By Phil Widmer

The Season of the Time Trail is upon us and you know what that means: the real deal is soon to come! Each year, as the season approaches time trials are a way to test the form that is built over the summer and fall months of training. They're a way to physically and psychologically get ready for the first races of the season by implementing the positive changes made over the summer

During the fall our team was lucky enough to have Beckie Scott and Terry Orlick come and make a presentation on some of the things that helped Beckie become a "serial winner", someone who is able to come up with amazing performances all the time. There was a lot of valuable dialog but one of the most important things I took from their presentation was the process of debriefing. It was a simplified process for Beckie, after each race she'd look at three things. 1. What went well? 2. What didn't? 3. What changes will I make next time? Simple is good! I think I can handle this. So, the next part of the process is to "docide", do + decide= "docide". Terry Orlick's point was that it's great to talk about but until you "docide" to do something about it, that's all it is: Talk. This year I'm making it my goal to debrief properly after my race efforts, to ask myself the three questions and then apply the changes I need to make.

More on Phil's website here: www.philwidmer.com/main.php?p=766