Triathlon and Problem Solving

I am a big believer in approaching triathlon holistically, so it really resonates with me when well written coaches do the same.  Think Matt Dixon of Purplepatch fitness breaking 'training' down into four pillars (e.g., endurance, strength, nutrition, recovery), or Jesse Kropelnicki of QT2Systems highlighting the importance of mental fitness (e.g., getting and keeping your mind in the right place during a race) or Alan Couzens recently writing about the importance of general health as a foundation for performance. All of this is great stuff and in combination, paints a pretty complete picture of what it takes to become a successful endurance athlete.

That said, I think the one thing that is missing and doesn't get explicitly called out enough (if at all) is the importance of problem solving (e.g., critical thinking). While on its face it this may sound similar to mental fitness, it's a completely different thing.  While my understanding of the former is about fostering a state of mind that lends itself to success (e.g., strong, tough, calm, etc.), the latter is about being able to look at all the variables/levers (e.g., inputs) that impact triathlon and pull on them in a way that optimizes performance (e.g,, output); all within an individual's constraints. While problem solving is key for anyone involved in the sport, I think it becomes an increasingly important skill for age-group athletes since they often have more variables and constraints to deal with.

Problem solving has a role in nearly everything triathlon related, from traditional training trade-offs, to thriving on race day, to keeping the sport sustainable. I could go on forever, so I'll do my best to give just a few examples that capture what I'm talking about:

• Do I try and lose 3 pounds for my hot weather race, knowing the risk of injury/illness will go up and power on the bike may go down?
• Extra hour of sleep, extra hour of training, hour for massage? Over a day, a week, a month, a year?
• Pacing strategy during a race; do I push on the bike and give on the run?
• Gear choice: wetsuit vs. speedsuit in warmer water with a long transition, disc wheel versus deep wheel on very hilly terrain with sharp ascents, vented helmet vs. non, one bottle or two?
• Race mishap prevention: the added weight/aero cost of of tire sealant, carrying tubes/cartridge?
• Physical sustainability: do I complete huge weeks this year and carry great fitness going into an A-race, knowing that it may put me in a hole that lasts into the following year(s)?
• Overall sustainability: extra hour of training, or time with family? Kill myself to get to the pool during lunch at work, or a less stressful lunch (and one likely involving more real food) in the cafe next door?

Like I said, the list goes on and on, but you should get the gist.  While lots of this thinking can be outsourced to a good coach, at the end of the day, much of it falls upon the athlete too. Making things even more complex is the fact that although some of these puzzles can be empirically tested, nearly all of them are moving targets and change over time as an athlete's body, experience, residual fitness, relationship status, etc., etc., change too. For as much attention as the sport gets as being physically grueling, I think an equally neat aspect of triathlon is how mentally demanding the sport is too; and in a capacity well beyond being strong/tough.  Triathlon is rife with trade-offs, and having the skill-set to approach and figure out the balance between them is key to racing well and racing for a while.