Establishing your strengths and weaknesses

When a new member joins the club we ask them to complete this questionnaire; when we accept somebody on a 1-2-1Ttraining Programme we go through this with them in detail.

While it helps us to establish where they are it also focuses their minds. 

You cannot fill it in online here but you can see the questions and you can download a copy by clicking on the link to the right (below if you are viewing this on a mobile device).

We thoroughly recommend you go through it in your own time.

Current Fitness

Your current fitness levels.

Let’s aim to analyse where your areas of fitness lie in relation to each other.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you best grade your current levels of:

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Physical strength

                    

Endurance

                    

Speed

                    

Power

                    

Ability

                    

Agility

                    

Physical attributes

Assessing your physical attributes

Which of the following statements do you agree with?                                                                   

No.

Question

Y

N

1

The longer I run, the stronger I get

    

2

I’m more muscular than most other competitors

    

3

I enjoy ‘the burn’ and can run hills for hours

    

4

I tend to place higher at short distance races

    

5

Regardless of the distance, I’m confident I’ll finish

    

6

I can move quickly but struggle to sustain it

    

7

I most enjoy training more than 2 hours per session

    

8

I seem to start off ok, but then everyone overtakes me

    

9

My ideal is to just run for miles, and I’ll be back when I’m back

    

10

I tend to put catch my fellow competitors in the hills

    

11

Never mind this marathon stuff, I prefer to be going quicker and finish sooner

    

12

Slow and steady wins the race

    

13

I look forward to power/conditioning/hill training over the winter

    

14

I can maintain a high cadence (paces per minute)

    

15

I can accelerate on the hills to pass somebody

    

To calculate your scores, add up the number of ‘true’ statements.

Attribute

Question No.

Score

Force

2, 3, 10, 13, 15

  

Speed

4, 6, 8, 11, 14

  

Endurance

1, 5, 7, 9, 12

  

Mental attributes

Assessing your mental attributes

Using the scale below, choose which of the following statements you most agree with.

1 = Never            2=Seldom            3=Occasionally     4=Frequently     5=Mostly         6=Every time

Confidence

I don’t doubt myself on race day

  

I think I’m a pretty good runner

  

I believe I can be as good as I want to be

  

I see someone in the distance and know I can reel them in

  

Total

  

Motivation

I’m happy self-motivating on race day

  

I get up when my alarm clock sounds as my program says as I have targets

  

I wish there were more hours in the day to train

  

I often think “so many races, such little time”

  

Total

  

Focus

When the going gets tough, I concentrate harder

  

I find it easy to block out distraction

  

I remember to pack all my kit

  

On race morning, I keep myself to myself

  

Total

  

 

Visualisation

I often imagine I’m going faster than I may be going

  

In advance of the race, I run through the course in my head

  

I often imagine I’m cutting through the water like a fish or running like a cheetah

  

Before my races, I walk the transition area to familiarise myself with the layout

  

Total

  

Thought habits

If I have a bad race, I still take the positives

  

It’s training night, bring it on!

  

My race didn’t go well today, but there will always be another race

  

I train in bad weather as I don’t want to miss any sessions.

  

Total

  

Now add up your scores to reveal your mental strength!

 

Total

Performance level

4 -7

Poor

8 - 11

Fair

12 -15

Average

16 -19

Good

20 -24

Excellent

Attribute

Score

Confidence

  

Motivation

  

Focus

  

Visualisation

  

Thought Habits

  

Planning your season.

Planning your season.

Forward planning will enable you to channel your thought process and be focussed and prepared physically, mentally and practically for the season ahead.

Your races

What distance/s are you targeting next year?

  • 5 Km
  • 10 Km.
  • Half Marathon
  • Marathon

What is your target ‘A’ race?

When is it?

What is/are your target ‘B’ races?

When is it?

What is/are your target ‘C’ races?

When is it?

Your aims and objectives

What are your primary aims for next year?

Performance:

  • To podium
  • To finish
  • To qualify for an Age-Group GB
  • To beat last year’s PB on the same course
  • To step up in distance

Social and health:

  • To socialise / fun
  • Rehabilitation
  • To lose weight
  • To minimise health risks

Planning Your Training

About your training.

Remember, realism and honesty is the key.

How many hours per week do you have available to train?

  • 1-5
  • 6-10
  • 11-15
  • 15-20
  • 21+

What are the limiting factors to your training, if any?

Social, professional and domestic.

  • Work / travel
  • Children
  • Relationship
  • Peer pressure
  • Money
  • Time available

Facilities and provisions

  • Equipment
  • Training venues
  • Location
  • opening times

Health

  • Physical
    • Pre-existing medical condition
    • Injury
    • Obesity
  • Mental
    • Motivation
    • Confidence/ self-belief
    • Social fears

Equipment

About your equipment

Being properly kitted out is essential for safety, health, comfort and enjoyment purposes. Not to mention optimum training gains.

Here’s a kit checklist you may find handy.

  • Trainers
  • Race Shoes
  • Base layer
  • Thermal top
  • Waterproof jacket
  • Longs / run tights
  • Gloves
  • Hat
  • Reflective clothing

Other

  • GPS watch with Cadence/pace monitor, heart rate
  • Drinks bottles
  • Belt/back-pack for carrying fluids/food

Do not, repeat “do not” think of training runs with a bottle in your hand, it will wreck your running technique!

Download a PDF version of the Questionaire.

Strengths and weaknesses