Training Tip Tuesday #18- The Winter Blues

Anyone else have problems with the winter doldrums? This time of year is often the toughest to navigate because most of us have already been training pretty consistently for 1-3 months yet the season still seems very long and far off. Especially as many of us transition from general base training to much more specific race prep the workouts because much harder and focused just as our focus is starting to wane. I've summarized a few tips that I use to stay motivated and focused this time of the year (and all year) and hope they can help you as well.

1. Review your plan for the season and count how many weeks until your next big race. Sometimes the race SEEMS really far off but when you start actually counting weeks you realize it's only 3-6 weeks away! Then you remember that Christmas was nearly 2 months ago and now you realize time is indeed, very short! Doing this always helps me remember the importance of each day and each week of training because April seems really far but when I break down each week of training and the key workouts I need to get there I realize I don't actually have that much time. Nothing like a little panic to help you stay motivated!!

2. Watch some super awesome, motivational sport videos to get you PUMPED. Maybe the classic Bevan Docherty outsprinting Kris Gemmell clip- (I apologize for the overused Eminem music clip)



Or check out Galen Rupp knocking out mile repeats after an 8:07 American record in the two mile-


Watch more videos on Flotrack

There are countless videos out there that can help inspire you to get out the door for another session and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've used them at times.


3. Think about your competition.

Visualization is a powerful tool and if I can picture my competition out training or racing it helps me stay focused during workouts and reminds me that others are out there working just as hard (or harder than I am).

4. Don't think about the entire big workout that is intimidating you or fret about the fast paces you're pretty sure you can't hit. Most of the time we bail on a workout because we didn't even get started. If I am tired and daunted by the magnitude of a set I'm supposed to hit, I'll tell myself that I can bail as long as I finish the warm up first. Once I'm warmed up I tell myself to just do one interval and if I still feel like crap I can stop. After one, then I tell myself I can at least do half the workout and that is better than nothing. Usually once I get to halfway then I'm feeling better and motivated to finish what I started.

5. Schedule your hard workouts to start with others. Again, since the hardest part is usually getting started I'll try to get some friends to meet me for the start if I have a hard run or bike planned. Maybe they are doing a different workout than me or have different paces they need to hit but at least we are helping each other get started. I find that, instead of dreading the upcoming session I'm just thinking that "I'm meeting up with so-and-so to run, this will be lots of fun and filled with joy." Then I get there and realize that there is lots of suffering in store for me and I hate my life.

6. Just do it. As cliche as the Nike saying is it really is true. Sometimes we need to stop whining, over-thinking or complaining about working hard and just get out the door and get the job done. It's a workout. It's not going to kill us and there are thousands of other people out there working hard just like you and me.

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Training Tip Tuesday #5: Top 10 Tips To Supercharge Your Offseason: (Off)Season 2

5. Try cyclocross, an adventure race or maybe the wife carrying competition.

This time of year is a great chance to try a different sort of exercise that is a little wacky or zany and you would never be caught doing in the heat of Ironman training. As you groggily awake from your sugar/alcohol/too-much-time-with-the-family induced coma you may find yourself with a nagging urge to engage in some form of physical exertion. This is a great time to get out of your comfort zone, get in that cardio zone and burn some old fashioned calories. Try something new for a change! You may find it’s quite fun, ridiculously difficult and has a high probability of getting dirty. So find a wife and get carrying! 

4. Don’t do Anything

3. Have a physical evaluation done

You know the warning labels they put on all the jump ropes and exercise balls to make sure you can't sue the company for tripping over your own two feet- “Make sure and have a thorough examination by a Doctor before engaging in physical activity.” Well that advice is actually quite good for us as triathletes as well. The miles and miles we put our body through can lead us to develop certain weaknesses and muscle imbalances that are often difficult to detect. It’s definitely not a bad idea to get a regular check up done for heart conditions, blood pressure, nose hair growth or whatever Doctors check these days. However, It’s also a good idea to have an examination done by a physical therapist or chiropractor that can do a functional analysis and identify weak areas that have the potential to lead to injury. You just might find that your flexor digit minimi brevis muscle has gotten a little out of wack.

