**This will be a longer post... I feel it is worth it though**
The subject of nutrition comes up very often for endurance athletes. What to eat, how much, when, etc. The caloric numbers are out there, the ratios are out there, but for most, I believe that it is deeper than the numbers. Not all calories are created equal, timing is important, etc.
One of the perks of many hours of endurance training is eating mindless calories. My question, mainly for myself was, when does this become a bad thing? For myself, I found out this past year when I stopped working out as much. I was so used to being able to eat any calories just to get calories for so long that I had conditioned myself. I had been reinforcing the behavior for so long that I was wired to continue that way when I needed to stop and change.
I began thinking, wow, I can see where this gets out of control for people. I preach consistency, reinforcing good technique and good habits, until it becomes habit to a client. Then they no longer have to "think" about it, it just is. This is very clearly done with food, unfortunately it seems to be heading the wrong "reinforcing" way for most. I think we all *know* this to a certain degree, but why don't we change the behavior?
Obviously it is hard to change a behavior once it is learned. It takes work to override it, and then create a new behavior. I have read diet books, I have read sports nutrition books, etc. If you can follow the guidelines, most diets will get you to where you want to be. Most sports nutrition books will get you to race day fueled properly. But once you can't follow the diet anymore mentally, or race day comes and goes, what habit do we go back to and why? This is what was plaguing me.
I wanted to go a little further into the mindset of eating instead of educating myself even more on the diet guidelines. Many problems with my athletes training can be fixed if we fix their mindset, so I wanted to see what was out there on the food side of this thought process.
One of the better books out there that I have ran across so far that deals specifically with this is "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite" by David A. Kessler, MD. David was a former FDA commissioner. I'll try to just touch on a couple of points on this book, there are too many and I could type all night. In the book he meets up with top scientists, physicians, and food industry insiders uncovering the facts about how we have lost control over our eating habits. Very, very, eye opening to hear how the food industry gets us to not only eat way more than we ever should, but also get us to keep coming back repeatedly, for more. Americans used to consume no more than the food they needed to burn. Overweight people were rare and typically stood apart from the rest of the population. Most can agree that scenario is flipped in many communities. Overweight seems to be more the norm. Going out to dinner, or stopping at McDonalds was a rare treat before, it is now the norm.
They food industry spends tons of money to alter our food to create a experience that wires your brain to want more. They also put much effort into marketing to create a trigger, even when your body may not actually need food. Most food companies start by making the food more processed. It is cheaper and can be manipulated for flavor much easier that way. As stated by one food consultant in the book, "by eliminating the need to chew, modern food processing techniques allow us to eat faster. When you're eating these things, you've had 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 calories before you know it. Literally, before you know it" Chewing allows your brain to send the signal it is full. When you eliminate the need to chew as much, you can eat much more, and quickly hit the brains reward centers. The main ingredients that hit the brains reward centers in food is sugar, fat, and salt.
The title of Chapter 3 of the book is simple "sugar, fat, salt make us eat more sugar, fat, salt." The most palatable foods contain these 3 ingredients, and the food industries job is to find the right amount that keeps us coming back for more. What is more shocking is how most of the foods are pre-packaged with a combination of these 3 things in them already, and then once they are shipped to their final location to be served, more is added on once cooked. So even when you think you are ordering something healthy, most of the time you would be shocked to see what was really in it, and what its caloric value was. From a high level food industry exec, "higher sugar, fat and salt make you want to eat more. It gives food a high hedonic value, which gives pleasure, so they try to bring as much into the equation as possible."
It is mind boggling how they can load hundreds of calories into one small food object. Much research has come to the conclusion that sugar, fat, and salt are reinforcing. They reinforce the desire to keep eating. One scientist interviewed who had conducted extensive research on animals found that the breaking point at which the animals will no longer work to get fat and sugar, will no longer work for the "reward", is slightly lower than the breaking point for cocaine." Adding foods rich in sugar, fat, and salt in our mouths stimulates neurons in our brains, and the more you add these, the more neurons fire. This makes the message to eat stronger. The stimulations that happen, produce rewarding effects similar to the rewarding effects that drugs provide. In the short term, highly palatable foods make us feel better, like drugs will. No wonder its so hard to change many peoples eating patters. It seems to me it would be almost as hard as getting a drug addict to not only get clean, but change their patterns after to stay clean.
