Philosophical reflection on NZ Elite Nationals 2015
The biggest NZ pinnacle event of my cycling season has come to an end. Even though I was not crowned a National Champion and gained less medals, I would say that I am in a much better state than this time last year. This blog entry is more of a philosophical reflection on the weekend’s racing – so brace yourselves…..
But for those that just want to know my results, here they are:
- 2nd 500m TT (34.65 – it says on results sheet, which I am a bit dubious, as the scoreboard read 34.971s which I am also dubious)
- 3rd Match Sprint (F200m 11.453 – close to PB!)
- 4th Keirin (probably the best race I have done, just didn’t have the legs to hold the lead in the last 20m!)
Some have asked if I am disappointed with my performances. Yes, I will admit that I am not happy with some aspects of my performances. For those that know me, this is NO surprise. But overall I am ecstatic and very pleased with how I performed over the four days (incoming shock from others…..I DID just give myself credit?!). How much a year can change things right? By getting healthier, and keeping on top of it, I have observed the gains from training. This has also improved my confidence and belief in myself which is now starting to reflect in my performances. I am close to being 100%, and I am expecting there will still be hard days. Why shouldn’t there be?! It just makes the good days worth it even more.
Nationals is always a point of scrutiny. You are watched from eyes above, or beside, and everyone has an opinion. They may verbalize that to your face, or to others behind your back. We, as athletes, are vulnerable to such scrutiny – we put ourselves out there in front of all to see, essentially, if we fail or succeed. But that is part of sport, and we either let it get to us or not. I for one put extra pressure on myself to perform, especially when your career matters to you and you want to show all the hard work you have put in. Sometimes that doesn’t come across in the form of improvement in time (as I discovered last year). It happened again this year at Nationals. However I have put a positive light on this as there has been improvements, just not ones that are as visible or as comparable. I didn’t hit PB’s but I did improve on last year’s times. I didn’t win medals in some events, but I felt my racing was more decisive and confident. These aspects are not quantifiable in terms of seconds, tenths of seconds, or one hundredths of seconds, however they are all part of cycling and will eventually help in the long run.
I came away from Nationals knowing that I am in a consistent place. This is really exciting! I am consistently doing the same times in training, day after day, week after week. And these times are sitting just above my all time PB’s. So I will be honest and say I was a little gutted I didn’t crack those PB’s this weekend but I have to put things into perspective. This is where I am at currently, which is much better than where I was sitting six months ago. It is simple as that.
A huge thank you has to be mentioned to my family – especially Mum and Grandma who surprised me with their presence during the racing! I love hearing the ‘duck caller’ (sorry for those having to put up with it). Also a big ‘high 5’ to my friends who have been behind me all the way. And not to forget my sponsors and supporters, where would I be without you!
There is not much time to rest as there are new goals to make and achieve!
Bye for now,
Kt x
p.s. pics to come!