If there is one piece of advice I would give to athletes and coaches as a race approaches, it is this: “Don’t screw it up.” I borrow that phrase from the great ultrarunning coach Jason Koop.
The temptation to do “just a little more” can be overwhelming. Longer long rides. Harder swim sessions. More frequent running. Or maybe a small, local race that looks like fun. Why not?
Last time I wrote about spending some workout time going fast. At least race pace, maybe faster. I used the term intensity a lot and this could be confused with going hard – running or biking uphill, for example. What I meant was getting comfortable moving the body faster. Running, in particular, because the running stride involved so many muscle contractions that must be coordinated perfectly in order to run efficiently. I ended that piece by mentioning the increased risk of injury.
Triathletes are famous for having A-type personalities. I do not place myself in that category, but that doesn't mean I am invulnerable to its pitfalls. This week I stepped in it.
The recent pair of so-called Kona Low rain storms has kept me off of the roads and out of the ocean. Not entirely. I did get in a couple of road runs and one decent bike ride, but that was it. Much more indoor running and riding than I am accustomed to, and no swimming.
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley. -Robert Burns
A training plan that covers most of a year is always a good idea. The plan should target the key races or events the athlete is training for, arrange workouts that fit the athlete’s schedule, and lead to an optimal race day performance, all while taking into account the athlete’s abilities that need extra attention.
For much of North America and Europe the endurance race season has ended. Blog posts and podcasts focus on how to train in the off season. Here in Hawaii, the season stretches into December with the Honolulu Marathon. It can be hard to find the motivation to sit back and plan next year while struggling to find time to train, but if you wait until after the Marathon you will find your free time consumed by the demands of the holiday season.
Seems like just last week that I earned my Ironman U coaching certification. Now it seems that TriDot, the provider, has split from Ironman. More about this on Slowtwitch.
I was always bothered by TriDot's push to get us to switch from TrainingPeaks to their home built system. AI driven, at that. No, thank you.
This is a great discussion on a topic near and dear to me and, I hope, every senior athlete. Please give it a listen and drop your comments below. The link opens in YouTube. FastTalk podcasts are also available on your favorite podcast service, and on their excellent website.
Spend time with “real” swimmers and sooner or later you will hear someone complain about triathletes wearing watches in the pool. More than complain, more like belittle, disparage, and denigrate. “Use the pool clock,” is their advice. More like a commandment.
It was Joe Friel’s book Fast After 50 that inspired me to become a coach. The book begins with a convincing argument why remaining active is important to health – something echoed by my doctor at every annual physical – and more specifically how important it is for that activity to include a regular dose of high intensity work. I was already active, so that was covered. What inspired me were the numerous convincing arguments Friel presented on why staying active is in so many ways the fountain of youth.
No doubt everyone reading this has heard of or used an off the shelf, prefab, “canned” training plan. They are a big improvement over winging it, and a great time saver for athletes who know how to train but lack the time or incentive to write their own. One really big limitation of such plans is the lack of flexibility.