Re-post... Stress + Rest = Progress

With the sun setting on 2013 this week, many people will be setting New Year's resolutions.  In the health and fitness industry, we see a huge surge at the gym.  Masters swim programs, running and cycling groups all see an increase in activity and workout participation.  So, I thought it would be a good time to share the post form earlier in the year as a reminder to keep the balance with your training.  This will hopefully allow you to stay healthy which leads to consistency in training which leads to you reaching your goals for the 2014 year.

One of my favorite authors, Matthew Kelly has a saying he calls “carefree timelessness”, such a simple yet powerful statement.  I drew the inspiration for this article on a training break as I spent the morning lazily wandering along a river taking pictures of my friends fly-fishing.  The landscape was stunning and as the morning progressed, large billowy clouds slowly formed on the mountaintops surrounding the valley.  The sound of the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze was both soothing and cooling and the thought of a nap crossed my mind on more than once occasion. 

From an athletic standpoint, we call this a recovery day or in some cases a recovery week.  It is just as important to schedule rest and recovery days, as it is the hard training days.  Rest is when the training adaptations occur and too much training without taking into account recovery, can lead to injury and burnout. Stress is the combination of workouts that challenge both your body and mind.  Rest comes in the form of easy training days or complete days off from exercise.  Progress is made when you have the optimum balance of stress and rest. This balance will be different for every individual.

When setting up a training plan for an athlete, balancing the stress and rest of training is a top priority.  First and foremost is the age of the athlete.  Let’s face it; we just don’t bounce back like we did when we were kids.  That said the adult athlete can still perform at a very high levels of intensity, but is just takes longer to recovery from those efforts.  Other things to be considered are current level of fitness, number of years in the sport, past or present injuries, demands of job, family obligations and how much can they train versus how much they are willing to train.

But, what if you’re not training for an event?  What can you do to add a little rest and recovery into your day?  Try taking time to check in with yourself, hitting the reset button and putting the fast paced world on hold.  It does not have to be a long period of time by any means even five minutes will do.   Some people find mornings are best to check in and set your intentions before beginning the day.  Others may find a mid-day break is just what they need before diving back into the afternoon to do list. Or maybe you prefer some quiet time in the evening to unwind and decompress from it all. 

Really it can be pretty much anytime that works for you.  One of my colleagues, Cris Dobrosielski, http://monumentalresults.com/ has a saying that I really like, “small consistent change, over a significant period of time, leads to monumental results”.  Five minutes may not seem like a lot, but it can have a big impact over time if you are consistent.  So, keep searching to find your optimum balance, not only sport, but in everything you do in life.

Best of luck in all you set out to do in 2014 and Happy New Year!

Coach Eric

2013...almost history. The future... a mystery!

The end of the calendar year is often a time to look back and reflect on what has transpired the past 365 days.   So, before the year comes to an end in 8 days,  I challenge you to set a side a little time to reflect back on what 2013 has meant to you and answer this one question before getting too carried away with thinking ahead to 2014.

Do you know why you do what you do?

If you know the why, then the how you do it and what you do will take care of themselves.  This could be applied to many aspects of one's waking life such as work, school & sport to name a few. 

If 2013 was a year you considered successful, then keep building on that momentum.  If the year had some bumpy patches, try to learn from those experiences and bring that new knowledge forward into 2014.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Coach Eric 

Run... The hour of Power

Thought I would take advantage of the layover in Singapore to share this great 1 hour run workout I love to do while on travel. 

Really quite simple, and can be done on any type of surface: road, trail, snow, treadmill and terrain: flat, rolling or hilly route.

9 min easy/1 min hard

8 min easy/1 min hard 

7 min easy/1 min hard

6 min easy/1 min hard

5 min easy/1 min hard

4 min easy/1 min hard

3 min easy/1 min hard

2 min easy/1 min hard

1 min easy/1 min hard

1 min what ever you have left in the tank

Finish up with 5 min cool down and you have 60 minutes on the nose.

So, you end up getting some speed in as well as a progression type workout as the rest time between efforts gradually decreases. 

Make it a great week!

Coach Eric 

Catching up with Kyle in Cottesloe, Australia

Warm up time.... 50M pool at Scocth School

Kyle in action!

