Why
The most important part of the race report isn’t to inform the readers or to show how witty or funny you are, it is to analyze your performance and have a record of what went right and what went wrong for your event. This report is something you may or may not share for the benefit of others, but in the end it should be linked into your TrainingPeaks account for the specific race. The splits, RPE, and notes on plan execution along with nutrition you can copy for each phase directly into the single event files as well for quick reference.
General guidelines
Length: 500 – 5,000 words, depending on the size and scale of the race, where it fits in your overall season plan (“C” race, “B” race, “A” race), and/or generally how much time you have on your hands to blog/self-indulge/analyze/share.
Timing: As soon as possible after the race so that you can put in as much detail as possible. Everything counts in a race report. Use the “quick report” to get started.
Mental & Physical State: As you talk through each leg of the race talk about how these areas were at the start and at the end and when in the race they changed if they did. IE going into the swim I was confident in my abilities to meet my goal of a 37 min split, it was about halfway through the swim that my confidence began to fade after the third time I had someone hit me as they climbed over me to pass. Exiting the water I was at a low as I came to grips with my poor swim of 42 minutes.
Photography: Inclusion of professional-level photography is preferred, but we will take what you got. There is something about “you ain’t the best, but your all we got…”
Marketing: Make sure to promote your report on FB/Insta/Twitter, with the appropriate hashtags: #3VRacing, #3VCoaching, As they apply: #Gu, #Xterra, #Stryd, #PowerTap
The Quick Report for Training Peaks
Use this for your races that same day or next morning and then expand on it using the notes from above based on time and race priority.
Introduction
Athlete:
Event:
Date:
Distance:
Race Priority:
Result:
CTL:
TSB:
HRV: Daily Score, 7 Day Average Score, 30 Day Average Score
Report
On a scale of 1 to 10, (1 = poor, 10 = exceptional), how would you rate this performance?
Why did you rank it as such?
What was your travel itinerary to the event?
Did this affect your performance (positively or negatively)?
How were stress levels in your life in the days before the race?
How were your sleeping patterns in the days before the race?
How were your eating habits in the days before the race?
What were the weather conditions for the race?
What specific preparations did you make for these conditions (hydration, clothing, etc.)?
Were these preparations adequate?
What was your warmup routine for the race?
Was it effective?
If not, what would have been more effective?
What were you thinking about on the start line?
Did this help or hurt your performance?
On a scale of 1 to 10, (1 = poor, 10 = exceptional), what was your motivation level for this race?
Why did you rank it as such?
What was your nutrition plan for the race?
How well did you execute the plan?
Could the plan be improved?
How?
What was your hydration plan for the race?
How well did you execute the plan?
Could the plan be improved?
How?
What was your pacing strategy for the race?
How well did you execute the strategy? (List your mile/lap splits, if applicable)
What do your splits show about your execution?
What decisions did you make before or during the race that helped your performance?
What decisions did you make before or during the race that did not help your performance?
Anything else about the race, positive or negative, you feel is important?
The Long Report for Social Media & Personal Records
Introduction Overall
Why you picked this race
Race Goals
Training for the Race
Did you make adjustments for weather or terrain
Logistics
Major Life Events & Stress
Photos of gear layout, training, or preparation with appropriate sponsor tags
Race Week
Travel
Mental & Physical State
Nutrition & Hydration
Sleep & Recovery Patterns and/or metrics
Stress Levels & Reasons
Race Motivation Level and why
Pre-Race
Morning Routine
Mental Preparation & State
Physical Preparation/warm-up
How you felt and what you were thinking right before the gun/cannon/whistle… Did this impact your start/race?
Swim
Start with spit, AG position, and pace
Start type (wave, mass, rolling) and impacts to you/thoughts
Talk strategy, equipment, conditions
Explain any anomalies in splits or time
Mental State & Physical State
Tips for readers
Transition 1 & 2
Start with spit, AG position
Talk strategy, equipment, conditions
Explain any anomalies in splits or time
Tips for readers
Bike
Start with spit, AG position, and pace or any of the following watts/RPE/percentage of threshold
Nutrition Plan & Execution of plan
Talk strategy, equipment, conditions
Mental State & Physical State
Explain any anomalies in splits or time
Tips for readers
Run
Start with spit, AG position, and pace or any of the following watts/RPE/percentage of threshold
Nutrition Plan & Execution of plan
Talk strategy, equipment, conditions
Mental State & Physical State
Explain any anomalies in splits or time
Tips for readers
Conclusion
Start with personal accolades or lack thereof compared to goals and expectations
Explain what went right or wrong overall
Explain decisions made during the race, why, how they went for you
Overall thoughts on race, venue, race logistics/support
Tips for readers
Sources
The Hippie. How to Write a Race Report. The Hippie Triathlete Blog. Source: http://thehippietriathlete.com/2016/06/14/how-to-write-a-race-report/
Vance, Jim. Analyzing Your Race Performance is Key. Competitor.com. Source: http://running.competitor.com/2014/05/training/analyzing-your-race-performance_1300#sW6Lo6RUErYdM8Qc.99