17. Patterns

A workout gives me something to look at. A series of workouts gives me more to understand.

Did that runner fade at the end once, or has it happened several times? Are they finding the same pace more manageable? Are their races showing the progress we’re seeing at practice?

I want to be able to follow those questions across weeks of training, with what athletes ran and what they reported about the experience.

I care about this because I can miss things when I’m busy getting through the next practice. Remembering every kid’s last several workouts is a fairly optimistic use of my brain.

Improvement can happen slowly. A difficulty can keep showing up without any single day looking especially remarkable.

A pattern gives me something worth investigating. Then I can look at the details and talk with the athlete. I’d like to understand what’s happening before deciding what it means.