So, think about that the next time you are trying to clean up your diet, and either lose weight or perform better. Before you go mindlessly into another diet, evaluate your relationship with food, and try to change how your look at food. Try to change your thinking to using food for fuel versus food for pure pleasure. Your "diet" may go much better this time around if you can rewire your brain to think differently about it and create different reinforcing behavior patterns. And, do your research on what you are eating in order to make better choices when eating out. And yes, that might mean you have to get used to more "bland" foods or get really good with spices :)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Ugly Shoes
It is no secret that I have always been a shoe freak. Even when I was young, my parents would give us kids a certain amount we could spend for basketball shoes, track shoes, regular shoes, etc. If I wasn't happy with the shoe I would find under that amount I would save up my own money to pay for the rest. I remember going as far as flipping the shoes over, looking at the bottom to make sure I liked the WHOLE shoe. At some point I did know it was a bit far, but, it didn't stop me!
In my almost 6 years in the endurance world now, I have bought, and thrown away, a fair amount. (that may be a understatement). One thing I did learn very early was that I hated any shoe that did not feel natural. I have bought and returned upwards of 80% of the shoes I have purchased. Nike Free's came along, I went into those. They toyed with the structure a bit as the models have been released so I have gone back and forth using them each year. Growing up, I ran barefoot. The only time we put shoes on is if we were on the street or our gravel road. We had a good deal of property though, so rarely did we wear the shoes. In track, I hated our training shoes, the spikes felt great when we got to wear them on race day!
I attribute all of the above to my shoe "issues". All companies seem to really like to build up the shoe, and it just doesn't feel natural. I wont go into all of the current trends out there now trying to backtrack now that books like "Born to Run" have come out. But, for my own personal satisfaction, I finally purchased the Vibram FiveFingers. Ahhhhhh Thats all I can say. Now THAT is what I have been searching for! They really do feel like taking your shoe off and running barefoot! The rubber on the bottom doesnt impede the barefoot feeling at all, but just protects your foot. I don't think I'll be able to take them into T2 or anything, getting those toes in there takes a bit more than the 30 seconds I spend in there. So, bummer there. But, these will turn into my regular running shoes once I let the pampered feet get used to running in them for longer periods.
I will also actually promote them. Here is why......any running form class, seminar, dvd, etc that you pick up tries to get you to go into this "natural" run form. Lean from the ankles, dont heal strike, high cadence, and so on. This naturally happens when you take your shoes off and run barefoot. Once you let the senses in your feet dictate how you run instead of dulling them, that "natural" running form naturally happens. You want to protect your heal, you tend to lean forward more and pick up the cadence a bit so your not on your foot for too long. Built up shoes dull these senses and stabilize the many many bones, tendons, etc that are in our feet naturally protecting our feet (and the rest of your leg that get the brunt of the impact when the feet don't). Even if you don't run in them often, it will help you learn how it should feel when you put your trainers back on and hit the road. And there is nothing wrong with that!
So, check them out if your run form could use a little help. Break yourself into them slowly, especially if you are used to a very thick, or structured shoe.
In my almost 6 years in the endurance world now, I have bought, and thrown away, a fair amount. (that may be a understatement). One thing I did learn very early was that I hated any shoe that did not feel natural. I have bought and returned upwards of 80% of the shoes I have purchased. Nike Free's came along, I went into those. They toyed with the structure a bit as the models have been released so I have gone back and forth using them each year. Growing up, I ran barefoot. The only time we put shoes on is if we were on the street or our gravel road. We had a good deal of property though, so rarely did we wear the shoes. In track, I hated our training shoes, the spikes felt great when we got to wear them on race day!
I attribute all of the above to my shoe "issues". All companies seem to really like to build up the shoe, and it just doesn't feel natural. I wont go into all of the current trends out there now trying to backtrack now that books like "Born to Run" have come out. But, for my own personal satisfaction, I finally purchased the Vibram FiveFingers. Ahhhhhh Thats all I can say. Now THAT is what I have been searching for! They really do feel like taking your shoe off and running barefoot! The rubber on the bottom doesnt impede the barefoot feeling at all, but just protects your foot. I don't think I'll be able to take them into T2 or anything, getting those toes in there takes a bit more than the 30 seconds I spend in there. So, bummer there. But, these will turn into my regular running shoes once I let the pampered feet get used to running in them for longer periods.
