Coach's Corner: Planning for the What Ifs
This article first appeared in the March 2026 edition of the SSG Multisports newsletter.
From Coach Paul Skelton, our dedicated guide who's helped countless Ninjas master the bay. Check out his YouTube @Ultracoach_paul for more tips.
Endurance racing is about executing a controlled process, managing pace, nutrition, and mindset, while being prepared for things that can go wrong. Although some issues are unavoidable, many challenges can be anticipated so athletes can respond calmly and effectively rather than with panic or stress. Preparation involves two key elements:
Mindset: accepting that uncontrollable events (like bad weather or course changes) affect everyone, and being mentally ready to endure and adapt.
Pre-planned strategies: having clear responses for predictable problems so decisions don’t need to be made under pressure.
Common scenarios to prepare for include bad weather, accidents involving other competitors, course or start-time changes, race leg cancellations, and extreme temperatures. Athletes should also plan responses for likely issues such as punctures, mechanical failures, lost fuel, penalties, blisters, bad race phases, and aid-station or special-needs errors.
Coach Paul emphasises that thinking through these “what ifs” in advance and defining personal responses builds confidence and resilience. Ultimately, success in long races comes from sticking to a process throughout the event, saving aggressive “all-out” efforts for the final stages rather than racing on emotion early.
Share your thoughts on these tips in the comments on our Facebook post, or tag Paul in your training stories.
Monday Swim Technique @ Redcliffe pool
Thursday Swim Strength @ Redcliffe pool
$8 to Paul in addition to pool entry
Cover photo: Mark Hansen.
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