Neutralising the Result: The Art of the Debrief
Written By Madi Roberts
As endurance athletes, we will all experience a bad race, or possibly even a DNF (Did Not Finish). These experiences can be extremely hard to process, especially when we commit so much time, energy, and money into our sport. We navigate early mornings, late nights, and push ourselves to the limit—only to end up with a result we are disappointed with. However, these experiences can actually have a positive effect in the long run because they allow us to reflect, learn from our mistakes, and implement changes for training and future events. These races can, in turn, make us wiser, more resilient, and eager to try again with more tools in our tool belt.
Following a bad race, it is very important to remove emotion from the outcome and ‘put on your professor cap.’ To figure out what happened, we need to step back, get objective, and treat it like a data-gathering exercise.
Guideline for Post-Race Analysis
1. Positives Prior To The Race
List the things that went well leading into the race. This may include: a good block of training, being injury-free, no illness, smooth dynamics at work and in close relationships, restorative sleep, solid nutrition, streamlined travel to the event, and residing in a comfortable environment pre-race. Conversely, list the things that did not go well leading in that could have affected how you felt on race day, such as poor tapering, overtraining, or illness.
2. Outside Your Control
Identify the things that affected your performance on race day that were out of your control. This may include high or low temperatures, humidity, wind, rain, rough water conditions in triathlons, transport logistics, rough contact with other athletes, your menstrual cycle for females, or heavy foot-traffic on the course.
3. Within Your Control
Document what went wrong on race day that was within your control. This may include losing focus or “flow” when the race got hard, succumbing to race-day anxiety, improper pacing, failing to remain calm during the swim leg of a triathlon or the opening stages of a run, poor fuelling or hydration, or minor avoidable issues like blisters, chafing, or forgetting equipment due to poor planning. (Note: Some factors are partially in your control, such as equipment malfunctions, sickness, cramps, GI distress, or crashes.)
4. Future Race Day Strategy
Write down exactly what you will do differently on race day to improve your performance next time. This might include: sticking to your goal pace instead of starting too fast, dialling in your fuelling and hydration, and implementing mental strategies or a mantra to help you power through the toughest moments.
5. Training & Preparation
Map out what you can adjust in your next training block to improve your future performance. You may decide to focus on your speed, endurance, recovery or mental strength. You could try running on different terrain, join a running group, explore new equipment or racing shoes, increase your training volume, partner with a coach or follow a structured training program.
6. Gratitude & Goals
Specify what you are grateful for in your sport and define the goals you are setting moving forward. This could include: appreciating the ability to push your body, enjoying the social aspect of sport, travelling to events and new locations, and having a true passion in life. Crafting achievable objectives might involve exploring a new event or discipline, stepping up the distance, chasing a time-goal, or even competing in a team event!
Reflecting is only half the work. Use these remaining points to keep your head in the game:
Celebrating the Courage to Show Up
Most people never register for a race, let alone commit to the training required to reach the start line. Between injuries, illness, and the general unpredictability of life, simply making it through a training block to arrive at the start line ready to compete is a significant achievement. Take a moment to acknowledge the effort it took to get there. You are showing up to do your very best, and that pursuit is what matters most, regardless of how the race unfolds.
Setting High Expectations
Sometimes a race goes poorly because we’ve set expectations that aren't grounded in our current fitness or preparation. When we get rigid about hitting specific paces or rankings, it creates a narrow path to success; as soon as we drift off that mark, the whole thing can feel like it’s falling apart. If every deviation from the plan feels like a failure, it’s easy to spiral. The best efforts happen when we let go of that obsession with the numbers, stay loose, execute the work we have in front of us, and trust our training even if we don’t nail it on the day.
Remember: One Day Does Not Define You
One race rarely gives an accurate picture of what you’re actually capable of. You can’t expect to have a PB performance at every event; racing is a skill in itself, and it takes practice to get it right. If you’re racing often, some days just won't be your day. As renowned Physiotherapist, Brad Beer often says, “it’s about the highs, the lows, and the learnings”.
Moving Forward
When a result doesn’t go your way, give yourself a day to be sad and reflect on it; then be brave, put the next race on the calendar, and get back to training. You’ve done the work; you’ve gathered the data—now trust the process and move forward.
Ultimately, sport should be a passion project that you refine over time. After all, if you achieved all your dreams today, what would you do tomorrow?