possible.
A THINKING ATHLETE IS A UNINHIBITED ATHLETE
An athlete that thinks in a race is able to lock into the here and now; constantly adapting their race as it unfolds in front of them. This allows an athlete to maximise their potential of that race as well as maximise their own performance satisfaction.
Training and racing metrics/numbers are important.
But learning how to feel and think in collaboration with your numbers will give you that extra edge on the race course that most are lacking.
