Well here I am about to start my workout for the day, the last one of my "rest" week before the next big block of base before getting to the nitty gritty before nationals! I'm really excited, finally, to make some big "offseason" gains!
Last year, I was really excited with the prospect of off season hard work, and doing things right. This off season I've been pre-occupied mentally with the prospect of new things and change. Moving to a new time zone, 1000 miles from the only region I've ever called home. Change, such a tough thing to handle some times. What has kept me grounded and feeling at ease is that I have continued to train and make progress. Granted, I wouldn't necessarily say that the training up to this point has been the "best" because I've been so tied up with all of the new things. I'm notoriously hard on myself, and it makes me think that I haven't really gotten anything out of the training this season yet. Sometimes you get caught up in the thought that if you aren't getting 100% out of your training, it's not worth doing. It's sometimes de-motivating thinking this way, and I'm glad I have persevered as well as I have up to this point. Besides, this is going to be a LONG season and a slow ramp up to productiveness will probably do me good come September! What are ya gonna do...
Anyway, this final three weeks of base is going to be good, consistent, and some of the biggest weeks that I have done this early in the season so far. I'm looking at workouts for the next few weeks and I'm getting really excited! Hard swim sets, LONG runs, and more exploring on the bike are going to really test my fitness and recovery ability. Last season I made sure to do at least ONE thing for recovery before bed, and I think that is going to be the key to getting the most out of the training I do in this block. Stretch, foam roll, maybe some stability exercises with the band, all of those "little" things that people keep telling you are important... Turns out they really are! Who knew? After weeks and weeks of not giving them enough attention as I should have I can honestly say that I see the difference, and even if it's just in my head it's still there! The placebo effect still affects performance, you know.
So much for not thinking! It's really impossible to stop, I've realized over the few days between when I wrote the last post and now. All you can do is become more "sure" of your goal, not confident, sure... they're different.
I like the idea of updating before each next training block starts, so I think I'll do that from now on. This post seems so short, I may add to it once I get back from exploring the North Carolina hills!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
You are your own worst enemy!
Hey blog, it's been a few. How are you doing?
I think triathletes get an accurate rap for complicating things beyond what is really necessary. Though, its not unlikely that you've over thought something simple in your life before either. How many times have you been dating someone and asked yourself, but WHAT DOES THAT MEAN after they say something, as if all words have a secret code.
The fact is that, with three sports to keep track of easy days, hard days, and cumulative training effect, it all gets a little confusing. I don't mind the complicated process, I think it makes things interesting A difficult puzzle to solve, especially when you consider how individual training can be for any given person. I've spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to do this, or the best way to do that, and I think that mental effort could really be better spent trusting your instincts, and just DOING.
I think there are so many places and situations where this type of thinking helps you in racing, and achieving goals that you set for your self. Initially it takes the acceptance of something really important to you, whatever that may be for you. The relevant training situation starts with a goal, finish your first Ironman/Marathon/Triathlon, hit a time goal, or a place goal at a specific race. My situation is focused on the outcome at Las Vegas this September.
So many situations, ways to do this or that have been raveling through my head. Things that I need to change, things that I could do better. Add your own opinions on to what you see Pro athlete's doing and thinking THAT is the ONE way to get the results you want out of your training, and it can be a handful to organize. I've heard this kind of thinking described in a rather bad movie before, but it's really relevant.
"You're playing and you think everything is going fine. Then one thing goes wrong. And then another. And another. You try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink. Until you can't move... you can't breathe... because you're in over your head. Like quicksand."
Quick sand in racing is bad, usually I would think that is from a lack of training, and not knowing what to expect. Quick sand in training is a tougher battle to overcome because you aren't necessarily being pressured like in a race setting. The pressure is on yourself, and only your daily decisions can alleviate it. I've thought more about the topic I wrote about last time, about thinking about how a "world champion" acts or trains. It's amazing to me that professional Quarterbacks can spend so much time talking about their game and how they'll do better in front of cameras and still go out and play on instinct. While watching Tom Brady, all preferences aside, I could tell he was a true professional by the way he separated himself from the questions and didn't over think them.
Another great example, that I honestly believe EVERYONE has experienced is trying to force yourself to sleep. No matter how hard you close your eyes, no matter how hard you try to think of "nothing" the thought process keeps you up, and away from your goal. I'd go into detail, because I've spent a lot of time NOT being able to sleep in my day, but I think we all get this one.
The important part of this is to accept the goal, know the basics of the process to get there, and apply them. Three steps and there you go, you're well on your way. With a little patience of course. It doesn't take a complete understanding of the human physiology to be a professional athlete, and it doesn't take a mathematician to help you solve a problem sometimes.
So I'm hoping with this thought in mind that I can get the most quality possible out of the next base block of training, by thinking less. I'll be sure to update you on how well my ignorance correlates with bliss the next time I write!
I think triathletes get an accurate rap for complicating things beyond what is really necessary. Though, its not unlikely that you've over thought something simple in your life before either. How many times have you been dating someone and asked yourself, but WHAT DOES THAT MEAN after they say something, as if all words have a secret code.
The fact is that, with three sports to keep track of easy days, hard days, and cumulative training effect, it all gets a little confusing. I don't mind the complicated process, I think it makes things interesting A difficult puzzle to solve, especially when you consider how individual training can be for any given person. I've spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to do this, or the best way to do that, and I think that mental effort could really be better spent trusting your instincts, and just DOING.
I think there are so many places and situations where this type of thinking helps you in racing, and achieving goals that you set for your self. Initially it takes the acceptance of something really important to you, whatever that may be for you. The relevant training situation starts with a goal, finish your first Ironman/Marathon/Triathlon, hit a time goal, or a place goal at a specific race. My situation is focused on the outcome at Las Vegas this September.
So many situations, ways to do this or that have been raveling through my head. Things that I need to change, things that I could do better. Add your own opinions on to what you see Pro athlete's doing and thinking THAT is the ONE way to get the results you want out of your training, and it can be a handful to organize. I've heard this kind of thinking described in a rather bad movie before, but it's really relevant.
"You're playing and you think everything is going fine. Then one thing goes wrong. And then another. And another. You try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink. Until you can't move... you can't breathe... because you're in over your head. Like quicksand."
Quick sand in racing is bad, usually I would think that is from a lack of training, and not knowing what to expect. Quick sand in training is a tougher battle to overcome because you aren't necessarily being pressured like in a race setting. The pressure is on yourself, and only your daily decisions can alleviate it. I've thought more about the topic I wrote about last time, about thinking about how a "world champion" acts or trains. It's amazing to me that professional Quarterbacks can spend so much time talking about their game and how they'll do better in front of cameras and still go out and play on instinct. While watching Tom Brady, all preferences aside, I could tell he was a true professional by the way he separated himself from the questions and didn't over think them.
Another great example, that I honestly believe EVERYONE has experienced is trying to force yourself to sleep. No matter how hard you close your eyes, no matter how hard you try to think of "nothing" the thought process keeps you up, and away from your goal. I'd go into detail, because I've spent a lot of time NOT being able to sleep in my day, but I think we all get this one.
The important part of this is to accept the goal, know the basics of the process to get there, and apply them. Three steps and there you go, you're well on your way. With a little patience of course. It doesn't take a complete understanding of the human physiology to be a professional athlete, and it doesn't take a mathematician to help you solve a problem sometimes.
So I'm hoping with this thought in mind that I can get the most quality possible out of the next base block of training, by thinking less. I'll be sure to update you on how well my ignorance correlates with bliss the next time I write!
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