Sometimes we have a race that goes less than expected. We put in the time training, eating right and getting rest. Despite our best efforts, race day comes and we don’t PR or have as good of a race as we were hoping for. Many athletes respond to this negatively by assuming that there must be something wrong. Something wrong with the training that they did or the diet they followed or the equipment they used. The fact is, not every race can be your best! What should we look at when we have a rough race?
First, consider all the environmental considerations. Heat, wind, and humidity all have more of an effect on our finishing times than the latest set of aero wheels. Wind can create chop on the swim, wind really slows down the bike and heat and humidity are the killers of speed on the run. You may have had a fantastic race once you consider what kind of environmental conditions you were facing. Comparing a race result done in calm wind, overcast skies and cool conditions with a race that took place under sunny skies, strong breezes and 90+ deg heat is hardly comparing apples to apples.
Second, avoid overreacting and changing up your training routine. We often want to immediately change something in our training if we have a bad race. This is a particularly egregious error. There is a good reason you were following the plan you were on. If we change up the training every time we have a less than stellar race, then we never give the plan time to have a positive effect. We are constantly changing the training load and our bodies never have the chance to adapt and become stronger. Endurance training is all about consistency and time. Train, rest, rinse, repeat. There are no magic bullets, no magic intervals, no magic hill repeats, etc. Changing up your training often leads to a decrease in performance in the long run. Be patient. Stick with your plan and keep as consistent as you can and you will be rewarded on race day, especially when well rested and have favorable race conditions.
Lastly, be honest with yourself. How you did you actually perform in the race. Did you hold lev 4-5a HR on that 10K run? What does the data say? If you held your threshold HR in a 10K then you can rest well at night knowing you did as well as you could. Your time may have been slower due to the crowds, a twisty or hilly course or the environmental conditions, etc. If your goal was to perform as well as you can on the day, your HR data will tell the tale. If you felt like you were digging deep and the HR data confirms it, then the finishing time is just what it is and you can feel proud knowing you executed a proper race. 
The next time a race goes less than desired, consider the above points and live to fight another day!
