Endure
I titled the newsletter “Endure” this week because it just isn’t a race pace we are enduring. We endure through all sorts of things as athletes and humans.
The very nature of endurance sport training is managing the layering of session on session, day on day, week on week, year on year.
Sounds tough but a lot of good things happen in that process.
This weekend we had Scott Allison, Kate Boyd and James Knight link up to do the 104km Bobbin Head Classic which also dished up 1700m of climbing. Well done team ! Up north again Kelly Linton raced the Warringah Tri Club race (on her new TT bike I might add) and raced really well. Justin Hess did his long run for Port Mac Ironman by walking 12 hours for cancer down at the track at Sylvania.
Of course it’s not all sunshine and roses. We also have to endure the tough stuff. Job pressures, family commitments, motivation challenges, fatigue. It’s hard, but it’s less hard when you share the burden. Tell me what the challenges are, share it with a team mate, have a coffee with a friend. Don’t blindly avoid things.
Communication
In this day and age of amazing communication we are lucky to have at our fingertips a lot of great ways to communicate. Yet I still fall through the gaps at times when it comes to getting info out. The newsletter might go into the junk folder, the facebook post slips off your feed quickly and is subject to the algorithm, the insta story goes away after 24 hours even though it’s a great way to communicate training tips, the message is just another message with all the others you get. Training Peaks comments are great but yep - just another admin item at times.
There’s no solution really. Just what works for you.
Communication in coaching is so important. All I ask is that you engage in it. Don’t fall into box-ticking the sessions.
‘Tis the Season
When the weather starts getting colder in the mornings you can guarantee the coach is reviewing the first quarter block and planning for the second quarter. This will be very individual of course. Some athletes are heading for their biggest races of the season. Some are transitioning to their off season.
The one common denominator for me is looking at progression. Again - very individual. Progression in pace is the golden challice of course but that outcome comes from progression in process. Consistency, volume, injury management, awareness, understanding.
I’m looking at your profiles. Top end 5min power and pace, power and pace at threshold via 20min numbers, and of course the endurance markers of 60min numbers. If there’s a hole we need to fill it based on your race goals.