I wanted to start my first blog since my Ironman Florida race report with a few tips. This is my 20th year racing triathlon…over the years I have gained knowledge in my own training that I take with me in my day to day workouts, but as a coach I see my athletes struggle with decisions and ups and downs in training and racing that I have learned to take in stride. Here are a few tips off the top of my head:
1) Every workout can’t be your “best”. I have bad days. I have days where I’ve had to bail on a workout or effort because my body just isn’t responding the way I had planned or hoped. I used to get upset about this…sometimes it would ruin my day. I have many athletes that feel upset or depressed if they can’t hit the wattage goal for that day, if they feel too tired to complete or start a particular workout, or if the workout didn’t go as well as they wanted. As a coach this can be tough to witness because I know that it’s all part of training, however, my athletes can be so hard on themselves... I’ve learned to move on and count it as part of the training process! It’s impossible for every workout to be the best and it is too much to expect perfection in every workout every day!
2) Injuries happen! Over the many years of training and racing Ive had my share of injuries. They can be depressing…no one likes to disrupt the day-to-day plan. No one wants to cut a workout short due to an injury! Remember, they happen to everyone…even the best athletes in the world get injuries. How you deal with injuries is what counts. STOP doing what you are doing when you feel pain that is not the “normal” pain or discomfort that you may feel from a workout or training session. If the pain or injury is lingering get it checked out and diagnosed! The sooner you find out what is ailing you the sooner you can follow the necessary steps to fix in and get back to normal training! Follow the instructions of your Physical Therapist and/or Doctor! So many people stray from the directions or plan they are given to get better, then they find themselves with an injury that lasts so much longer than it should have! Nip it in the bud, follow your instructions or treatment plan and get better!
3) Set realistic race goals and expectations based on your training! I can put this in a way that sounds harsh, but it’s true: You can only expect so much out of a race if you haven’t done the work! Often times life gets in the way of training and that’s OK and it’s normal for most athletes! However, you must sit down, look at your training and talk to your coach about what is realistic going into your race! A good coach will be honest with you and let you know what a realistic goal for that race is and the steps necessary to improve that goal!
4) HAVE FUN, STAY POSITIVE and ENJOY THE PROCESS! Most of us are racing because we enjoy the challenge, we get a certain amount of joy out of the training and racing, we enjoy the comradarie of the sport, etc. Think about why you do this and what drives you to do this. What gets you out of bed in the morning and to the pool? If you are not having fun, if you are stressing over the training and racing or over what you friend is doing compared to you then you are losing sight of why you are doing this! I coach a very experienced and talented older athlete and he always talks about the importance of staying positive and I couldn’t agree more. In my experience, the athletes who have the highest success rate have one major quality in common: they adjust and stay positive through ups and downs!
5) You can’t make up for missed workouts! I can’t tell you how many times I hear that someone is going to “double up” on a workout because they missed their prior workout…this is NOT the right thing to do! If you missed a workout your coach can certainly adjust your training, but piling one workout onto another is NOT the answer to “make up” for missed time! Move forward and continue as planned!
I am really looking forward to the season ahead… Here are some Iron Fit Endurance Updates!
Thanks to the generosity of Peter Morandi, we had a wicked facility for an indoor training session throughout the winter! We ended our indoor sessions with a “layered brick workout” and BBQ!
The first triathlons of the season have been successful for Iron Fit Endurance. Barbara McCoy competed in the first triathlon down in Mississippi! Barbara’s goal is to compete in a triathlon in every state and this was her 8th state! Barbara rented a bike from a local bike shop and finished 2nd in her age group!
Mini Mightyman was next:
Gordon Lewis was first in his age group!
Zachary Lam who competes as a Wildwood Warrior won 1st in his Age Group! Dad Noah helps to coach him with triathlon, but Zachary is also a high school runner. Mom Irene also competed along with brother Elijah!
Jeffrey Reynolds scored a PR! What can be better than that?
Darlene and Sal Scilingo did a fantastic job starting off the season with the end goal of a great race at Ironman lake placid 70.3, which will be their first 70.3!
We have been training hard, including a trip up to Bear Mountain with some Wildwood Warriors as well as a recent trip which included repeats up the famous Perkins climb!
I am so excited that 2017 triathlon season has started...this season will culminate for me at the Hawaii Ironman in October...I will send my training and racing updates along the way as long as updates for the rest of the Iron Fit Endurance crew.
Happy Training and racing!
Dee