2. Emphasize form and technique
We all know that success in endurance sport has nothing to do with quality or form and is solely based on who can pound out the most 100 mile rides and 20 mile runs. Ok so I'm being a bit facetious. Actually, many studies have shown that running economy is a better predictor of performance than VO2max is. While I won't go into the details explaining running economy it essentially has to do with how efficiently your body uses oxygen at a given steady-state work load. Drills, plyometrics and strength training have all been shown to improve running economy. Soo… if better running economy makes you faster and drills help you have better running economy, then drills will make you run faster. Makes sense right? The problem with this is that drills are often fun and involve quick movements and coordination. As triathletes we're not good at any of those things. We hate having fun so anything that involves a light jog to a grassy field where we jump and skip around in our bare feet and do some light sprints in the early morning dew sounds absolutely abhorrent. We'd much rather slog out a 3 hour run on concrete at noon in the middle of summer weighed down by the 15 pounds of water we've strapped to our waist. Now THAT, my friends, is a good time!!

I'm not sure who this woman is but I'm quite certain she's way
 tougher than me so please realize I mean no disrespect.

And we won't even get started on the coordination aspect. I'm routinely shocked at how bad distance runners and triathletes are at basic skipping or karaoke drills. It's like we are naturally pre-selected for sports that don't require our brain to fire our muscles in a rapid fashion. Kind of like this platypus.

Just a little work on the knee drive and we might see a sub 15 5k from this guy

Actually I take that back, this platypus is actually quite quick and agile. The point is that you can be a faster runner (and swimmer and biker) if you work on some "skills and drills." You will be lighter on your feet, have faster ground reaction time and improve your cadence just by taking 30 minutes to work on form and technique. You're better off spending 30 minutes working on drills with a warm up and cool down then pounding out another hour long run to keep your mileage total up.

These basic drills demonstrated by Lauren Fleshman are a great starting point. Note how light and bouncy she is and her great range of motion.  

1. Give your spouse/significant other the thanks they deserve.
This loved one of yours has endured countless early mornings, late nights, sweaty running shorts, in-grown toenails, moldy water bottles and all your boring chitter-chatter about "such and such did such and such a time at such and such a race this weekend." Trust me, my wife is pretty sick of triathlon by the time the season is over. Unfortunately for her I never get sick of triathlon! Over the years though I've realized that balance is a very important in life and it's important that we take time to recognize our loved ones for their support (however begrudgingly given) over the course of the season. Just be thankful you're not on the curb yet. In reality, this shouldn't be a two week ritual celebrated once a year. Your family should always come above your goals and aspirations as an athlete. Triathlon is never so important that you should place it above the needs of the people you care about. However, in our selfish-kona-fever-goal-driven-dehdrated-bonk-city state we sometimes get a little cranky and don't always remember to look out for our loved ones first. Regardless of how caring you are during the season they still have to smell you occasionally and that CAN'T be pleasant. So take some time this offseason to care for the people you love, take a chill pill, relax and enjoy the life you're blessed with and the people around you.

Training Tip Tuesday #4- Top 10 Tips to Supercharge Your Offseason: (Off)Season 2

Last year I posted a two part series titled the, "Top 10 Tips to Supercharge Your Offseason." If you missed it you can check out Part 1 here, and Part 2 here. I believe the series was met with wild success so of course I had to return for a second run.

10. Party like a rockstar

The Shop Boyz sure knew what they were talking about. The season is over! It’s like it’s the weekend. Except this is a long weekend in which you DON’T have to spend the majority of your time in spandex. Get to the club and break out the funky dance moves! Maybe the club isn’t your thing but you can at least open a bottle of champagne and give yourself a toast to commemorate another year in the books.  If the season ended poorly for you (as it did for me), then don’t be too hard on yourself. There are still many things to enjoy in life and a wonderful chance to celebrate those things with the holiday season coming up. Which leads me to my next point…

9. Throw yourself into an activity completed unrelated to triathlon

If you’re like 99.9% of the triathletes out there then you probably have a lot of energy and don’t like just sitting around.  Sometimes what is most important during the offseason is taking a mental break not just a physical one. Don’t get me wrong, a physical break is definitely necessary but if you start going stir crazy after a couple days around the house then find another hobbie you can throw yourself into. It’s a great time to pursue other areas of interest you might have that get neglected during the regular season. Bake a cake, read a book, plant a garden (If you live in south Texas where you can grow more in the winter than the summer), volunteer at a homeless shelter, have a baby (wait what?!), play a round of golf or search for pennies in the sofa cushion. You’re bound to have at least one other interest outside of triathlon so go enjoy it! Speaking of cake…

8. "Let Them Eat Cake!"

