Had breakfast with someone I greatly respect. They have done Hawaii 10 ten times and podiumed a few times as AG. He was explaining to me that all my workouts all year need to have a purpose. Well now I know why I will never be better than MOPer, and why guys like him reach the top…but…doesn’t anyone train just to train. Except for maybe 12 weeeks for my yearly IM,I just train. I run because I lkie it. Sometimes fast,some long ect…same with the bike and swimming. After or before work,I just enjoy training. I do not know if I would enjoy Tri if everything had to have a purpose(yeah I know…more prudent to optimize the time)I just like to run,bike swim. I felt like I was really missing something in this conversation. Do any of you just train? Enter a 5k or 10k, do a sprint or Oly,…just because…you have the fitness and do a race or two for fun?
While I can only speak for myself, I suspect that a pretty solid majority of people who take on triathlon as a lifestyle are people who train for training’s sake.
starting around halloween up till about christmas, all my rides have one purpose: fun (even the long base centuries, they are fun and social). Even during the season, it’s good to just go out and ride from time to time just for the sake of riding.
I ‘train’ because it’s just something I do, a part of my day, like eating, sleeping, and watching Regis. i ‘race’ (and I use the term loosely) for fun, challenge, and comraderie. Most of my workouts are spontaneous and basically unstructured; today, I rode 17 miles then immediately ran 3.5 miles. Good fun, and it was a beautiful day in the desert. I had no idea yesterday what today’s workout was going to be.
I’m sure that having a plan would be more efficient, and have better results. But, that degree of planning doesn’t suit my personaility or fitness goals. I rarely adapt my training for an event, except perhaps to take it easy the day or two before.
I know quite a few former triathlete who were very regimented in their training. Everyday had a goal and a plan, and if they weren;t accomplished the day was a failure. Most of these people have left the sport. The ones that have stayed, view training as a daily end in and of itself. It’s part of their lifestyle, not a goal to check off a life-list.
…of course. The main goal is just training. Racing is just an excuse to do more training. Tapering sucks cause you can’t go out and bang out a 60 mile ride or 20 mile run. Its all about lifestyle. Training plans suck. Its more fun to decide at 9 pm what your workout is going to be the next morning, based on weather, how you feel, what your buddies are doing, what your family is up to or when you have to get to work/other committments. This is the “planless training plan”. You just train cause it is fun, and sometimes you show up on race day and surprise yourself with a PB. Granted, this approach might not work for Ironman, but I’ve had reasonable success (and failure) with the “planless plan” at half Ironman and shorter :-).
“Performance is something that happens when you have fun in training”. Ditch that HRM, lactate machine and powermeter and feel the wind blow through your helmet and your heart jump out of your chest 
Dev, sitting across from this man this is what I felt. Again I have the utmost respect his accomplishments. He is also a successful coach. But it ain’t for me. You know what,I bet I am happier than most when I hit my 50’s. I just love to run. I never know how my run will be when I start. Sometimes when I feel like crap,I hammer the hardest. Talking to this gentleman,I thought I was a freek or something. Thanks All Kenney
…of course. The main goal is just training. Racing is just an excuse to do more training. Tapering sucks cause you can’t go out and bang out a 60 mile ride or 20 mile run. Its all about lifestyle. Training plans suck. Its more fun to decide at 9 pm what your workout is going to be the next morning, based on weather, how you feel, what your buddies are doing, what your family is up to or when you have to get to work/other committments. This is the “planless training plan”. You just train cause it is fun, and sometimes you show up on race day and surprise yourself with a PB. Granted, this approach might not work for Ironman, but I’ve had reasonable success (and failure) with the “planless plan” at half Ironman and shorter :-).
There is some satisfaction in this freestyle approach, but I enjoy crafting a season to peak for a major race. When you plan a season (or even part of one) every workout builds the anticipation. When you finally rest and hit your taper, the results are often great. What is even better though is how amazing you feel during those peak races.
“He was explaining to me that all my workouts all year need to have a purpose.”
I’ve met these types of people in just about everything I’ve ever been into whether it’s triathlon, scuba diving, chess, photography, automobile racing, curling, skiing, stamp collecting or alternative lifestyle/religion. I’ve tried all these things at different stages in my life. These people tend to be singularly focused on just one activity and devote all their energy into it. Hence, that’s why the tend to be extremely good in that one area. The downside IMO, is that they’re missing out on a lot of other interesting things. Also although they may be heroes within their immediate sphere, their fanaticism tends to make them social bores to everybody else outside their particular interest.
It really boils down to what would you rather be - a jack of many trades or a master of only one.
But to answer your question, for me it’s about fun, fitness, an occasional AG podium, a beer with the guys/gals afterwards and hanging out on this forum. I’m 53 yrs old so what else could it be.
Totally agree with the doing it for fun bit. I was a fairly successful competitive swimmer way back when but only did it because it was fun. Would I have been even better if I had taken it more seriously? I don’t know and really don’t care, because I had a great time while it lasted. Same thing now, 30 years later. I’m MOP and will probably always be, because I do it for the enjoyment. I still work hard at it, but it’s my therapy not my reason for being.
Neil
…Preach the good word.
I’ve spent time training with guys who are extremely competitive (one was just over 10 hours at Hawaii last year) and many elites train for its own sake. A friend once said to me (loosely), “I race to legitimize my training. If you ride 150 miles and come home to tell your friends you were gone all day on your bike because it was fun you are ruled insane. If you do the exact same thing but tell them that you did it in preperation for your next Ironman you are a stud. Train without racing and you are insane; train for the Ironman and you are a god.”
