While the world these days is filled with commentary. Of people who love to fill space with their thoughts on how they see the world. Often these comments are quite black and white and negative in their nature (just to get a bite) but the reality is life is far from certain. There are many twists and turns it can take. This week the Matilda’s, the Aussie cricketers and the AFL showed that while so called experts may like to think they know it all and speak their mind on where they think the state of play is at, they really don’t have any idea.
It was Shane Warne who first made me think about how we go about making decision. He always said, “you need to wait until both teams have had a bat before you know where the state of play is at!” (Collect more information before you open your mouth) This was certainly the case with the Ashes as not just in this final test, but all series the commentary, which is mostly negative, has been just responding to what was 3 feet in front of their faces- Baz ball is dead, Anderson is too old, Cummins should give up he captaincy, Warner and Smith should retire. Even in the final test, the match swung repeatedly from one team to the other. And that is why sport is so awesome.
For me this is why the betting game is so prosperous in this country. It is not hard to take money from fools who have been brought up just living in the 3 feet in front of their faces, they don’t see the big picture and fail to take in all the realities. Just because a team won last week doesn’t mean they will this week.
Last week in the AFL pretty much every match was won by the outsider. Yet the reality is there is very little between most teams. Yes, Port had won 13 games in a row and the Crows struggled to link two wins together, but the crows have a higher percentage than Port, which gives you food for thought that both teams are far more equal than ladder positions indicate.
Triathlon is no different. People are always worried about what everyone else is doing, making comments and observations from afar, without really knowing the reality. For some they struggle with this perceived judgement while others have found ways to remove this from the equation.
For me as a coach I always look for trends. There will always be ups and downs in anyone’s season, (life has a habit of influencing things) but so long as there are positive signs of growth in specific areas, I am usually happy. This is all about building foundations. While some chase speed and endurance from the get-go, I think it is better to build solid foundations in how you go about your training. You want to have the skills of the sport, techniques in place, mental tool kits to cope with the challenges, an intimate knowledge of how we go about training and a mindset built around enjoying what you do, before you get caught up worrying about how far and fast.
Yes, this may mean there are some wins and losses with your race experiences, but we don’t let the negative races drag us down. In most cases these become our best learning experiences and opportunity for growth.
Which brings me to the Matilda’s. After a slower than hoped for start to the World cup, where the knives were out for the coach and players, they responded magnificently against a team that was ranked higher than them and who had tasted the ultimate success at the Olympic games. So, after the negative commentary after the Nigerian game, there will be no end of positive talk after the Canadian game. But the reality is we still don’t know where we are at. The Canadians may have been subpar, they only just beat Ireland and Drew with Nigeria so maybe they aren’t as strong as we believe. Or maybe all four teams were a lot closer in ability than rankings suggest.
It is only at the end of the tournament that we are able to categorically comment on the team and their performances. And with triathlon it is the same. It is only at the end of your triathlon career when all is and done, that you can say if it was a success or failure. Until then you have a plan, lay down a solid foundation, keep learning and growing and work to continually improve. Typically, a triathlon career is defined by either longevity with lots of competitive racing or one race. Especially in long course racing, it is one race that typically defines your career. So, while others may be keen to comment on what you are doing, in the end focus on your own world, play the long game and see where it takes you. As professional athletes say “ignore the noise and focus on the process, the things you can control!
Good luck to the Matilda’s as they enter the knockout stage. And for all you Crows’ supporters, hang in there, this year is laying a foundation for next year when we will be ready to turn all those one-point loss’s into wins! And as I always say to Louis there is only one day that counts, making sure you are ready for this one is why we go through all the ups and downs.
Happy training.