So goes the exclamation uttered by Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution when informed that her people had no bread. Hopefully your situation isn't quite as dire that you have to resort to such drastic measures. Nonetheless, now that it’s offseason you don’t have to worry about feeling guilty for sampling after you bake a delicious cake in your free time!  Last year I suggested rewarding yourself with a cookie but this year I think it’s appropriate to take it up a notch. Anyone lacking confidence with their baking skills are welcome to send me a sample and I’ll be happy to provide positive, encouraging feedback.

7. Drive a Uhaul across the country

Not your idea of a good time? Combine #1 and #7 and you get PARTY UHAUL!! Ok, so maybe this isn’t actually a great way to spend your offseason but it’s how I’m choosing to spend my free time this year! If driving a 26 foot truck full of furniture from Indiana to San Antonio isn’t your thing then maybe there is some other necessary tasks you need to get done that you haven’t had time for.

The only alternative to a Uhaul was this so… I opted for the Uhaul

Number #9 offseason tip was more about fun/hobbie type activities but #7 is for the not-as-exciting-but-probably-more-important stuff I’m sure you have looming over your head. Maybe you have mounds of useless paper you need to file and/or shred (actually that could be fun), a cabinet to put together or a garage to clean (don’t we all).

6. Plan for next year

After you’ve partied, ate cake, driven around the country and checked off every little task from your to-do list you might find your thoughts wandering back to triathlon every now and then. This is a great time to reflect on the last year. Every year I like to write down at least three things I think I did very well and three things I need to work on for next year. Even if you had a bad year I’m sure you can still find a few areas that were good steps forward. Maybe you improved your transitions, fixed your bike fit, ate healthier or didn’t bonk quite as bad as the year before.

If you had a good year then think about the areas you can still improve in and where you’d like to do better next year. What’s that saying about the definition of insanity again? "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same result." If you’re consistently having problems in the same area you need to be able to assess the situation and make changes where appropriate. This is where having a coach or someone you trust offer his or her opinion can be very helpful. An unbiased, unemotional point of view will help you fully  analyze the situation and plan adjustments for next year.

Stay tuned next week for the final 5 tips!

Training Tip Tuesday #3- Define "Offseason" (And Why It's Important)

As a precursor to what will follow in the rest of this post I'd like to say that most of us generally consider the offseason to be the time around the holidays in October/November/December when Christmas cheer and many delectable drinks and desserts are abundant. If you're the kind of athlete that trains pretty consistently year round from January until whenever your last race is in October then yes, this time of year is and NEEDS to be your offseason.

IF however, your someone that took a fairly extended break earlier in the year because of work commitments, injury, lack of motivation, or you were too busy building a backyard spaceship-

Then you've already had your offseason. It's perfectly fine to keep training through the winter if you had an extended summer of not training. The offseason doesn't have to be the same time of year for everyone but it's important that it occurs at some point. Many people have 2-4 offseasons unplanned offseasons throughout the year as they take a break between races or focus on other areas of life and that's perfectly ok. It can be intentional or completely unintentional. The important thing is that you come out of it rested, recharged and ready for more tri fever.

I thought about trying to come up with my own clever and unique definition for the word, "offseason." Unfortunately, I'm not very clever even if somewhat unique, and so I decided to stick with what's tried and true and rely on old Merriam for his (her?) explanation-

Offseason- "a time of suspended or reduced activity; especially :  the time during which an athlete is not training or competing."

Pretty succinct I'd say. No racing or training is what constitutes the groundwork for a fulfilling offseason. The importance of this time of year cannot be underestimated. Bernard Lagat, (Never heard of him? 2-time Olympic medalist in the 1500, 5 time world champion, American record holder in the 1500, 3000 and 5000. Yeah, the guy is fast.)

 takes 5 weeks off every year. I repeat- Bernard Lagat takes 5 weeks off every year. 5 weeks of absolutely zero activity other than running up and down the sidelines at soccer games for his kids. 