The Aussies love their swimming.  With over 60 (50M) meter pools in the Perth area alone, no wonder there are so many good swimmers down under.  Water sports are a big part of the Aussie culture.  Head to the ocean and you will find surf lifesaving clubs are scattered up and down the coast from Cottesloe Beach. 

Last week, I dropped in on a swim squad that Kyle trains with from time to time and snapped a few pics from his last long session (a little over 7K) before IM Western Australia.  This particular squad is in preparation for the biggest open water swim in this part of Western Australia, the Rottnest Channel Swim next February.  After the session, we sat down and chatted more about his training.

What got you into triathlons?  

Kyle - It was a slow progression in 2010 when I did the bike leg for a relay team in a 1/2 IM and that inspired me to try a 1/2 IM on my own in 2011.  In addition to the 1/2 IM that year,  I competed in a number of sprint and olympic distance events.  I have a good good support group of friends to train and race with and in 2013, a few committed to going "the full hog" and signed up for the Western Australia IM in Busselton Dec 8th, 2013

Why do you want to do an Ironman?  

Kyle - Looking for a bigger challenge and it seemed like a natural progression after completing the 1/2 IM distance.

How do you feel your Army training has helped you prepare for the IM?  

Kyle - For starters, it has gotten me used to sleep deprivation, but more importantly, the discipline and mental toughness that the Army training has instilled in me has been a great asset.  The flip side is the IM training has allowed me to better develop my endurance.  Only being 23, in the past I have been too aggressive in my training so, taking on the IM distance has taught me how to be patient with a better long term approach to my overall fitness.

How do you keep the balance with school, work, girlfriend, family and training? 

Kyle - I sometimes tread a fine line between too much training and too little study.  Better planning of my days and cutting out unnecessary tasks is the key.  The bottom line, it comes down to one word: efficiency.  My girlfriend has been very supportive of the training and I look forward to the time we spend together away from our studies and work; often taking the option of a stroll along the beach or at a park to unwind.

What is your favorite recovery meal?  

Kyle - For sure a smoothie post ride or run taste great.  Coach has been showing me how to "really eat" after a tough training session.  My new favorite smoothie is chocolate milk, with bananas, a few ice cubes and scoop of protein powder.

What is he saying to that gel?

Lots of gear to choose from

Just like this pic!

Anything else you would like to add? 

Kyle - Don't under estimate the logistics of training and the time commitment of Ironman and endurance sports.  A good way to be efficient with my cycling training was commuting to Uni.  Sometimes as a recovery from a workout, other times serving as a warm up for a workout.  Set up your training groups to help you stay on task and motivated in the training.  We usually have a large group that heads down for the 1/2 IM every year now and a little healthy competition can be a great motivator.

Training and racing abroad

So, you want to travel to a foreign country, see some sites, stay fit and maybe even race.  Training and racing abroad is a great experience and with a little bit of planning, you can make the most of your time abroad.  Here are a few things to consider before you depart, during travel and once you have arrived.

Pre trip – Make a list!  Sounds simple, but is most helpful.  Take a few moments before you depart to educate yourself a little bit more about where you are traveling too.  Paper maps are quite helpful to keep handy in case Google maps or the Garmin is not working.   Make extra (Paper) copies of passport, credit cards, travel itinerary and any contact info in case you loose anything or your smart phone gets stolen/lost or won’t charge.   Notify your credit card company of the dates you plan to travel to avoid delays making any purchases.  Arrange for transportation to your accommodations ahead of time instead of trying to figure it out when you arrive and are tired. 

Travel – Allow enough time to not have to rush.  Check in, baggage, customs, all take a little more time than domestic travel.  Have a small amount of local currency when you arrive to cover anything that may arise.   Wear comfortable and functional clothes/shoes for travel.   Sometimes you have a lot of walking to do along with baggage and possibly a bike box.

Food & Hydration - Drink plenty of water on the plane and during the travel day.  Pack a few snacks in case you have delays or not feeling like eating the airline food.   However, be aware of any food restrictions of your destination country, as you may have to declare items you are brining into country on your customs forms.  Some countries you cannot bring certain foods in at all so, don’t bother bringing it along unless you plan to consume it on the plane or on any layovers.  

Time change – Give you body a few days to adjust from the travel.  Best thing I have found to help this is upon arrival get some kind of easy workout in.  You are an athlete after all.  Helps the body loosen up from the flight/train and starts getting your reset on local time.   Set an alarm to get up the following morning on local time as well and keep drinking water!

