“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana
When I finish an event like a triathlon or Spartan Race, I enjoy writing about the experiences and sharing the photos.
When I first started doing triathlons in 1995, I would send out an email to my friends and family detailing my race with thing like:
- Being kicked in the goggles during the swim;
- Forgetting my energy gel in transition then later bonking on the bike;
- Fixing a flat tire quickly on the bike using CO2 cartridges; or
- Trading off places in the run with a competitor until one of us cracked.
As more and more friends started doing triathlons and writing race reports, we had an informal competition to see who could write the best, most entertaining race report.
What I later realized is that my race report really wasn’t for others – it was for me. The race report became a record of what happened on race day – both the good things that worked and the bad things that didn’t work – so that the next time I raced, I could [hopefully] not repeat my mistakes – like forgetting my gels in transition area – while leveraging my successes.
Capturing post project follow up details are important for any business project or activity. As part of the Luray Triathlon production, I meet with the local Luray stakeholders after the race to review the race weekend and collect feedback on what worked and didn’t work. This feedback then becomes a critical tool for the following year so that we can continue to improve the race each year.
So, yes, take the time to write a race report (or after action report) to inform and even entertain others but also write it to capture the details that you will soon forget.
Happy training,
David B. Glover, MSE, MS, CSCS
