The stars align for one perfect race day per year
If your early season races have been cancelled already...
You only have one chance at a good race performance this year.
This may be an uncomfortable truth for some of you, but it shouldn't be.
You should be comfortable with this fact because this is actually true most years.
Between the disruptive forces in life such as injuries, poor planning, and other unexpected factors...
The stars typically align for only one perfect race day per year.
Of course, this year is a special case since you maybe forced out of your early season races due to cancellations.
But, this could end up being a good thing.
For example:
I remember a year in college where a couple of the star performers ended up sidelined the entire fall after sustaining injuries in summer training. They were disappointed but built themselves up over the winter, skipped a few of the early season races in the spring, and only were able to race for the meets that mattered at the tail end of the school year.
As you can imagine, they weren't pleasant guys to be around. Nobody likes it when race day is cancelled.
On top of that, they more or less exhibited cabin fever when sitting on the sidelines in bubble wrap while they anxiously watched everyone else race.
But, at the end of the season, their performances were nothing short of spectacular.
They weren't:
- mentally weighed down by early season failures and frustration
- physically wore down from racing every week
- and, put all their efforts to the few races that actually mattered
As good as it is to get reps in at early season races, you don't need those races to be prepared for the moments that matter.
You may be upset about the race cancellations right now.
But, it does not change the fact that you typically only have the stars align once per year anyway.
This is a critical time to be disciplined.
The consistent athletes who keep training even when they have nothing immediate to train for will be rewarded when the next race day comes around.