Rules of the road, local customs – Here in Australia, when you ride a bike, you must wear a helmet otherwise be subject to a fine.  Also, vehicles travel on the other side of the road compared to the states, so when you step off the curb, or merge into traffic look right first.  Speed limit signs are in KMH not MPH.    Dining out in some countries the tip is already include in the bill. 

Check out the course – Course knowledge is always helpful so plan on driving or riding part of the course before race day to get more familiar.   Pay attention to road surfaces, wind conditions and what parts of the course are and are not open to traffic on race day.  Great to get in the water at the swim finish area so you can get some land based objects to site on for the end of your swim.

Where are you going to travel next?  Don't forget the camera!

Make it a great week,

Coach Eric

What happened to common sense... if your exhausted... REST!

Aristotle, who is the first person known to have discussed "common sense". He was describing the ability with which animals (including humans) process sense perceptions, memories and imagination (phronein) in order to reach many types of basic judgments. But only humans have real reasoned thinking (noein).

I think endurance athletes are loosing touch with things a bit in particular their common sense.  Often times I hear athletes say they were exhausted and wonder to myself, "why are they going to attempt a workout today".  Now I know sometimes one can become tired from training and you need to stress the body from time to time to gain some improvement.  But, if you had just raced an IM a little over 3 weeks ago and I am hearing you say you're are exhausted, don't ya think it might be better to take the day off instead of creating more fatigue which continues to delay the full recovery process.

People, when are you going to get it?  Do you need to be sick, fevered and injured before you stop training or take a much deserved break?  I am seeing this more and more with age group athletes who train like professional athletes, while working a full time job.  Sure you can train like them in a physical way, but there is no way you are going to recover like they do because you just don't have that much free time for naps, weekly massages and general downtime to rejuvenate.  Some age group athletes eventually gets to the point of being so run down from lack of adequate rest, combined with pushing their training limits, that even a 3 week taper is not going to bring them to race day fully prepared.  Always better to be 10% undertrained than 1% over trained when going into your priority races for the season.

Take the runners from Kenya, when they are done for the season, they are done.  Some will not run for 2 or 3 weeks some not even for a month.  They just take a complete break, no cross training, just total downtime.  I belief this downtime allows them to maintain the focus and intensity when they are training.  Most elite Kenyan runners run 2 times a day and some 3 times a day.  They usually start with a morning run around 6am, after that return to bed to rest for the main session around 10am. Lunch and more rest and some will run again in the afternoon.  Now I know this is the elite, but my point is by having the real downtime, it allows them to hit a very high level focussed bit of training when called for.

In the western world, 2-3 weeks of downtime is going to drive the type A athlete and those around him/her completely NUTS!  I have written about this before and will continue to do so in future posts, TRAINING IS RECOVERY BASED!  Easy means easy, hard means hard, day off means, day off.  Combine that with some common sense and you may just reach your next goal healthy and happy.  Pay attention to your self talk.  Are you saying "I have to workout" vs "I want to workout"  When the have to's start becoming the norm,  overtraining, burnout and injury are getting bigger in the rear view mirror for sure.

If you need help, get it.  There are plenty of great coaches out there who can help you balance the training load with all your other activities.  Don't be afraid to do a little less especially if this is supposed to be your off season.

Make it a great week!

Coach Eric

You are what you eat!

The foods we eat help nourish our body/mind for optimal health.  But, not all foods are created equally. 

There is debate whether organic foods are better from a nutritional standpoint than non-organic foods.  But the bigger picture I think lies in the use of pesticides on non-organic foods.  

Switching to an all organic diet can be more expensive, especially if you live where growing your own produce is challenging.  One thing you can do however is to try eating organic on what the Environmental Working Group calls "The Dirty Dozen".  Some research suggests that by going organic when purchasing these foods, you may be able to eliminate up to 80% of the pesticides in your diet. 

"The Dirty Dozen"

• Apples
• Celery
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Grapes
• Hot Peppers
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Potatoes
• Spinach/Kale
• Strawberries
• Sweet Bell Peppers 

So, try making your local farmers markets and the organic produce section a frequent place to shop for your fruits and veggies.

Make it a great week!

Coach Eric