Training Plan Entitlement

You just signed up for a big ‘A’ race and can’t wait to start training.

You’re going to do everything you can to have the best race and that means training right.

Because if you do that right, you’ll get the race you want.

You simply have to find the right training plan and follow it to the letter. 

Then you’ll be set - the work done.

All you have to do in the race is execute on the training. Easy.

Except…on race day you’re not prepared for the reality of it. 

In the first miles you get passed. A lot. It’s demoralizing.

You hit your first low earlier than you hoped, around mile 30. You expect a low to be a dull spell with a couple of achy muscles, so the full force of it grabs you by surprise - physically, mentally and emotionally.

Shaken, you finally manage to rebound for 20 miles but the hours are adding up and the toll on your body makes shuffling the best you can do.

Your training didn’t prepare you for this.

Then you hit another low. This time, there’s so much wrong at once, you’re overwhelmed. You didn’t expect to hurt this much and can’t see a way out. You can’t think straight but at the speed you’re moving, it seems like there’s no hope of finishing, so the obvious solution is to drop. 

After the race, you’re confused and disillusioned. You must have used the wrong training plan. You need to research the right one and get opinions. 

But the next race…the pattern repeats and you’re back hunting the ‘right’ plan again.

Because it’s not the plan that’s the problem.

The problem is thinking that following the right training plan entitles you to a finish. 

That you don’t have to worry about uncertainty or face the harsh reality of a brutal climb in a tired body because you trained right.

You delegate your responsibility to the training plan and then blame it when the race isn’t easy and doesn’t go your way.

The truth is, you’re not entitled to a finish. 

You have to earn it in the race like everyone else.

And you totally can. All you need to have that great race are a few tools like:

Advanced race planning so you know exactly how to finish.

The ability to control your negative thinking so you stay out of doom spirals.

And knowing how to succeed and fail like a pro, so you’re more willing to take risks.

With those tools, you can relax about choosing the right training plan and checking off every single little mile. You’ll make the training you do the right training by making the most of it.

You’re prepared for the uncertainty and reality of the race. You can handle whatever happens.

And long term, you build confidence. You get proof it’s your own skills and determination more than anything else that get you to the finish.

That’s the way to have the best race…now and in all the races ahead.