Janoš's Welsh National 5k Champs Race 2022

A Little Insight Into Our World...

Stress plays a big role in travelling to races...
There is the obvious stress of packing the right things, boring tickets, getting timing correct et al. Then, the added ‘stress’ or awareness, that, I am still coach most of the time away. I have to protect the athlete (Janoš, in this case) from: the heat; dehydration; eating too late, or too soon, too little, or too less; walking too much; from any social media he shouldn’t be engaging with; shielding him from any comments from people, until after the race; and so on.

We seem to have a system, now, though. Which has worked so far, and Vorsprung provides the 'safety-net', comfort and training to be able to cope with any adverse or un-planned / unexpected events.

There is a chill of excitement...
Once we arrive at the track (not wanting to sound arrogant) - I really don't mean it that way. But, I think, we both arrive and feel good.

We have, already, viewed the track on photos, so we know what it looks like. We know where the stand is and the lay of the land. Nothing is a shock or unexpected.

Arriving at the track is when the excitement really kicks-in. It is so exciting. Butterflies in the belly, grinning a little, like a kid in a candy store. It is why we are there and we ‘own it'.

We feel mega-confident, because I do 'own' the track and he has been brought-up with it around. Even better, when we have a sly look around and see how redundant everyone else’s warm-ups are, we know he is going to be so much better prepared for the race than any of them. 

Then, there is the nervous energy...
Emotions create energy. They, also, drain energy. I have to not show any extreme emotions. I have to be cool and calm all the time around him. I supply him with several race plan options, so he can choose as the race unfolds which one is more appropriate to act on. I will present him with information about all the competitors: their kick-ability (based-on their 200 metres and 400 metres times); there 'stamina' (based-on their mid-distance times); when they have last set PB's or when they have last raced at this distance.

He will go into a race with all this information learnt and stored, only twenty minutes before the start.

Additionally, I will help him warm-up. Which involves getting the timing right for when we start the warm-up; make sure he has everything he needs; then, leave him be in his own space.

Finally...
I ‘hope’ (don’t say to anyone I ever said that word!) that, all the work we have done and all the preparation leading to this race has worked!

That old adage is so true:‘When it all goes well, the athlete is the star. When it all goes wrong the coach is to blame.'

© A. Vranek 2022.



© A. Vranek 2022.



© A. Vranek 2022.



© A. Vranek 2022.



© Sharon Walters 2022.



© Sharon Walters 2022.