Evaluating Race Results to Improve on Track Speed
This is the time of the year when you have the opportunity to sit down and evaluate your past season. As racers, we tend to focus on what didn’t go well instead of what we were able to accomplish both on and off of the track. As racers who have high expectations, we can become disappointed when everything doesn’t come together exactly as planned. However, with every performance provides insight to what is going on mentally & physically on race day. The interesting part about training is when you are specific with the purpose of each workout (based on intensity/ duration/ rest interval and frequency) you as a racer are able to determine your strengths and weaknesses and adjust your training objectives & efforts accordingly.
At MotoE, we use our Blueprint of Success Goal Profile (if you would like a copy of the MotoE Blueprint of Success Goal Profile, please email me) as the foundation for developing workouts for our riders and racers. For many racers, they train “hard” but do not take the time to evaluate if the training (on and off of the track) is actually working in the way of improved speed, endurance, strength & flexibility. At MotoE, our team of coaches and physiologists evaluate each rider’s training and testing results so that weekly workouts (both on and off of the bike) are specific to improving speed & reducing late moto fatigue. To some racers, this level of structure is too demanding due to the accountability that comes with quantified results, but to other racers, the acknowledgement of progress is what motivates them to head out to the track or climb back on that Concept 2 rower the next day. What does this mean in regards to learning about a season that is now history? Here are four specific questions you can now answer:
Is What You Are Doing Sustainability?
If you ask racers why they became involved in racing, the majority of racers will say that it was for the love of riding and the challenges that racing offers. However, when it comes to developing on track speed, the expectations placed on the body are at a level that cannot be sustained for long periods of time without increasing the probability of an injury or burn out from the sport. When you think about the majority of professional racers and the longevity of their race careers, you will notice that their careers are relatively short (usually as a result of injury or burn out).
What Motivates You?
Our actions are motivated by two things: Fear or Pleasure. Think about these questions: do you eat clean food to avoid getting fat or to fuel your body to optimally perform? Do you exercise to eliminate your identified physical limiters or because your competitors are in the gym? Do you practice starts to create a consistent routine to get the holeshot or because you are afraid you might go down in the first turn. Both of these motivators will get results; however, you need identify what works for you and build your goals & objectives accordingly.
Also, you have the opportunity to look back at your training sessions and determine which type of workouts motivated you the most. For example, did you enjoy meeting others to ride or cross train with or did riding & cross training with other athletes create a “race” at every session? Be honest with yourself here. Remember, if you get to a point where you are not motivated to go to the workouts due to excessive stress or distractions, then your consistency will fall off (a very important component for competitive racers) as will your improvement in fundamentals, speed & endurance on the track.
Are You Getting Enough Rest & Recovery?
Did your daily & weekly schedule provide you enough rest to allow for adequate recovery & performance improvement? When it comes to performance, it is not what you do in training, but rather, what you absorb that moves your performance abilities forward. By keeping track of your biofeedback variables (resting heart rate, morning body weight, color of urine & hours of sleep) you will develop a pattern between your weekly training schedule (i.e. hard days/easy days) and how your body is responding (either positively or negatively). If you are getting adequate rest, you will see a relatively low HR & consistent improvements in your performance results (both on and off of the track). If you are not getting adequate rest, you will NEVER achieve your full potential. You track the “fatigue” of your motor with an hour meter; use our MotoE Body Analysis spreadsheet to determine if you are “fresh” and ready to perform to your full potential. Note: if you would like a copy of our MotoE Body Analysis spreadsheet to track how your body is responding to your training & riding efforts, please email me.
Are You Eating, Training & Thinking Like a Champion?
Championships just don’t happen; they are built from the inside out. By understanding what, when and how much to eat & drink; knowing how hard or long you should ride; understanding how to cross train off of the track; understanding how to stretch without tearing something; being mentally prepared to handle the pressure of leading a high profile race has to be taught, tested and applied. With quantified evaluation tools and measurements, training and racing becomes void of emotion leaving you with the reality that you are either getting healthier, stronger and ultimately faster or not. It has always been the goal with MotoE’s coaches and staff to create incremental improvements from month to month, year to year with championships becoming part of the journey – not the end result.
If you are planning on racing Mini O’s in November, click here & sign up for the MotoE Mini O’s Specific 10 week Performance Program. This $400 program will provide you specific workouts on the motorcycle, cross training & strength training protocols, nutrition & hydration plans along with a weekly one hour weekly conference call with me. This program will ensure that you are in peak form for Mini O’s in November. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Jeannie at 954-818-2747.
Until next time, Train Smart-Not Hard!
-Coach Robb
