Reflection
I've been meaning to post this for a couple of days, but Blogger hasn't been cooperating.
When my students finish a project, I make them "reflect" on the process, what they have learned, what they could have done differently, etc. I tend to reflect myself after each race, so I thought I'd do some out-loud reflection using questions similar to the ones I ask my students.
Did you enjoy the race?
For the most part, yes. I didn't enjoy feeling dizzy during the swim and I didn't enjoy the fact that I couldn't pee without other people watching me (ok, that was the race site, not the race). But the weather was great, the course was challenging but not too challenging and for most of the race, I felt pretty good.
Which parts of the race were easy and which were hard?
The bike course was pretty easy. The run course was difficult, especially the sand. Overcoming my own personal difficulties during the swim was tough, though the sea was quiet and the water wasn't unbearably cold.
Did you learn anything from the race? If so, what?
I learned that chances are, no matter how awful I feel, I won't die during the swim. I also learned the running uphill is only relatively difficult. It was easy after running in sand.
Which part of the race did you enjoy the most?
The bike, though I think I could have gone faster.
What do you think you did well?
The second half of the swim went well, even if I didn't manage to catch up to where I could have been. I swam strong, concentrating on my stroke and I passed a lot of people. My bike to run transition wasn't bad, either, though I did waste a few extra seconds in the transition area drinking (but I didn't drink on the bike, so I saved that time there). Overall, I was also happy with the run, even if I could have pushed harder (see my next answer). I ran the whole race, even the difficult parts, I passed at least one or two people and I didn't suffer all that much.
What could you have done differently?
I could have swum through my dizziness, though that's really easy to say in retrospect. I could definitely have pushed harder on the bike. And I could have pushed harder on the run -- I had too much sprint left in me at the end and even after sprinting, I didn't feel "spent".
I kind of like this "reflection" idea. It's a good way for me to gather my thoughts after a race and to try to figure out how to use what I've learned in future races.
When my students finish a project, I make them "reflect" on the process, what they have learned, what they could have done differently, etc. I tend to reflect myself after each race, so I thought I'd do some out-loud reflection using questions similar to the ones I ask my students.
Did you enjoy the race?
For the most part, yes. I didn't enjoy feeling dizzy during the swim and I didn't enjoy the fact that I couldn't pee without other people watching me (ok, that was the race site, not the race). But the weather was great, the course was challenging but not too challenging and for most of the race, I felt pretty good.
Which parts of the race were easy and which were hard?
The bike course was pretty easy. The run course was difficult, especially the sand. Overcoming my own personal difficulties during the swim was tough, though the sea was quiet and the water wasn't unbearably cold.
Did you learn anything from the race? If so, what?
I learned that chances are, no matter how awful I feel, I won't die during the swim. I also learned the running uphill is only relatively difficult. It was easy after running in sand.
Which part of the race did you enjoy the most?
The bike, though I think I could have gone faster.
What do you think you did well?
The second half of the swim went well, even if I didn't manage to catch up to where I could have been. I swam strong, concentrating on my stroke and I passed a lot of people. My bike to run transition wasn't bad, either, though I did waste a few extra seconds in the transition area drinking (but I didn't drink on the bike, so I saved that time there). Overall, I was also happy with the run, even if I could have pushed harder (see my next answer). I ran the whole race, even the difficult parts, I passed at least one or two people and I didn't suffer all that much.
What could you have done differently?
I could have swum through my dizziness, though that's really easy to say in retrospect. I could definitely have pushed harder on the bike. And I could have pushed harder on the run -- I had too much sprint left in me at the end and even after sprinting, I didn't feel "spent".
I kind of like this "reflection" idea. It's a good way for me to gather my thoughts after a race and to try to figure out how to use what I've learned in future races.
posted by bari | 15:53
1 Comments:
Hey Bari
Thanks for being the first comment on my blog. How cool. I read your race report. Cold water, sand in the run ick. How many Tri's will you be able to do this year?
Andy
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