Training for the joy of it can be effective as well. Although my commitments kept me from maintaining an overly organized training plan all summer, my fitness was high and I found my way to the podium at every race. Mileage, even if it is “junk mileage” is effective.
Somebody else thought about this a while ago… What is the highest good of all matters of action? As to the name, there is almost complete agreement; for uneducated and educated alike call it happiness, and make happiness identical with the good life and successful living. They disagree, however, about the meaning of happiness. Aristotle, Nichomacean Ethics 1.4.
If training makes you happy do it.
I train because I love to compete. If I were never going to do another race, I probably wouldn’t swim, run, or ride a road bike at all. I’d probably just mountain bike and hike as that’s more my idea of fun. But for me, competing is the most fun of all.
I definately train just to train. I love the training and I think it is fun. The racing is fun too, but sometimes very hard work with the travel, etc.
Training is the reason to do this sport- well, one reason of many.
good stuff, and well put-
this is like my morning Support Group! I love it
…Preach the good word.
I’ve spent time training with guys who are extremely competitive (one was just over 10 hours at Hawaii last year) and many elites train for its own sake. A friend once said to me (loosely), “I race to legitimize my training. If you ride 150 miles and come home to tell your friends you were gone all day on your bike because it was fun you are ruled insane. If you do the exact same thing but tell them that you did it in preperation for your next Ironman you are a stud. Train without racing and you are insane; train for the Ironman and you are a god.”
Training for the joy of it can be effective as well. Although my commitments kept me from maintaining an overly organized training plan all summer, my fitness was high and I found my way to the podium at every race. Mileage, even if it is “junk mileage” is effective.
Somebody else thought about this a while ago… What is the highest good of all matters of action? As to the name, there is almost complete agreement; for uneducated and educated alike call it happiness, and make happiness identical with the good life and successful living. They disagree, however, about the meaning of happiness. Aristotle, Nichomacean Ethics 1.4.
If training makes you happy do it.
I prefer the training part. Having the race goal is probably helpful on those days you don’t really feel up to it–it makes you keep on schedule or the next workout is out of order, has to be modified, etc. But I don’t really enjoy the races. And I don’t like traveling to them–even and hour away. And I don’t like paying for a hotel room. And I don’t like paying to have someone come and take care of my girls (the dogs).
“He was explaining to me that all my workouts all year need to have a purpose.”
There are those who ascribe to this sort of thing, but I am not a total believer in it. I experienced a modest amount of success, but I would say that only about 25 - 30% of my training was purpose driven. The rest was just get out the door and do something - because, I loved being out the door doing something!
There were certain workouts and certain times of the year that I was completely focused, but I could not maintain this for 12 months of the year - no way.
i think gordo’s mantra of ‘jft’ is the right idea. sure you need some focused workouts with a specific purpose, but i don’t see how they can all be that way. if i am going out for a 45 minute run, do i really need to have a plan or purpose to it?
there are some that get so wrapped up in a purpose for each workout that they never make it out the door.
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I must enjoy it. Enjoy does not mean “fun”. I enjoy hard work. If I am going to do something I don’t enjoy simply because of the benefits it gives me … I might as well go out and get a part-time job. Life is too short (really) to waste it on things that you do not enjoy. I can handle looking back on my life and saying “I never realized my triathlon potential”; I can’t handle looking back and asying “I should have enjoyed more”. Man, my life perspective done a 180 in the last year!
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The benefits … physically, mentally, health, etc.
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Accomplishment … starting something, seeing it through, finishing something. Even a little thing, like a training/workout session, reinforces life skills.
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I am modeling for my son, how a man leads a balanced life. Mind. Body. Spirit. Challenge yourself, meet the challenge. “It’s one thing to say it. It’s another thing to display it.”
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Lastly, it helps performance. I am not a pro or soon-to-be pro in triathlon, so this is my #5.
I also notice that having productive sessions where progress is achieved has a rather dramatic (more than I would like) effect on my demeanor/esteem. I would like to think that I am confident enough that my training doesn’t affect my attitude … but it does. My sessions are best when I have a distinct mission for training.
there are some that get so wrapped up in a purpose for each workout that they never make it out the door.
Amen.
While I do “prescribe” to the “planless plan” I do vary my volumes and intensities throughout the year based on upcoming races. From April to Sep, this is pretty well what I am doing every morning sometime between 6 am and 9 am
Mon: Bike commute-swim
Tue: Run - bike commute (or vice versa)
Wed: Bike only, a bit harder and longer
Thu: same as Tue
Fri: Rest or same as Mon
Sat: long bike or run or rest
Sun: Long bike or run or brick or race.
Its very simple and I don’t have to think too much. I’ll also shuffle workouts around within the week to accomodate poor weather or what my friends are doing to try and synch up with them. This is about as much structure as my life permits. If it can’t happen between 6 am 9 am or (or 5 am and 10:30 am or so on weekends), then its not happening
I never train. I swim, bike, and run a lot - but I never train. Training sounds like work; I do it for fun.
Of course, my definition of fun is pushing myself to my limits and seeing how fast I can go. Racing is just an after thought. Even if there were no more tri races ever again, I doubt my active lifestyle would change.
Case in point: this year I didn’t feel like racing, so I didn’t (except for 1 criterium which was done mostly so that my visiting nephew could see me race).
aside from the fact that I love racing/competing, I train for two other reasons.
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so I can eat whatever the hell I want and in mass quantities, and not worry about becoming a disgusting fat body. mmmmmmmm…ice cream
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so I can taper…tapering rocks. I especially like the 1-3 month taper after my season ending race. mmmmmmm…more ice cream