Resolving to make this year’s racing experience more rewarding?
Coach Matt Eggleton has some proven advice to get you ready for race day:
By Matt Eggleton
Matt Eggleton is an accomplished mountain bike (MTB) and gravel racer, having competed in the National Ultra Endurance MTB Race Series every year since 2016, and he has stood on the podium many times over, all across the Mid-Atlantic. Most relevant to this topic, Matt is a USA Cycling Certified Coach and has logged over 500 hours of coaching – primarily endurance and ultra-endurance MTB and gravel racers – including two state champion Masters racers. Below, he shares his approach to getting ready for each new season.
Racing is exciting! Testing yourself against your previous efforts, as well as against your peers, helps build confidence and character. You can, and will, become the best version of yourself when you take a methodical and structured approach to getting ready for race day.
The framework I have adapted and employed for coaching (as well as a lot of the efforts I lead in my day job as a strategist and planner for the Department of Defense (DoD)) is what I call the “Strategic Performance Approach.” The four phases of this approach are: Envision, Plan, Prepare, and Execute. When executing this plan you won’t just move from phase to phase, instead, as you move from one to the next, you will frequently check in on the previous phases and, if warranted, refine your approach.
ENVISION
Envision: Close your eyes and think about what it will be like the day AFTER a huge success at your big race. What do you see? What does it mean to you? How do you feel about yourself? Where in your body do you feel it? Describe (out loud) those feelings. Are you smiling? Hold onto that. You will come back to your “why” frequently.
PLAN
Plan: There are hundreds of books written about planning a race season that can be reduced down to just a couple of key points. Pick out the pinnacle race (or races, no more than 3) that will be your primary objective for the next year. Structure and schedule a rhythm of workouts that you can realistically keep in order to prepare for a race(s). This is where a coach can help. For example, plan 90 minutes of riding every Tuesday and Thursday, then three hours of riding every Saturday and Sunday. Plan to go hard on Tuesdays and Saturdays and keep it gentle on the other days. Boom! You have just created a 9-hour per week training plan. As you get closer to the race(s) you’ll get more specific in your preparation. Take a moment and revisit your “why?”
PREPARE
Prepare: Preparation involves training, equipping, practicing, and simulating. Training includes the workouts (on the bike and in the gym) that will make you stronger and fitter. You will also need to equip yourself with the gear necessary to perform (e.g. bike, apparel, tools, and other logistics equipment). Practice is when you repeatedly utilize and refine your skills and familiarize yourself with your equipment. Finally, simulation is when you put everything together and perform a dry run (or dress rehearsal) on the racecourse (or one similar) to build the necessary confidence to execute. Once again, take a moment and revisit your “why?”
EXECUTE
Execute: Now is time to execute your vision, plan, and preparation on race day. It is very often the easiest part of the Strategic Performance Approach – “All I have to do is stay upright and ride hard for six hours!” Take a moment and revisit your “why?”
Again, racing is exciting, and the journey from when you begin envisioning and executing your structured approach can be just as exhilarating!
Planning will allow you to have something to do every day between now and your selected race day. And all that meticulous work is part of the rewarding journey toward the best and happiest version of you.