I will also actually promote them. Here is why......any running form class, seminar, dvd, etc that you pick up tries to get you to go into this "natural" run form. Lean from the ankles, dont heal strike, high cadence, and so on. This naturally happens when you take your shoes off and run barefoot. Once you let the senses in your feet dictate how you run instead of dulling them, that "natural" running form naturally happens. You want to protect your heal, you tend to lean forward more and pick up the cadence a bit so your not on your foot for too long. Built up shoes dull these senses and stabilize the many many bones, tendons, etc that are in our feet naturally protecting our feet (and the rest of your leg that get the brunt of the impact when the feet don't). Even if you don't run in them often, it will help you learn how it should feel when you put your trainers back on and hit the road. And there is nothing wrong with that!
So, check them out if your run form could use a little help. Break yourself into them slowly, especially if you are used to a very thick, or structured shoe.
Friday, October 30, 2009
"off season"
Call it what you want, but the time is here to enjoy some downtime. Relax a little, re-focus, enjoy a few different things you maybe didn't allow yourself to during heavy training, etc. For most people, they tend to end their season with a big event that might require some recovery time after. Even if your biggest event wasn't your last event, then I am sure you continued on through the season without giving your body proper recovery after your big event of the year. Either way, it is important to take the down time. I think a couple weeks of no running is good, and then a month or two of easy workouts, or cross training like x-country skiing, mountain biking, yoga, and so on is good. Use this time to mentally and physically unwind, and then come back prepared to re-build the fitness you may lose during this time, and lose some weight you may have gained. Losing some fitness and gaining a little weight is not bad. In the endurance sports world, our "season" is all year. It is not like basketball or football where there is a season that lasts a set amount of months or games. If you have had a good year, and don't want to take the downtime because you don't want to lose all this great fitness you have gained this year, rethink that stance. Your body can not maintain that level of fitness and breakdown day after day, year after year. You can try to force it to, but eventually, the body will make sure you get the message one way or another, be it injury, depression, depressed immune system, etc. The body has a funny way of making sure it gets what it wants eventually!
I know it is hard to not get antsy, but use the time to off to look back on your year, critique it, figure out what you would like to see different for the next season, where you can improve, and what your goals are going forward. Enjoy a few extra bad calories, sleeping in a few more times than normal, and let the body rebuild itself so you can continually improve year after year. The last thing you want is to push too hard during your downtime and come spring, you are already burnt out!
I know it is hard to not get antsy, but use the time to off to look back on your year, critique it, figure out what you would like to see different for the next season, where you can improve, and what your goals are going forward. Enjoy a few extra bad calories, sleeping in a few more times than normal, and let the body rebuild itself so you can continually improve year after year. The last thing you want is to push too hard during your downtime and come spring, you are already burnt out!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Too good not to just touch on....
I saw this posted over in the Slowtwitch forums. It made me chuckle. Brutal, but honest! For the record, this a thread in response to someone questioning why IMWI run times were so slow:
Most Ironman triathletes think they have done enough training----They haven't!
Most Ironman triathletes think they know how to hurt----They don't!
Most Ironman triathletes think they can deal with all race situations---They can't!
Most Ironman triathletes think that they will hit their goal time---They won't!
Most Ironman triathletes refuse to take advice from those who have been there and done it---They are idiots!
*And when it all goes shit on race day they blame the weather.*
So a little blunt, and maybe not ALL those situations are true for everyone, but the last one seems to be. Most athletes do find excuses when things don't go well. Sometimes there are valid reasons, but more than likely you didn't pace right, get nutrition right, or come prepared to adapt to different situations that may arise. Sick or injured, bike literally fell apart, valid excuses. EXTREME heat or cold... probably valid. But realistically, those situations don't come up as often as one of the scenarios above. So, as a regular Age Grouper, most likely out there to finish your first (or next) IM event to the best of your capability, what can you do?
