Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Training Tips from Trifuel.com
Just a couple of things I ran across on trifuel.com to help get ready for next season. Spring seems sooooo far away!
Combine Activities And this doesn't mean taking your HR monitor to bed with you! It means turning your long run into a social outing by running with a buddy. Doing a stretch or wind trainer session in front of your favourite TV program. One of the biggest challenges you will face when you are training for triathlon is finding the time to spend with family and friends - particularly if you are looking at Ironman distance triathlons or longer multisport events. One way around this is to encourage your spouse, friends and family to get enthusiastic about what you are doing - if you have a long run on, why not pack up the family for a walk in the forest while you run and follow it up with a picnic? Or get them keen on cycling or take them along to the pool while you do your swim sessions. You will not only get more enjoyment out of the training by having people you care about with you, but they may improve their fitness too!
Organise yourself! Get a diary/folder with a weekly time schedule in it - it should contain your training program, work hours, engagements and in my particular case, article deadlines! Having this with you throughout the day allows you to adjust and plan the week ahead. Remember to use whatever works for you - a flow chart, notebook, or for those that want an excuse for another toy, a PDA. Have contingency plans for bad-weather days or when things just don't go as planned. When winter comes knocking on your door, it's easy to fall in to the trap of snoozing on through the wet weather, dark mornings and early evenings. Rather than thinking that the days are shorter in winter, change your attitude and consider the day as just having less light! Changing the way you think is the perfect way for you to stop hitting the snooze button and to build a base that will have your rivals trembling.
Ditch the Car For a long run in the afternoon, allow the (sometimes) ever-efficient public transport system to deliver you to work. When home time arrives, you can have the running gear on and be ready to start that run. You might just be surprised at how much your fitness and bike handling skills increase just by cycling to work or the pool. Understandably we don't all have the flexibility to use these options. However, putting yourself in a position of being able to utilize your time is probably the most important point. Examples of this include, joining the gym/swim squad closest to work/home and using their shower and change facilities.
Combine Activities And this doesn't mean taking your HR monitor to bed with you! It means turning your long run into a social outing by running with a buddy. Doing a stretch or wind trainer session in front of your favourite TV program. One of the biggest challenges you will face when you are training for triathlon is finding the time to spend with family and friends - particularly if you are looking at Ironman distance triathlons or longer multisport events. One way around this is to encourage your spouse, friends and family to get enthusiastic about what you are doing - if you have a long run on, why not pack up the family for a walk in the forest while you run and follow it up with a picnic? Or get them keen on cycling or take them along to the pool while you do your swim sessions. You will not only get more enjoyment out of the training by having people you care about with you, but they may improve their fitness too!
Organise yourself! Get a diary/folder with a weekly time schedule in it - it should contain your training program, work hours, engagements and in my particular case, article deadlines! Having this with you throughout the day allows you to adjust and plan the week ahead. Remember to use whatever works for you - a flow chart, notebook, or for those that want an excuse for another toy, a PDA. Have contingency plans for bad-weather days or when things just don't go as planned. When winter comes knocking on your door, it's easy to fall in to the trap of snoozing on through the wet weather, dark mornings and early evenings. Rather than thinking that the days are shorter in winter, change your attitude and consider the day as just having less light! Changing the way you think is the perfect way for you to stop hitting the snooze button and to build a base that will have your rivals trembling.
Ditch the Car For a long run in the afternoon, allow the (sometimes) ever-efficient public transport system to deliver you to work. When home time arrives, you can have the running gear on and be ready to start that run. You might just be surprised at how much your fitness and bike handling skills increase just by cycling to work or the pool. Understandably we don't all have the flexibility to use these options. However, putting yourself in a position of being able to utilize your time is probably the most important point. Examples of this include, joining the gym/swim squad closest to work/home and using their shower and change facilities.
