💜Optimize your DEKA race

Hey Reader!

Happy Tuesday!

Yesterday I had my 6-month orthopedic follow up for my right ACL, so that meant a whole afternoon of doctors and no Fit Tips.

But more on my knee later, for now let’s get on with it!

One of my athletes is doing her first Deka Worlds this year and was talking about how she wants to shave off time and hit a new PR at Worlds…

In the Deka Strong.

If you’ve been to Worlds you probably already see the issue.

The Mile and Strong are LONG courses, so you most likely won’t PR.

And that opened up a super important distinction in how to optimize your Deka race for your goals.

Regular Qualifying Season

For the 2027 season that’s any standard event from late September 2026 to September 30, 2027. (specific cut off dates TBD)

For these races time optimization is the key component.

Run fast → put up a good time → qualify!

Deka Worlds Build

October-December every year is about optimizing for the Worlds stage.

The overall time still matters, but that’s not what we should be optimizing for anymore.

That means simulating the race as close as possible:

If you’re new to worlds and you’re thinking, how on earth do I do that?

Start with these three things:

Go on YouTube and watch an elite heat from last year in your race discipline. (The OCR Report has a playlist of livestream replays!)
Do the mental work - Read a book on competitive mindset and practice visualization. My go to last year was “How Bad Do You Want It” by Matt Fitzgerald (so good!!)
Know what to expect - Understand the course layouts, equipment being used, event flow, and all the details. Luckily, I have a whole YouTube playlist on it! (have fun binging!)

These are the final pieces to nail down going into your first Worlds, but none of them will help if you don’t have a solid training plan.

I’m open to take on some new athletes before the new year and once the New Year rolls around, the price is increasing.

Jump in now & you lock in the current legacy rate for the 2027 season!

Fill out a Hybrid Strength Application or let’s jump on a Coaching Call to chat!

I’m 24 weeks post right ACL reconstruction!

And no, it hasn’t quite been 6 calendar months, but I had my 6mo follow up early before the holidays hit. lol
My surgeon was happy with my progress & agreed with my PT on pausing the jogging progressions while I keep smoothing out this sticking point. It’s had moments of relief, so I know we’re close, it’s just taking time.
He said I may have partial clearance for return to play sometime after January (for Deka teams!), so that’s exciting!
I also decided I’ll only be competing in Teams next season to give my knee the time it needs to rebuild without pushing it too hard too early. For me that was a hard decision because solos are my fav, but I think I’ll thank myself later!

You made it to the end!

Congrats, here are some ren faire pics with our Gremlin!