Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap: Birkie Story
By Jill Troutner
February 24, 2003
Suzanne King |
This past Birkie Weekend I had the priviledge and the pleasure
of watching all sorts of folks go through their pre-race routines.
Of particular note, was Suzanne King-an experienced elite
racer and Olympian. Suzanne's race preparations were completed
well before the race. She new exactly what she was wearing-no
agonizing over which ski suit or how many layers of long underwear.
She new exactly what she was going to eat-in fact she brought
her own breakfast from home-"the same thing I eat every
morning." She had her skis prepped well ahead and the
only last minute ski prep she did after the evening meal was
to brush them down one last time. She spent part of the day
prior and the morning of the race stretching-something we
could all do a little more of. She was incredibly calm and
focused the night before and seemed very relaxed-maybe because
of that stretching! The morning of the race she went for a
little jog, ate a very basic breakfast (muesli), went through
that easy stretching routine, and continued to have this air
of unhurried calm.
What stands out here? Her checklist is well prepared in advance
and there are no last minute needs or panicking. She has though
everything out so well that she exuded this aura of quiet
calm and competence. She spent that evening before going over
the mental game-reviewing the course on the map and very likely
visualizing it in her head. So what were the rest of us doing?
I don't know about you but I was busy watching Suzanne and
taking notes!
Now that the Birkie is over-take a moment to sit down and
go over what went well for you and what caused a panic or
problems 24 hours prior to your race and then…WRITE IT
DOWN for next year. In the Army we like to call it an after
action review or "AAR". This helps us take stock
of where we are and helps us do better the next time. So review
your pre-race checklist. Fine tune it and practice it for
each and every race--whether it be the Birkie or the your
local 10k. Save the adrenaline for the race--not for the pre-race
preparations!
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