First and foremost, get your training in. Be consistent. With families, jobs, etc getting in the way of all of this fun training, the one thing you can do is be consistent with the time you have to put in. Assess your personal situation, decide how many hours a week you truly have to devote, and make sure that you find a plan, or hire a coach, that falls in line realistically with the time you have available to put in. Then, follow it as close as possible. Those missed workouts add up, and can put you behind schedule. When your already strapped to fit in many hours of training a week, your not really going to make up those missed sessions. Everyone will miss a couple of sessions here and there, but don't let it turn into a snowball effect.
Second.... nutrition. One sure way to ruin most anyones day, is to mess up nutrition. This is much more evident in age groupers performances. Those that can put in many many hours of training a week, and whose bodies can go for much longer with less nutrition, or a couple screw ups, might bounce back during the race a bit better. But take a regular age grouper who is probably getting through the race on minimal training in the first place compared to the pros, and then compound the issue with nutrition gone wrong, and you have got yourself one long day, and maybe a DNF. This area is very important.
Third.... be realistic. If you havent swam a 1 hr 2.4 mile swim in practice, or have not biked 20 mph on your 100 mile bike rides, or ever ran a sub 4 open marathon, its probably not going to magically happen in your first Ironman either. Yes, there are the genetically gifted out there, but normally they know that before they ever get to the Ironman and know they can push it. So, when your out on the bike course, excited to be cruising along at 20mph when you normally ride 18 mph on a long ride, expect that you will quickly learn what the Ironman shuffle means early on in that marathon.
Its a long day, and its a long training season. Enjoy the ride, adapt, and learn to love training! :)
Most Ironman triathletes think they have done enough training----They haven't!
Most Ironman triathletes think they know how to hurt----They don't!
Most Ironman triathletes think they can deal with all race situations---They can't!
Most Ironman triathletes think that they will hit their goal time---They won't!
Most Ironman triathletes refuse to take advice from those who have been there and done it---They are idiots!
*And when it all goes shit on race day they blame the weather.*
So a little blunt, and maybe not ALL those situations are true for everyone, but the last one seems to be. Most athletes do find excuses when things don't go well. Sometimes there are valid reasons, but more than likely you didn't pace right, get nutrition right, or come prepared to adapt to different situations that may arise. Sick or injured, bike literally fell apart, valid excuses. EXTREME heat or cold... probably valid. But realistically, those situations don't come up as often as one of the scenarios above. So, as a regular Age Grouper, most likely out there to finish your first (or next) IM event to the best of your capability, what can you do?
First and foremost, get your training in. Be consistent. With families, jobs, etc getting in the way of all of this fun training, the one thing you can do is be consistent with the time you have to put in. Assess your personal situation, decide how many hours a week you truly have to devote, and make sure that you find a plan, or hire a coach, that falls in line realistically with the time you have available to put in. Then, follow it as close as possible. Those missed workouts add up, and can put you behind schedule. When your already strapped to fit in many hours of training a week, your not really going to make up those missed sessions. Everyone will miss a couple of sessions here and there, but don't let it turn into a snowball effect.
Second.... nutrition. One sure way to ruin most anyones day, is to mess up nutrition. This is much more evident in age groupers performances. Those that can put in many many hours of training a week, and whose bodies can go for much longer with less nutrition, or a couple screw ups, might bounce back during the race a bit better. But take a regular age grouper who is probably getting through the race on minimal training in the first place compared to the pros, and then compound the issue with nutrition gone wrong, and you have got yourself one long day, and maybe a DNF. This area is very important.
Third.... be realistic. If you havent swam a 1 hr 2.4 mile swim in practice, or have not biked 20 mph on your 100 mile bike rides, or ever ran a sub 4 open marathon, its probably not going to magically happen in your first Ironman either. Yes, there are the genetically gifted out there, but normally they know that before they ever get to the Ironman and know they can push it. So, when your out on the bike course, excited to be cruising along at 20mph when you normally ride 18 mph on a long ride, expect that you will quickly learn what the Ironman shuffle means early on in that marathon.
Its a long day, and its a long training season. Enjoy the ride, adapt, and learn to love training! :)
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
When to throw in the towel on a training session (or race)
I had a couple of different requests for a blog subject, I am going to start with one that I think fits in well for this time of year. So, when to throw in the towel, and when to push through...
