The Post Competition Blues...

The Post Competition Blues...
By Paul Dyck

This post may be a little overdue as I have heard this from people who have competed in past events and felt like they didn't know what to do and where to go after a competition.

I have seen this happen to athletes in Triathlon, Marathons, Adventure Races, and CrossFit events. You put so much time, effort, and energy into your training and your main focus is on this event. Sometimes it's for a whole year sometimes the goal is years away and once you get there and it's over you say "Now What?"

This is a normal thing that happens to some people post competition and I have some suggestions to help with how to recover and refocus.

This is the most important part in my mind. Take time to absorb, celebrate, and evaluate your event and performance. Always look at the positives first and write it down!

-Ask yourself did you had fun?
-Did you enjoy the experience?
-What was the best part about the event?
-What did you learn about yourself?
-What movements or aspects are you particularly proud of?

Once you've come up with some awesome stuff then look at some of the things you'd like to improve on.

-What were you weakest at?
-Did you forget anything (equipment, nutrition, recovery tools, your "A" game)?
-What movements could you get better at to maintain maximum efficiency during competition.
-What do you think was lacking to be able to perform better (strength, cardio, speed, mobility (to     allow you to hit required positions better), precision in your lifts?


If your goal is to get better then these are the things you need to think about and assess. During or after a competition I hear people talk about all the negatives and what they could have done better and how things could have been different if...

Make sure your self evaluation and expectations are realistic. If you are mad because you missed a lift that you only hit once before five months ago when the planets were all in line you probably shouldn't expect to hit it in competition with stress, fatigue, and adrenaline all around.

Some suggestions I have about looking forward and avoiding the blues...

1. Take some rest!

Taking a few days off will help you to recover from the mental and physical fatigue of the event. Thinking about how you should have been able to do something then trying to do it the next day or a couple days later is a great way to get injured. The body needs time to recover from the stress of competition. I know runners who have been mad at half marathon times or Marathon times so the very next day they go and pound out an interval workout as punishment like an "I'll show you" type attitude then end up injured and cant run for 6+ months.

Do something different then what you normally do for a week and allow yourself some time to refocus. Especially in CrossFit most athletes choose not to have much of an off season so I try to take a week post comp to get out and swim, do some yoga, get out on my bike, or just move and do something fun in a different way. Hammering out a tough workout a day or two after competition will leave you feeling like S*#@.

2. Set some goals!

This could be another event, this could be mastering some skills, this could be putting a major focus on your Oly lifts and mobility. Figure out where you would like to be and know what you need to do to get there. If you're willing to put in the work then there's no reason why you can't get there. Make sure those goals are SMART Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time Oriented. Also make sure they are well balanced and in line with the rest of your life.

3. Remember how far you've come.

This is an important one. I'm always wanting more from myself and from all of the members here at Starke. It's always good to remember how far you've come in the past month, six months, year, three years, etc...

I honestly think that there will never be a day where I say "Yeah I'm good with where I'm at. I can stop now."  Occasionally I do look back and say "This is F*#@ing awesome let's see what else I can do. "

Stay hungry my friends... ;-)