In the era we live in where less is no longer more but more is more it can be very difficult for driven triathletes to take some down town. Will you lose fitness? More certainly you will- Article about losing fitness, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. We don't see Lagat freaking out about his VO2max dropping by a few points. No, we just see him enjoying some down time then getting back to kicking butt the next year after he gets back in shape. It's impossible to maintain a high level of fitness year round so don't try!

As triathletes we are always looking for a new goal, deciding what weaknesses to work on in this offseason, selecting races for next year (heck, a lot of us are already REGISTERED for races next year since they sell out so fast). The point is that we have a hard time really taking a step back and forgetting about triathlon for awhile. We jump from triathlon season, to marathon season, to technique focus back to tri season. It's just too much and the overall quality and focus of the regular season will suffer as a result.

I'm just as guilty. I still have one race left this year but I've already started thinking about how I'm going to do better NEXT year, and train even HARDER and go even FASTER. I have to reign myself in and stay in the moment. I used to be petrified of the offseason. I just couldn't stand the work I wasn't doing to get better. But I was always shocked at how amazing I felt when I started training again in January after an extended Christmas break. I had boundless energy while training, I wasn't dog tired (yet) and my body wasn't worn down by a long season. I had forgotten what it felt like to feel good and feeling good felt good!

Especially if your last race wasn't exactly what you hoped it would be it can be hard to let it go and still take a break. You want to get back to work immediately so that you never have a poor result like that again and can rectify the problems that caused such a terrible race. Don't do it. Resist the urge. Turn your back and run, no- walk slowly- in the other direction. Your body and mind will thank you.

Top Ten Tips To Supercharge Your Offseason: Part 1

10. Take 2 weeks off

“WHHHAAATTT!?!?! “ You say. “Two weeks without exercise! That’s impossible.” No it isn’t actually. Millions of people across America do it all the time. You can be a normal American for just TWO weeks. I know you can. If the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, can do it- so can you.

  I often hear people talk about how they like to “keep moving” and “just do some easy workouts” during their break. That’s all well and good and I firmly believe there is a time for that as well but I think total rest is important. If you can’t handle taking time completely off I challenge you to examine yourself and ask WHY it’s so difficult for you to take a break? It doesn’t have to be two weeks exactly, maybe it’s 10 days or maybe it’s a whole month. The point is it’s good to let your body have some down time from ANY sort of physical activity. You have 11 ½ months to beat your body into submission so the least you can do is take a couple weeks off and just rest. I promise you, after two weeks you’ll be so mentally and physically rested that you are just craving activity and it makes it so much more worth it when you do start training. Bernard Lagat takes 5 weeks completely off every year and he’s pretty fast.  

9. Train Unstructured. 

Call it the "transition period" or whatever you want but after some total down time I’m all for doing unstructured training. This is actually one of my favorite times of the year. If I feel like going for a run then I’ll go for a run. But if I don’t, then by golly I’ll just sit on my butt and won’t. And I don’t feel one hint of guilt. The important thing is to listen to your body. Yes, exercise is good for us and as triathletes we typically do it because we enjoy being active. I like to do unstructured training for anywhere from 1-4 weeks AFTER my 2 weeks off. I try to re-discover my love for the sport and remember WHY I love training. There’s no set rule on how long this time has to last but don't rush it. Enjoy the time to stay healthy but not overdo and not have to stress if life get's in the way.

8. Do something fun for a change. 

Like bake a pie

Play croquet

Or maybe just do a little dance

This girl is in full-on offseason mode

Yes, yes, I know we all embrace that identity of being “the boring triathlete” during race season. Believe me, I’m just as boring as the next guy when it’s time to get down to business. In fact, I’d like to bet that my wife and I could compete for the most boring couple in America with our complete lack of social interaction. In a “most boring couple under 30” contest, we’d win handily. During this offseason though I try to rise above “boring” and just be “dull.” Being dull means that maybe I go a little crazy and take my wife to a movie, or dinner or maybe even one of those concert things. Oh trust me we do it big at the Saroni house. The point is to do stuff out of your regular routine that you would normally not do when you have 6am swim practice the next morning or just finished up a 7 hour brick session. You don’t have to be the most interesting man (or woman) in the world, just try being a little less boring.