We'll start with when not to quit:
A) Right now, most of us in Michigan are about done with our triathlon season. We are entering what most would consider "running season" and then "off season". Come May, we are so excited to begin the tri season after months off with gloom and cold, but then September hits, and its tough to complete workouts. Thats a mental quit, not a physical quit... so in that instance, you DONT quit! This is the time where your hard work all season should be paying off, and it is also the time when your most likely to question yourself, your training, and your desire. Those of us who have been at this for a while know that its coming. And you need to learn how to push through. Many times, I have woke up, only to find I didnt want to work out, AT ALL, and came away with some of my best workouts ever. Sometimes you just have to mentally push through. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes ever, "the desire to quit will be strongest right before you are about to succeed". So so true
****Side note,for many of you next year doing your first IM, this will be one of the hardest parts of your training, mentally overcoming fatigue and desire some mornings after months of dedication. Its all part of the process, teaching your body to continue on in a fatigued state. Some think the training for a IM is harder than the IM itself... keep that in mind.
B) Another do not throw in the towel example is soreness. If you are starting a new phase, changing up some routines, or entering territory you have never been before (think your first long runs), then some soreness is normal. Then, you dont quit. Continue on, sometimes you will feel better after a few minutes of exercise and be just fine. (***If you are 20-30 minutes into a workout and the soreness is just getting worse and messing up your form too much, then you may have actually done some damage to the muscles that require a bit more time off, then it is ok to throw in the towel and let the muscles repair for a couple of days)
C) Your out for a long session, and halfway through you feel fatigued and like you dont want to continue. Now is not a time to stop, now is a time to use that to figure out what is going wrong. Is it nutrition and a simple stop at the store for fluids and calories? Are you dehydrated? Are you pushing too hard for a workout that should be "easy pace"? Have you taken in too much and need to stop taking in cals until your stomach settles? Now is the time to learn. Sometimes, its just about completing the workout also and fighting through those low times.
So there are three common examples of when not to quit. Here are a couple of examples when you SHOULD throw in the towel:
A) You are sick and cannot get into your desired zone and stay there without considerable effort. Once you are used to the zones, you know about how you feel in each zone, and if you cant get into the zone period or you feel you are working way too hard to be going so slow and things arent coming together, then you can throw in the towel. Sickness can really affect you if you have a virus and are running a temp. A common head cold normally wont do that, so you can head out if that is the case.
B) You are in pain, pain that could do damage. For instance, when I DNF'ed this year in my 5k, it was the same knee I had surgery on only a couple of months before, gave me a bad sensation and pain... you stop for that. Or, you feel like you have potentially torn something or a knee, ankle or hip is hurting too bad to continue without doing more damage, you stop.
C) I'll throw this one in for good measure.... your significant other is feeling extremely neglected for the last few months of you being on top of it all and completing all your workouts therefor only seeing them when you are eating your food (and theirs sometimes), or sleeping, and they ask you to take a night off to spend with them.. you throw in the towel on that workout that night ;)
Reality is, missing one or two workouts every now and then will not hurt you. Missing one a week, or one or two a month, etc, adds up. Especially if it is key sessions you are missing. Consistency is by far the best tool in your training endeavors, so keep that in mind the next time you just dont feel like it, but really have no reason not to go out for that training session. Most of the time you will feel much better once you just get the workout over with!
Here is a blog post from the male winner of IMWI this past weekend, this is along the lines my C) answer of when you dont throw in the towel. Talk about a great comeback, winning overall, with a great time of 8:45 after knowing you were in trouble within the first few minutes!!
