What you do now, in the Winter and early Spring, can determine how you do in your big race in late Summer or Fall. Building your base level fitness each season is critical for performing at your highest level when you want to be ready months down the road. It requires a lot of planning, […]
If you had an active racing season, you are most likely finished with your last race, or you will be soon. As you log your last race for the year, and look forward to some well-earned down time, what do you do about training, working out, or just staying active in the “off-season?” First, it […]
If you’re like most endurance athletes, the majority of your workouts are measured by duration, rather than by miles, meters, laps, reps, etc. When you have, say for example, a 2.5 hours ride to do on a gradually rolling but moderate terrain, you know that you typically have one or two specific goals for that […]
Running is a highly individualized and fairly technical activity. What is good for one runner to focus on might be the wrong thing for another. So, I just want to make a quick comment about the two aspects of running that matter most when it comes to pace (and that is really all that matters […]
Before I write more about food, health, training, and performance by relating personal stories of my own, and those of people close to me, let me say a few things that may, or may not, be pretty obvious to you. I’m gonna say them regardless. And I’m going to ask a question. Forgive me if this seems terse […]
I say it all the time, like almost all good coaches, and endurance sports athletes who’ve been at their sport for more than a season or two. That’s because its true: staying consistent in training for endurance sports is your best ally. The flip side to maintaining that valuable consistency is moderation in nearly every aspect of […]
I once had a newer triathlete ask me some advice on diet, nutrition and how to support their training. My response at the time was “Don’t eat crap food.” It was a tongue-in-cheek sort of half joke, really not meant as serious advice. ..Yet still was kinda serious. I meant, really, if you’re eating “crap […]
OK, I know that this is written really more for the benefit of coaches than athletes. Still, I know that some of you coaches out there may be reading this, and many others are self-coached. In any case, here we go (this one is a bit lengthy): First, what are we talking about? Before you go […]
“VO2 max” is an often discussed topic, particularly in terms of training, and an athlete’s capacity for performance. It is a very important attribute. However, it seems to me it’s widely misunderstood when comes to establishing training objectives. You’ve probably heard an athlete somewhere say something like, “I’m going to do VO2 max intervals tomorrow.” Or even, […]
With all my athletes I coach, one of the most important race strategies we focus on is pacing. It seems easy and most athletes know they have to “pace” themselves. But its hard to get this most critical skill right. One of the best ways to get it right on race day is – you […]
