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Beware the Pitfalls
By Cherie Gruenfeld
Almost by necessity, the sport of triathlon attracts those of us who are Type-A. Someone looking in from the outside might describe us as driven to the point of obsession. We, on the other hand, would like to view ourselves as commited to excellence. Those who call us obsessive are probably more on point. <p>
Regardless of what we're called, there's no denying the fact that we can be relentlessly focused. And our approach to Ironman training and racing has, at one time or another, led many of us into a trap that has hindered our progress. Do any of these ring a bell with you?
I Am Judged By How I Perform Today
It's very easy to let your ego get wrapped up in a group workout and start to believe that “If I don't ride with the leaders today, they'll think I'm weak.” Today may be a Recovery ride on your schedule which means you should be riding in Zone 2. This will probably put you in the back of the pack, but letting the hammer-heads blow it out today while you recover from previous hard workouts (in preparation for hard sessions to come) will work for you in your overall season plan. If you simply can't control yourself with the group, then do these Recovery workouts solo. Trust me, no one will think you're weak on race day when you blow by the guys who rode every training ride in competition with each other.
Same'o, Same'o
The thinking is: If it worked for me last season, it'll work for me this year. So we pull out last year's training log and build our plan using the same workout schedule, expecting to get similar results. In theory this sounds right. But we all live in the real world where life happens with no regard to our athletic goals. The kids may need more of us this year, the job is making more demands, an elder parent needs our help, that nagging hamstring just doesn't go away, etc. Navigating our way through our sometimes chaotic lives may take both a physical and emotional toll, making that workout plan that seemed so doable last year nearly impossible this year. And trying to force it into your changed life will simply add to the physical and emotional battles you're already fighting.
Set your goals and make your plans based on what you know has worked for you in the past, adjusted for current circumstances. And be ready to make more changes as life cames at you. Do the best you can with what you've got at the moment.
Hard Work Will Win the Day
Who can argue with this? We all know that hard work is key in accomplishing our goals. But the work must be smart . Piling on the miles in the name of working hard will build your endurance, but it may not take you exactly where you want to go. Have a plan that works on endurance with big distance some days and builds speed and strength with shorter distances other days. Make your training specific to your “A” goal. For example: If your goal race is a 3-loop flat course, make many of your long rides on flat terrain and ride in loops, working on negative splitting the loops. Keep in mind that good technique in all disciplines translates into speed on race day, so make drills an ongoing part of your plan. Not all work has to be a hard effort to have a big payoff on race day.
Money Buys Speed
Open any triathlete magazine and you'll find the latest and greatest in new technology. Our sport is relatively young and the industry is working overtime to make clothing, equipment and supplements that will make us faster, stronger and more durable. But I am reminded that, back in the early days, Dave Scott and his peers were posting some pretty amazing results without the benefit of any of this cool stuff. I'm not minimizing the benefit of technology; we should take advantage of it any time we can, but never lose sight of the fact that it's the smart work that will truly make the technology work for us and provide the edge we're seeking.
Racing, Racing, Racing
The good news about our growing sport is that there are many Ironman and 70.3 races available to us now. The bad news about this is that some of us feel we need to race all of them - now. It's not uncommon for triathletes to plan three and sometimes more Ironman races in a season, sprinkled with a number of 70.3 races. The risk in over-racing is that it's very stressful on your body and the question is: How long can one keep doing that without adverse effects? Our sport is still too young to have a good answer to that question.
A second consideration is that racing that often usually means you never fully recover so you're stressing your body when it's already vulnerable. This means there's a good chance you'll not only under-perform in most of your races but will put yourself at high risk of injury.
Joe Bonness, an Ironman age-grouper, seems to defy science when he does Kona, followed by Ironman Florida and the Great Floridian, all within a few weeks. And he now throws in the 70.3 Championships as well. Joe usually wins his age group and has been known to win the Great Floridian overall. The explanation may be that Joe is super-human (which he is), but he also lives a very balanced life and works a smart plan all season which leads to these three or four big races. I admire Joe greatly but recognize that he's one of a kind. I wouldn't recommend that any of us try to emulate his Herculean feats.
Those of us in this sport won't be changing our Type A personalities any time soon. So, to get the high level of performance that we're seeking, we need focus on what's important to accomplishing our overall goal, in order to avoid the pitfalls that might derail our plans.
Good Luck
Articles from Cherie:
Key Workouts for a Successful Ironman Race Part I - Part II - Key Workouts for a Successful Ironman Race - Analyzing the Last Season to Have a Better Next Season - Setting the 2006 Calendar - Breaking it Down - Something for Nothing - Work + Recovery = Peak Performance - Getting Back in the Game - To Race or Not to Race? - Kona Moments - PERIODIZATION Ð MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU - New Age Group Record at IM Arizona - Critical Success Factors for a Great Ironman - The Ironman Run: It's a Mind Game - Remain a Competitive Racer - What's This Race All About - To Every Workout There is a Purpose -
My 2008 Resolutions
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Looking Forward to the Future
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How About the Kids? -
Other Kids
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Become An Ironman
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Beware the Pitfalls
To have racing success
Back to the Future
Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3
Circling the Drain
Lessons From Beijing
From the Desk Of Cherie Gruenfeld
Ironman – Now That You've Committed
It's All About the Run
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