Race Reporting
If we want to win a chess match we need the pieces and the strategy. You can have the pieces but no strategy or the strategy but only pawns and you’ll be in trouble. We train to get more fitness to start the race with more pieces. We need to also spend time improving our strategy. I like to use a technique that the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca used.
Seneca’s goal was to continually make progress in his character. Every night he reflected back on his day.
“I make use of this opportunity, daily pleading my case at my own court. When the light has been taken away …… I examine my entire day, going through what I have done and said. I conceal nothing from myself, I pass nothing by. I have nothing to fear from my errors when I can say: ‘See that you do not do this anymore. For the moment, I excuse you.’”
He asked himself three questions. We can ask ourselves the same questions about our race (or our character like he intended).
What did I do well?
What did I not do well?
What will I do differently in the future to be better than today?
What did you do well? Keep doing that. What did you not do well? What are you going to do differently to not make that mistake again? Over time you will make more optimal choices and fewer subpar choices. The more optimal choices will also start to come automatically. Racing happens fast and decisions need to come just as fast. Even the right choice will not work if we act too late. Seneca’s three questions are a great way to frame a race report. Race reports make us smarter for next time. When we get smarter we stop beating ourselves and we force others to beat us. We can accept getting beaten by others as long as we didn’t make it easier for them.
