A fun 2011-2012 triathlon racing season
Changing an athlete's viewpoint towards training and racing is not easy.
I grew up athletically by racing in cycling (on the track and on the road). My training was random. I would go out every day for 3-4 hour bike rides trying to keep up with the men, killing myself out, feeling exhausted, going to bed by 9pm every night. No goal, no schedule, just pushing hard day in day out.
This is not how a training schedule should look like. Especially, if you have a particular goal, or if you want to get better every year consistently. Random training brings random results. David helped me understand training cycles. I had one goal every year. I would train towards that particular goal, I would race and taper towards that one goal. Many athletes and coaches think that "putting all eggs in one basket" is risky but I think it's fun and it can teach you how to commit, and also how to learn your body's reactions to training and tapering in a more qualitative way.
I had a base period, a transition period, an over-load period and a racing period. The base period was fun: long, easy miles, stretching and lifting weights. The transition period was also fun: lots of cross-fit training, body-weight exercises, and other fun stuff that prepare your body for neuro-muscular challenges. The over-load period was NOT FUN. There was a step-wise (two steps up, one down) increase in volume and intensity that made my body ache every night and made me cry on interval days. During the over-load period, racing was a pain: I was racing dog-tired. The racing period was AWKWARD. Feeling a little tired and a little moody...tapering can be tricky but racing rested was FUN! Enjoy!
I grew up athletically by racing in cycling (on the track and on the road). My training was random. I would go out every day for 3-4 hour bike rides trying to keep up with the men, killing myself out, feeling exhausted, going to bed by 9pm every night. No goal, no schedule, just pushing hard day in day out.
This is not how a training schedule should look like. Especially, if you have a particular goal, or if you want to get better every year consistently. Random training brings random results. David helped me understand training cycles. I had one goal every year. I would train towards that particular goal, I would race and taper towards that one goal. Many athletes and coaches think that "putting all eggs in one basket" is risky but I think it's fun and it can teach you how to commit, and also how to learn your body's reactions to training and tapering in a more qualitative way.
I had a base period, a transition period, an over-load period and a racing period. The base period was fun: long, easy miles, stretching and lifting weights. The transition period was also fun: lots of cross-fit training, body-weight exercises, and other fun stuff that prepare your body for neuro-muscular challenges. The over-load period was NOT FUN. There was a step-wise (two steps up, one down) increase in volume and intensity that made my body ache every night and made me cry on interval days. During the over-load period, racing was a pain: I was racing dog-tired. The racing period was AWKWARD. Feeling a little tired and a little moody...tapering can be tricky but racing rested was FUN! Enjoy!
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