Thoughts on Training #6 was about having an annual plan for your training. A carefully considered plan promotes motivation, persistence, patience, and consistent training. At the heart of successful training is knowing where you want to go and how you’ll get there.
Little Things That Get in the Way of Training
What are some of the little things in our heads that can get in the way of training? You may, for example, think that the base period is a waste of time when it’s actually the most important time of the season. How much you accomplish in the later build, peak, and race periods—along with your A-priority race performances later in the season—depend on it. You can never have too much base fitness. But you can certainly have too little.
Training Progression
The order in which your training occurs sometimes seems trivial, but it’s not. Early in your season you should be focused on the frequency of workouts by doing short workouts but lots of them, thus increasing volume in small bites. This often includes cross training. Frequency is the first step in becoming more fit very early in the season.
The second stage of training is workout duration. Once your body is adapted to frequent but short training sessions, the next step is to reduce frequency a bit while increasing the duration of some workouts, typically those in your primary sport. This takes several weeks so be patient.
After your workout durations are long enough, you should begin to reduce some session durations while blending in higher intensities relative to your goal event. The first two steps (frequency and duration) make up the prep and base periods. Race-like intensity is the focus of the build, peak, and race periods. This progression may seem like a small thing, but it works.
Lifestyle Modeling
Training is not just about you. You may sometimes fail to notice that there are others in your life who may not be athletes. They undoubtedly look up to you as an example of a healthy lifestyle. What are the most important things that lead not only to good racing but also to a long and healthy life? They are the big three: exercise, sleep, and nutrition. Epitomize these for those who look up to you such as your spouse, children, friends, training partners, neighbors, and workmates. Live your life as a role model, and you’ll see the huge impact it can make on others. There’s nothing small or insignificant about that.
The Bottom Line
The single most important thing about your training, regardless of all I’ve written about in this series or in my books, is to enjoy doing it. If you truly love living the life of an athlete, you have already had success in sport regardless of how fast your race times are. Athletics is a great lifestyle. Be sure to have fun along the way!
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