A little insight
Giving Olympic scale performances perspective they deserve, here's a little insight...
It didn't happen in an arena, nor earn me a medal however - just recently, after ten years as an elite Cyclist, I produced a career best performance in training ~ 20min w/kg power.
A little dive in to what producing an 'Optimal Performance' can take;
Completed my third 3 week altitude training block for 2021
Came down to sea level from altitude a calculated number of days prior
Unloaded some acute fatigue, monitoring load via TrainingPeaks
Slept a lot yielding both quality and quantity
A few 4h rides at tail end of the week get the engine going, some zone two but no intensity
Trained in middle of day to get acclimatized to the heat & humidity
Monitored body weight but fueled according to hunger and Blood glucose levels via Supersapiens
Monitored fatigue, health, readiness to train with HRV via Ithlete
High CHO dinner & breakfast early as possible for digestion time
Woke up mentally ready and willing to suffer
Very high CHO intake during session with Maurten gels and drink mix
Used the external stimulus of a local bunch ride as race simulation
Didn't look at my power or HR values on my SRM the entire climb
Psychologically went 'free solo' to my capacity on that day not bound by a pre defined power number / limitation
Visualised it as a race scenario welcoming the pain and suffering, embracing the hard work of the past months into every pedal stroke of that very moment.
.......
They say athletes can't improve physiology as they get older but certainly get smarter in using it. Harnessing experience and knowledge becomes fundamental.
Through experiences like these I've learned the coupling of preparation, implementation and then execution is the absolute cornerstone of optimal performance.
If this was a tiny example executing a personal best on one simple training ride, imagine and appreciate the scale and complexity behind every Olympic performance you are seeing right now!
Podium performances are not always achieved in stadiums... but stop, reflect and celebrate them all the same.
