3 Surprising Lessons from hitting a PR in sports that will help you break your own records

What do records mean?

The Ancient Greeks believed that when you broke an athletic record you momentarily transcended mortality and entered the realm of the gods.

This idea of temporary physical perfection tantalises our imagination and gives us the heroic scenes in sports we turn into legends. We all remember when *that athlete* made *that play* or finally broke *that record* because it spoke to our spirits. It made us believe in miracles and that if we gave our all and had faith in our abilities we too could transcend our own limitations to find the best version of ourselves. 

It’s an intoxicating formula that keeps up glued to our TVs but do we do enough to create those moments in our own athletic lives? 

The meaning of aiming at a record 

When was the last time you set out to chase a performance goal in sports? 

There’s something about aiming for a mark and putting in the arduous work to hit it that lifts your spirit throughout the entire process. You aren’t happy when you hit the mark but instead you find happiness on the journey towards reaching it. This is why athletes aren’t satisfied with just one victory but instead a process of becoming legendary in their own sports.

When you aim for a physical mark you align yourself to the process of becoming excellent through struggle and that holds tremendous power for your life. 

Hitting that record

I had first hand experience with this process last weekend when I shot my best round ever in golf over 18 holes. 

I’ve had the goal of breaking 80 in my mind for a long time. I managed it in 2019 out of the blue but it was a score of +9 over 18 holes on a par 70 course. This past weekend I didn’t break 80 but I shot +8 over 18 holes on a par 72 course hitting 80 on the dot. 

Given that this is a mark I always aim at but never imagine will happen, hitting it surprisingly has taught me 3 valuable lessons on how to reach your performance goals in sport that aren’t your typical pieces of advice to hit a PR.

Lesson #1.Expectations can be weights 

Despite wanting to break 80 every time I step up to the first tee, it’s a thought that never enters my mind when I start a round.

In a game like golf you need to manage your emotions and nerves. If I bring heavy expectations with me at the start they will weigh me down everytime I don’t hit the shot I want or get a score that makes it difficult to aim at that low scoring mark. You see this all the time when someone breaks a record, they weren’t aiming directly at it in the moment but instead let the goal stay removed from the action. 

If you want to perform your best take the weight of expectations off your shoulders to perform free.

Lesson #2.Composure matters most

When you start your activity without expectations but soon realize you have the chance to break that performance record things get interesting in your mind.

Every time I notice that I have a good game going in golf my mind tends to stray to thinking about the end results and I lose composure. I have a blow up hole that torpedoes my entire card and makes it impossible to hit that low scoring mark. The same thing happened to me during my fasted trail marathon where outcomes overtook process and I lost sight of the overall goal by chasing a record (read about it here)

If you want to perform your best you need to control your emotions when you realize the record is attainable and stay focused on the process of performing instead of the outcome. 

Lesson #3.Respect the game and it rewards you 

In order to perform at your best you need to find the pulse, or rhythm, of the game and ride it like a wave. 

I’ve adopted a mindset when I come to the course that matches the way player must interact with the course and his own performance. I manage emotions by focusing on making good contact first, choosing the appropriate strategy for my skill level, and looking at each new hole as a chance for redemption if things went badly on the previous hole. My academic studies into golf history helped me understand the way you need to play in order to have success.

If you want to perform your best understanding the nature of the game and how to respect it’s temptations and demands are a must. 

Takeaways

I wasn’t able to shoot my best round because I determined that this is the year and that was the day I was going to break my own record. 

I broke it because I trusted my ability and went out and played with joy and gratitude. Heck, I’ve only played 5 rounds of golf in the last year and it’s been almost 4 years since I broke 85! Even when I knew I had a chance to shoot well I put it out of my mind and just focused on the process, not letting the outcome dictate how I would get around the course.

That’s the ultimate takeaway, if you trust the process the results will eventually take care of themselves.

Activity

Here’s my challenge to you.

I prescribe my coaching clients physical challenges and challenge them to sign up for competitions as a way to find love and consistency in their fitness journeys. I want you to aim at excellence in the sport you love whether it’s a team game of lifting for PRs in the gym. But I don’t want you to FIXATE on the record, instead find a natural rhythm and composure instead that will allow you to eventually break through when you’re not expecting it. 

This will help you find joy in the process while still aiming at outcomes over time.

Because our journey’s in sports are punctuated by outcomes but determined by processes. If you’d like to talk about how to find joy in the process and it’s impact on your ability to not only enjoy your fitness journey but also aim at excellence book a free call and let’s talk!