(copy and paste into another window)
http://www.trizone.co.za/news_article.asp?ID=131&MicrositeID=2
We'll start with when not to quit:
A) Right now, most of us in Michigan are about done with our triathlon season. We are entering what most would consider "running season" and then "off season". Come May, we are so excited to begin the tri season after months off with gloom and cold, but then September hits, and its tough to complete workouts. Thats a mental quit, not a physical quit... so in that instance, you DONT quit! This is the time where your hard work all season should be paying off, and it is also the time when your most likely to question yourself, your training, and your desire. Those of us who have been at this for a while know that its coming. And you need to learn how to push through. Many times, I have woke up, only to find I didnt want to work out, AT ALL, and came away with some of my best workouts ever. Sometimes you just have to mentally push through. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes ever, "the desire to quit will be strongest right before you are about to succeed". So so true
****Side note,for many of you next year doing your first IM, this will be one of the hardest parts of your training, mentally overcoming fatigue and desire some mornings after months of dedication. Its all part of the process, teaching your body to continue on in a fatigued state. Some think the training for a IM is harder than the IM itself... keep that in mind.
B) Another do not throw in the towel example is soreness. If you are starting a new phase, changing up some routines, or entering territory you have never been before (think your first long runs), then some soreness is normal. Then, you dont quit. Continue on, sometimes you will feel better after a few minutes of exercise and be just fine. (***If you are 20-30 minutes into a workout and the soreness is just getting worse and messing up your form too much, then you may have actually done some damage to the muscles that require a bit more time off, then it is ok to throw in the towel and let the muscles repair for a couple of days)
C) Your out for a long session, and halfway through you feel fatigued and like you dont want to continue. Now is not a time to stop, now is a time to use that to figure out what is going wrong. Is it nutrition and a simple stop at the store for fluids and calories? Are you dehydrated? Are you pushing too hard for a workout that should be "easy pace"? Have you taken in too much and need to stop taking in cals until your stomach settles? Now is the time to learn. Sometimes, its just about completing the workout also and fighting through those low times.
So there are three common examples of when not to quit. Here are a couple of examples when you SHOULD throw in the towel:
A) You are sick and cannot get into your desired zone and stay there without considerable effort. Once you are used to the zones, you know about how you feel in each zone, and if you cant get into the zone period or you feel you are working way too hard to be going so slow and things arent coming together, then you can throw in the towel. Sickness can really affect you if you have a virus and are running a temp. A common head cold normally wont do that, so you can head out if that is the case.
B) You are in pain, pain that could do damage. For instance, when I DNF'ed this year in my 5k, it was the same knee I had surgery on only a couple of months before, gave me a bad sensation and pain... you stop for that. Or, you feel like you have potentially torn something or a knee, ankle or hip is hurting too bad to continue without doing more damage, you stop.
C) I'll throw this one in for good measure.... your significant other is feeling extremely neglected for the last few months of you being on top of it all and completing all your workouts therefor only seeing them when you are eating your food (and theirs sometimes), or sleeping, and they ask you to take a night off to spend with them.. you throw in the towel on that workout that night ;)
Reality is, missing one or two workouts every now and then will not hurt you. Missing one a week, or one or two a month, etc, adds up. Especially if it is key sessions you are missing. Consistency is by far the best tool in your training endeavors, so keep that in mind the next time you just dont feel like it, but really have no reason not to go out for that training session. Most of the time you will feel much better once you just get the workout over with!
Here is a blog post from the male winner of IMWI this past weekend, this is along the lines my C) answer of when you dont throw in the towel. Talk about a great comeback, winning overall, with a great time of 8:45 after knowing you were in trouble within the first few minutes!!
(copy and paste into another window)
http://www.trizone.co.za/news_article.asp?ID=131&MicrositeID=2
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
oops
So, no marathons this year, turned into a trail marathon this year. Why? Because I think I can. Thats it really. I miss the challenge of going longer, the peacefulness I feel when its just me and the trail for a couple of hours. The knee has started to feel a bit better... I dont know if it is from some reduced volume, or as the knee surgeon said, sometimes the extra tissue will just increase and decrease for no reason really. Is it just decreasing right now before it inevitably hits again? Who knows. Point is, I wont have it removed until its debilitating enough like the right one was last year, when the tissue would not decrease by itself, even with months off of weight bearing exercise. It may happen soon, it may not. Im ok with whichever way it goes and I wont let it stop me from enjoying myself this fall.
The trail marathon though, I did pick it for a reason. Since I learned last year that I can train to potentially Boston qualify, Im not sure Im going to run another straight road marathon until Im ready to train for that again. And now is NOT the time. I simply can not wrap my brain around any focus other than getting out of my current job and focusing on coaching. I am studying to get certified in sports nutrition, and just finished my USA cycling exam also. These are more important focuses at the moment. There is time for that next year.
