With the arrival of Ironman California 70.3, the Boston Marathon on the horizon and the Tour of California in recent memory, the North America endurance sports season is officially underway, even if many of us who live in chilly climates have yet to ride a bike outdoors since October. As the days get longer and the weather gets a little warmer, we begin to get excited about the upcoming triathlon season. Whether you are signed up for the local 5k, sprint triathlon, century ride or an Ironman, thoughts of getting serious about training for elite sports enter all of our heads.
Most of us have had busy winters while balancing work, friends, family, and myriad other responsibilities in our lives. This can often cause training to get pushed on to the back burner; some of us have no time to train at all, while others can manage a lighter training load. This period, often termed the “off-season,” or as I prefer to call it, the “non-competition season,” is an important part of an athlete’s training year. Although many people in the sports community have trouble with the idea of purposely losing fitness or speed, allowing this period of relative rest enables the mind and body to heal and recharge after an ostensibly long and demanding season. Triathlon is an important part of all of our lives; however, to achieve a richer, fuller, healthier life through the sport, we must periodically take a step back and let our fitness fall a little. After that, you can say, “Okay, I’ve taken a break! It’s spring now! I want to train hard and get back into shape!”
It’s true that with the early season upon us, many endurance athletes feel mentally and physically refreshed after a few months of relative rest and are ready to race. This motivation and enthusiasm can be a very powerful tool, but it must be utilized properly in order to make it last throughout as much of the competition season as possible. Many athletes in the sports community make the mistake of jumping headlong back into training, with the desire to compensate for lost fitness due to reduced training during the winter. The triathlon race season is long, with opportunities to race every weekend if we choose. However, no one can race well year round: Patience must be emphasized, especially in early season.
When spring arrives, there are often some cobwebs and dust to shake off, particularly if you’ve been riding a bike trainer or jogging on a treadmill all winter. With memories of last year’s late-season fitness levels still fresh in their minds, endurance athletes can often get frustrated when they feel comparatively sluggish or when their “legs have no pop.” These feelings, along with spring motivation, may compound an athlete’s desire to kick training into high gear for elite training right off the bat this year. This tactic may lead to positive initial fitness gains and possibly some favorable early season race results; however, chances are good that ultimately the season will suffer — especially in the fall when many of the “big races” take place.
It is possible to be a “March training hero and a July zero.” When it comes to endurance sports, consistency is king and patience is queen. Rome wasn’t built in a day: It takes years for the physiologic adaptations in athetes’ bodies to occur that enable them to excel in endurance sports. Going out and hammering those first bike rides or runs will not make up for subpar winter training or guarantee a great 2009 season. In fact, it may do nothing but lead to burnout, injury, and a potentially disappointing season.
The human body is an incredible machine capable of truly amazing feats, but if pushed too hard or too soon, it can — and probably will — break down. The body is constantly repairing and rebuilding itself in response to training, and the key is to keep these two variables in balance. These processes in your body occur on both a microscopic and macroscopic level, and include:
- Stimulating new blood vessel growth to better deliver blood and oxygen to working muscles
- Improved communication between the mind and body to become more mechanically efficient
- More efficient distribution of oxygen, glucose, and fat to fuel working muscles
- Improvement in the strength and durability of joints
- Changes in body composition to achieve maximal health and fitness
Everything that occurs in our bodies while we are training, sleeping, eating, or just living is truly wondrous, but our job is to provide the body stimulus to initiate these changes through training, while also enabling the body to repair and rebuild itself through recovery. After longer periods of lower-intensity exercise or rest, the body is not as fine-tuned and ready to repair and recover from harder training as quickly or efficiently. Have you ever noticed how much more quickly and easily you are able to recover at the end of the season compared to the beginning? Keeping your body in balance will help you achieve your athletic goals, be it improved performance, weight loss, or simply a healthier lifestyle. The key to bringing about all these micro- and macroscopic changes is steady, consistent, and repeatable training — which requires patience, especially in the early season.
During the spring, motivation is high and the sun is shining, but that does not mean a long or intense workout will get you back in race shape faster or set you up for a great season. If an overzealous spring training schedule has plagued you in the past, or if you are considering one now, I strongly encourage you to refrain. There is no cheating the human body: Steady, consistent, and repeatable training, especially early in the season, will set you up for a great 2009.
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