I was speaking with a friend of mine, Patrick Krueger, about his endurance training for extreme events like Ironman Triathlons and double century rides. He said something that struck me on so many levels. He said he has finally learned to “Trust in your training. Race day is what it is.”
That made me reflect on how that can be applied to so many things in our life. We can so easily forget that the process of getting somewhere is just as important as the “somewhere” itself, and, oh my gosh, sometimes even more important!
Specifically, this came to mind as I think about rituals. In American, and maybe even most Western, cultures we put the emphasis of ritual on the day or moment itself – like birth, death or wedding (which, I’ve just had first hand experience in!) rather than the preparation of the ritual. We prepare, prepare and prepare as if it’s disconnected from the actual ritual, ceremony or rites of passage. More often than not, we are let down by the experience because it came and went so fast, then we are back to “real life”. If we were able to incorporate the preparation into the ritual, in fact, have it become the ritual itself, we are not reduced to the pressure of a moment, but more the long term haul of many, many moments, with a wide range of emotions that surround them.
Trust in your training. Race day is what it is.
This has also become very prominent for me as I learn golf. I tell clients all the time that your body will change day to day in many ways. What balance feels like one day, may feel different the next. You may have energy one day, only to find you are drained the next. You must notice how you feel IN THE MOMENT and adjust accordingly.
Never has something been so true as with golf. I can hit a 200 yard drive one day (which for me is EXCELLENT), and the next day it’s as if I’ve never picked up a golf club. Nor has it ever been so prevalent that training and practice IS the game. The hours on the driving range help teach my body muscle memory and movement memory and kinesthetic awareness. Then, when I arrive at the first tee, I MUST trust in my practice or my confidence is shot and my body reacts. If I hit a bad shot, which is OFTEN, I can’t let my mind go to “I don’t know how to play!” or “the sun was in my eyes…pant legs too short…wrong club…” because that negates all my training.
Trust in your training. Race day is what it is.
You body will do what it does. It may not be exactly what you wanted, but we don’t have control over that every moment. If you completely trust that you took time to get to know your body, your emotions, your spirit, well enough, you will be able to adapt. Otherwise, you’ll be left half way through your race, or on the first tee, or staring at your wedding altar after the day wondering “What happened? Did I forget something big because I feel lousy and lost.”
Trust in your training. Race day is what it is.