This trail marathon will be about fun, seeing how the knee holds, and enjoying the scenery :)
Yesterday I was having a conversation with a friend, and client of mine about mental blocks. I think most athletes hit a point where they realize they are capable of more, they WANT more, and they are on a mission to get there. Sometimes its at the expense of other things, and you can become so one track minded, that while you are getting what you wanted, you start to become miserable and angry. I was explaining that Ive learned with myself, and others, that it seems to be part of the process of being a long term athlete. Many of us are in this as a lifestyle, not as a one and done mentality. However, most of us have never been in this arena before. The ebb and flow of the ability to focus from year to year, the DESIRE that ebbs and flows, etc. Sometimes you have to hit that miserable and angry point when things arent going your way, in order to come out a more well rounded athlete, and person. You begin to then learn how to balance. How to balance the thoughts, balance how hard you are on yourself, when you can and just cant complete a workout, when you are just being lazy, and when it is truly time to put your head down and focus. When you finally make it over that speedbump, the whole ride of the endurance life seems to be much more enjoyable mixing in with the rest of your life!
**** One big shout out to KIM SANNER! Kim, congrats on your Kona qualify this past weekend in Louisville! It was a pleasure working with you the last couple of months in the pool, and I cant wait to see how much more time you shave off with becoming a "swimmer"!!!
The trail marathon though, I did pick it for a reason. Since I learned last year that I can train to potentially Boston qualify, Im not sure Im going to run another straight road marathon until Im ready to train for that again. And now is NOT the time. I simply can not wrap my brain around any focus other than getting out of my current job and focusing on coaching. I am studying to get certified in sports nutrition, and just finished my USA cycling exam also. These are more important focuses at the moment. There is time for that next year.
This trail marathon will be about fun, seeing how the knee holds, and enjoying the scenery :)
Yesterday I was having a conversation with a friend, and client of mine about mental blocks. I think most athletes hit a point where they realize they are capable of more, they WANT more, and they are on a mission to get there. Sometimes its at the expense of other things, and you can become so one track minded, that while you are getting what you wanted, you start to become miserable and angry. I was explaining that Ive learned with myself, and others, that it seems to be part of the process of being a long term athlete. Many of us are in this as a lifestyle, not as a one and done mentality. However, most of us have never been in this arena before. The ebb and flow of the ability to focus from year to year, the DESIRE that ebbs and flows, etc. Sometimes you have to hit that miserable and angry point when things arent going your way, in order to come out a more well rounded athlete, and person. You begin to then learn how to balance. How to balance the thoughts, balance how hard you are on yourself, when you can and just cant complete a workout, when you are just being lazy, and when it is truly time to put your head down and focus. When you finally make it over that speedbump, the whole ride of the endurance life seems to be much more enjoyable mixing in with the rest of your life!
**** One big shout out to KIM SANNER! Kim, congrats on your Kona qualify this past weekend in Louisville! It was a pleasure working with you the last couple of months in the pool, and I cant wait to see how much more time you shave off with becoming a "swimmer"!!!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Finding the right mix
Many who inquire about coaching with me are inquiring one of two reasons. Their training has become stale and boring, or they have been repeating the same thing over for months (sometimes years) with the same results. They have decided if they are going to put the time in, they want more out of it. But what is the right mix? That is where I get to have fun finding that for them to make things better.
Sometimes "more" isnt always better. Sometimes it is "different" that is better. The body is a very efficient machine. It adapts well, and it eventually becomes efficient at whatever you are doing to it workout wise or life wise (until you go into excess with anything of course, then it starts to break down). Its goal is to use as little energy as possible, and to survive. Have you ever been at the end of a really long run and thought "no way I can make it the last mile", but somehow you do, and once you stop, theres no way you can get started again? Thats your brain. You can override your bodies signals for you to stop, to survive, but once you tell it it can stop, it does.
In training, your brain and body are used to one type of movement, one "zone", and in order to snap yourself out of the training rut, you need to do something different to the body. You become comfortable at a certain pace, and your body likes that, and you like that and your brain is telling you it wants to stick there. But sticking there wont get you to the finish line any faster.