7. Reflect on your season. 

Yes, this sounds very serious and contemplative and it is. After a week or two have gone by and you’re not as emotionally connected to what went right or wrong in your last “A” race take some time to look back and examine the season as objectively as possible. Look for the area’s you improved and where you could have done better. Don’t be too hard on yourself. As triathletes, we are normally our own toughest critics but the agonizing thing about endurance sport is that improvements come very slowly and often by miniscule margins. We are usually too quick to judge ourselves harshly and not see the steps forward we made throughout the season. There are many other variables too look at other than just time too. Time and splits vary so widely and depending on terrain and conditions. There are other factors to consider- Was your mental approach stronger this year? Did you have a better nutrition? What about time management skills? Recovery? Transitions? There are a TON of different ways you can improve year to year other than just “going faster.” (Though of course going faster is the primary goal). Often the races that weren’t the best are where you learn the most and can help you improve for the future. And if you can’t find a single positive thing to reflect on from last year? Than, ouch. That must have been a really, really bad one.

6. Stay up late- 

This one goes along with doing something fun for a change. Contrary to what your parents may have told you, sometimes good things DO happen after midnight- If you can make it that late. Personally, for my wife and I, staying up late means we don’t hit the sack until 8:30 or maybe if we’re being extra crazy, 9:00. Yes I know we’re boring and dull. In all seriousness though a lot of times I find that I’m not as tired from training so it’s hard to go to bed early. So I’ll stay up and read a book or work on other stuff I don’t have time to do when I’m in full on tri-geek-train-hard-win-easy-race-till-I-die mode. Reading is one of my favorite past times actually-

This is a completely accurate depiction of my utterly-sheltered-
100% homeschooled-childhood. (Actually I give my mom
great credit for instilling a love for reading in me from a very
young age).

Or I’ll go do some of the aforementioned “fun” activities that often involve staying up late. (I’m still astonished sometimes when I’m told that a certain activity or show doesn’t START until 9:00 pm. I really don’t know how I use to do it in high school and college when I’d be out until 2am and then come home to START working on my paper due at 8:00am that morning. Crazy times).







Stay tuned next week for Part 2!!

This actually has no connection to my blog I just thought it was funny
and brings back many other homeschool memories.

It's That Time of Year

Yup, It's that time of year again. That time when the evening get dark before you can boil a pot of water on a propane stove. That time when warm apple cider and hot cocoa sound better than an ice cream sundae or a snow cone. That time when you have more and more frequent "blustery days" and a jacket does you better than a tank top and flip flops. It's fall (or Autumn for those who are more particular) here in Texas and I am enjoying ever minute of it! While those states in the northern part of the USA have already been getting an unhealthy dose of winter, those of us in Texas have just started to nibble at the deliciousness of a few sub 80-degree days. Sometimes, in the midst of scorching bike rides and run workouts beneath the blistering sun I forget how much I like being outside! When the weather is nice it makes life just plain enjoyable! I love that.

Along with the cooler weather has come a (much needed) offseason for me. Following my disappointing DNF at the Toyota US Open I wasted no time starting my offseason right. I ate bad foods, drank some alcohol (but only in moderation), slept in every morning, and generally just tried to make myself a blob as much as possible. I absolutely loved every minute of it too!! After about 10 days of that I started to get the itch to be a little more active. I'd throw in a run here and there and started doing about 1 workout a day. Nothing serious but I do enjoy being active. After another 10 days of that I was fully refreshed and looking forward to starting some hard work again. NOT!

After my 3 week break I showed up at swim practice on Monday at 5:30am unsure of whether I wanted to start this whole "training" thing again. I met with my coach later that week and she reassured me that there would be very limited intensity in my training and my main focus for the next 2 months was going to be- swim, bike a lot, run, strength and to get out and have fun. Now that I can do. So with renewed vigor and ever increasing drive I am now 2.5 weeks into the first real base season I've ever had. I don't feel like I've lost much fitness since the US Open but I am very mentally refreshed. My training is pretty unstructered. My coach tells me to bike x hours this week and run y hours then I figure out when I do it. It's a great set-up that lets me be flexible and enjoy it which is nice especially with all the traveling I'll be doing in the upcoming weeks.

All this to say it's that time of year. That time to build a solid base for next year. That time to have fun and ride the mountain bike and run some trails. That time to enjoy a few extra desserts and drink some sugary apple cider. That time to have fun and enjoy the weather. I love that time!