Most of us have either finished or are about to finish our final A race of the year. After the dust has settled from my final A race of the year, I like to sit down and think through my year. I review my goals for the year and see how well I was able to meet my objectives. It is also a good time to write down a list of lessons that I learned from the year.

When writing things down, I believe that it is essential to remain positive and constructive. We might not be able to control our thoughts, but we have 100% control over our words. It is through our written and spoken words that we have the ability to change our thought patterns.

As well as thinking about areas where we can improve, be sure to note the accomplishments that you've made over the last 12 months. As our "goal horizon" moves ever outwards, we can often forget the breakthroughs that we had during the year.

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2002 Goals

Once you've worked through your 2001 performance, it is a good time to think about 2002. Your first step is to decide your key goals for the year. Once you have those goals, then you need to sit down and figure out how you are going to achieve them.

With my goals, I need to think about how to achieve them. I review my 2001 races and discover my relative strengths and weaknesses. Then I build a strategy to reduce my weaknesses while maintaining my strengths. It seems easy to do, but how many of us really spend quality time building our season strategy? This is where superior performance begins.

Remember that all of us will be able to go faster through better mental preparation and race execution -- the best part of this is that no additional fitness is required! Your 2001 season review will identify the areas where you can improve here.

A final point, your goals should be challenging but achievable. This is very important -- you have to know that you can hit your targets. Dream big and set a series of ever-increasing milestones towards your final goal. Be willing to pay your dues along the way.

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Season Break

I've talked about this before. Just a couple of reminders:

1. Yes, you will lose fitness. Remember that this is the point.
2. Yes, you may gain weight. Remember that this is the point.
3. When you have the urge to send your friends or coach e-mails about #1 or #2, please remember that this was the point!

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Body Composition

If you have a desire to improve your body composition, the early base is a safe time to lose a little weight. Trim some energy dense foods from your diet as well as shaving a little out of your long session nutrition. Remember to continue to eat plenty of fruits, veggies and lean protein.

If you ended your season at your goal body composition, my strong advice is to stay at a comfortable training weight through the winter. I will likely be 10-15 lbs above IMC race weight for all of the winter and the early spring. I think that it is too stressful to remain at race weight year round. Our bodies are not designed to have very low body fat. Far better to be comfortable, healthy and recovering well.