Most of us dont like to get uncomfortable. Being comfortable with getting uncomfortable is necessary in order to improve, and finding the right mix of workouts, intensity, distance, is where improvement will come.
Sometimes "more" isnt always better. Sometimes it is "different" that is better. The body is a very efficient machine. It adapts well, and it eventually becomes efficient at whatever you are doing to it workout wise or life wise (until you go into excess with anything of course, then it starts to break down). Its goal is to use as little energy as possible, and to survive. Have you ever been at the end of a really long run and thought "no way I can make it the last mile", but somehow you do, and once you stop, theres no way you can get started again? Thats your brain. You can override your bodies signals for you to stop, to survive, but once you tell it it can stop, it does.
In training, your brain and body are used to one type of movement, one "zone", and in order to snap yourself out of the training rut, you need to do something different to the body. You become comfortable at a certain pace, and your body likes that, and you like that and your brain is telling you it wants to stick there. But sticking there wont get you to the finish line any faster.
Most of us dont like to get uncomfortable. Being comfortable with getting uncomfortable is necessary in order to improve, and finding the right mix of workouts, intensity, distance, is where improvement will come.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Knowing when to say when
So in the last couple of weeks I have DNF'd my first race ever, and won a weekend long challenge that involved a 5k run, reverse tri, bike TT, and duathlon from Friday to Sunday in pretty brutal conditions.
I learned a lot the last couple of weekends of racing, I learned the most from the DNF though. It was my first, and in a 5k of all things! The last 6-8 months have been a struggle for me. Knee issues, then knee surgery, and now still, recovery. Recovery is hard, you need patience, you need to create a understanding with yourself that you have to accept what is ahead of you even if it wasnt what you were "planning" in your head. My "plan" for this particular 5k was for a TT effort, and to set a baseline 5k to then train all season and run one again end of season and see if I can hit my open 5k goal. It was a warmer, very windy day out at Metro Beach and I tried to push into the wind. While I wasnt running quite as fast as I knew I could, that push into the wind and altering my running style tweaked my knee in a way that did not feel right at all. So, at mile 2, I stopped, dead stopped, and walked it in. Humbling. I felt bad watching everyone else run by me and offer words of encouragement to keep going, "come on your almost there!", etc, knowing that I should have been finished long ago, and you cant exactly explain the situation to them! Granted, it was the right decision, but humbling still.
Considering I came back that week feeling good, and was able to pull off the next weekend of racing just fine, I know it was the right decision since its consistency that pays off and not one workout alone. A year or two ago, I would have not made this decision, so mentally, Ive come a long way. Dont get me wrong, I still know when to keep pushing when its the mind playing tricks, but Ive learned when the body is truly saying no and not just playing tricks on me. I consider this a very valuable lesson learned :)
I learned a lot the last couple of weekends of racing, I learned the most from the DNF though. It was my first, and in a 5k of all things! The last 6-8 months have been a struggle for me. Knee issues, then knee surgery, and now still, recovery. Recovery is hard, you need patience, you need to create a understanding with yourself that you have to accept what is ahead of you even if it wasnt what you were "planning" in your head. My "plan" for this particular 5k was for a TT effort, and to set a baseline 5k to then train all season and run one again end of season and see if I can hit my open 5k goal. It was a warmer, very windy day out at Metro Beach and I tried to push into the wind. While I wasnt running quite as fast as I knew I could, that push into the wind and altering my running style tweaked my knee in a way that did not feel right at all. So, at mile 2, I stopped, dead stopped, and walked it in. Humbling. I felt bad watching everyone else run by me and offer words of encouragement to keep going, "come on your almost there!", etc, knowing that I should have been finished long ago, and you cant exactly explain the situation to them! Granted, it was the right decision, but humbling still.
Considering I came back that week feeling good, and was able to pull off the next weekend of racing just fine, I know it was the right decision since its consistency that pays off and not one workout alone. A year or two ago, I would have not made this decision, so mentally, Ive come a long way. Dont get me wrong, I still know when to keep pushing when its the mind playing tricks, but Ive learned when the body is truly saying no and not just playing tricks on me. I consider this a very valuable lesson learned :)
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