What is a healthy training load to maintain your base?

Triathlon Forum
1

…And not go crazy over it?

This is a loaded question, so I will preface it with a story…

I began triathlon racing three seasons ago, beginning with some sprints and olympic-distance events. We have a substantial and capable tri group where I live, and many of these individuals all participated in racing from 5Ks and sprints all the way to the M-Dot full distance races and ultra races. In watching these individuals, I too decided to build to that level and race my own long-distance race. This last fall, I competed IMMOO, performed to my expectation, and had a great, great time.

This summer’s season will see a reduction in races and distances, more family events, and my wife will be participating in her own long-distance cycling events. No problem there; it is time to share.

My hope is to maintain my “base” level of fitness, get faster over the summer in the progression that I have over the last three years (as measured by competing in similar events from past years so as to compare times), and stay on a multi-year plan for a return to longer competitions in future seasons-- i.e. half and full 140.6 distance events.

I had a very effective coach for the last three years. He set me up on a plan that I can repeat for the winter-spring-early summer races this season as these are parallel as last season. The coach even reviewed the plan and my goals for the upcoming season and said that only with some small modifications that the plan is solid and his services won’t be needed. The coach fired himself, in effect (but he will still be around for questions).

This late fall and early new year I’ve had this nagging feeling that I will be losing my fitness, going backwards on keeping fit and maintaining my base. Yes, I know and understand that I cannot maintain the exact level of fitness throughout the year; everyone’s fitness tapers up and down around seasons and events. This is more akin as I’ll have to start over in 2010 on my IM build rather than picking up somewhere along the way. Irrational, but still nagging. Coach says that the frustration and fear I’m feeling over my new “self-coaching” will lead to much greater satisfaction when I do improve.

So now, what? I find I’m doing MORE now in training than at this time before. Almost as much as during the summer months. I’ve doubled my swim yardage. I’m running in Dev’s 100/100 run challenge. I’m spinning on the trainer more, at coached spin workouts at the gym. The nagging feeling, I think, has pushed me to do more in hopes of improvement over loss, fear instead forward-thinking anticipation. I feel that I know enough now to be just dangerous, but no where near enough to be wise.

What do you do when faced with these feelings?

2

Sounds to me like you’re feeling conflicted. You say you want (or need) to reduce your training and racing this year, but then say you want to continue to improve, even at the longer distances. I don’t see that happening. I think you could improve your short race by doing more high-intensity stuff with less overall volume, but at the risk of injury.

Really, though, I think you need to come to terms with life’s reality. If you’re going to scale back so that your wife can step it up, then you should expect a reduction in performance. Just accept it as the price of love.

3

Man, your situation so similar to mine its scary.

I think you should just have faith in the words of your “very effective” coach…seriously.

Even though you no longer employ them, he/she is still trying to take the worry, concern & fret out of your program…let them.

Three years in? Do you think you’re anywhere close to tapping out your potential?

4

After a few days thinking on all this, a calmness is settling in. I agree with one poster’s idea that the workouts leading up to the summer campaign will be shorter but more intense. I am not going as long, but neither do I think I have reached the top of my potential.

I have a plan. I’ll follow it to the extent that it gets modified by the newer, longer, more strenuous master’s swim classes and the 100/100 prep I am in currently. And when spring comes, the time for more intense bike sessions outdoors will hopefully set me up for the better runs.

The 100/100 run challenge has giving a surprising benefit beyond what I would have expected. Sure, we expect to be a better runner during and after it. But, the running has turned into an effective indicator of my overall daily state of freshness or exhaustion. I’ll often know within 10 minutes of heading out the door if I need to step it up for a hard run or back off for a day or two of rest.

Thanks for the thoughts.