How to Learn From Your Race Experience

Analyze the details of your key events to improve your performance next time.

As you wrap up your 2012 training blocks and goal events, it’s wise to review how things went so you can make adjustments in the coming year. “If you had a great race, you’ll want to know how to repeat the experience,” says Alexa Martin, a running coach in Gig Harbor, Washington. If you fell short of your training target, whether it was a time goal in a race or a key workout, you can learn from that, too. “As gut-wrenching and heartbreaking as these experiences may be, if you assess the carnage thoroughly and honestly, you will uncover the clues that will lead to your next big running breakthrough,” says Martin. Discover what went right—or wrong—by conducting the following post-mortem as soon as you catch your breath.