Focusing inward

Racing tomorrow. Training has been done, taper complete, gear is packed and ready, pretty much all I can do has been done. All that is left to do is wake up in the morning and go racing. Doesn't sound too hard.

It is funny, despite years of racing I still nearly fell into one of the oldest traps in the book, I started thinking too much about other people.

There is a classic saying around racing "think about the things you can control, forget about the things that you can't". Who turns up for a race, and how they race is one of those things that you can't control, yet it is something we often spend a lot of time obsessing over.

Despite knowing all of the above, earlier today I started doing just that, thinking about who might turn up to this event and how they would go and how I might race against them, it almost got me a bit panicked. However, before I got too carried away I remembered that worrying about external factors like these is fruitless as it will make no difference to how I race tomorrow.

When it comes to racing the important things to think of are those elements of the race day that you can control. Things like your preparation, your nutrition, your taper and rest, your pacing etc. These are the important things that will impact how you do on race day. If you have thought through and prepared for your race appropriately and then you execute your race to the best of your ability then that is all that you can do, you can be happy and proud of the result that comes from it

It is funny really, because while this race is one that I have been preparing and training for, it really isn't that big a deal. Whether I execute the race well or not will only really mean anything to me. As such there really isn't anything to be gained by worrying about other people, but it was still the direction my mind wanted to go. It can be a dangerous path to follow, one that can bring about unnecessary and unproductive stress, nerves and worry. In racing I have always found it more productive to instead focus internally, thinking through my plan and processes and making sure I have my bases covered.

With regard to the things that I can do to ensure a good day tomorrow, I have done all that I can. That certainly doesn't guarantee me a good day, but I can start the event knowing that I have given myself the best chance possible. I have no idea how the day will pan out, but hopefully I can race smart and strong and finish the day proud of the outcome.