With Spring just around the corner and the
weather starting to break, we triathletes are getting "itchy" to get outside
and train. Remember to ease into things as our season can be a very long
one and you want it to last the entire year. Many a triathlete has started
out strong only to falter midseason with "burn out". Below is a list of
common mistakes we've all made throughout our training. Heed them and
you'll have a great season! Good luck and Happy Training! Remember, this
is for fun! Don't forget the other part of your life, called your "Family"!
Note - these are excerpts from Smitty's presentation at the February
meeting:
1. Impatience in Training
·
Doing
too much too soon
·
Going
too hard too soon
·
Need to
develop a base
o
Keep it
aerobic (6-8 wks)
·
Some
people have “years” of base
·
There
are no shortcuts in triathlon training
·
Impatience leads to fatigue, burnout or injury
2. Caving into Peer Pressure
·
Allowing
“buddies” to dictate your training (put yourself 1st)
·
OK to
train by yourself sometimes
·
Be self
disciplined and know when to “turn it off” in training (too much
testosterone) (i.e. Welchy training days… kill ourselves Tues., Thurs. try
to race Sat. ugh)
3. Myth that More is Better (mistake of all triathletes)
·
Emphasize quality vs. quantity
·
Keep it balanced
4. Failure to listen to your body
·
Monitor
soreness – there’s a reason
·
Resting
Heart Rate – if it’s elevated in the morning, that may be a good sign that
you need rest
·
If
something hurts, there’s a reason
·
Good vs.
bad ache/pain
·
Training
too hard leads to breakdowns
·
Worn out
shoes vs. actual injury
5. Not keeping a Training Log
·
Track
comments, performance and patterns
·
Helps
determine what works and what doesn’t
6. Failure to Rest
·
You’re
training for 3 sports, you need to REST
·
Sleep
7-8 hours per night to aid recovery
·
Plan out
whole REST day per week
·
REST is
as important as an interval session
·
REST IS
a part of your training
7. Failure to Warm-up
·
Helps
avoid injury
·
More
important as we age
·
Gets you
ready for your workout
8. Not Setting Goals
·
Set
proper and attainable (realistic) goals
·
This
helps keep you motivated
·
Helps
you plan properly – gives you a vision
9. Improper Diet
·
Eat lots
of fruit, veggies, (fat-protein-carbs)
·
Important to fuel body
·
Drink
lots of water, fluid (not necessarily beer)
·
“If the
fire’s not enough – anything will burn!”
10. Over-dependence on heart rate monitoring during training
·
Effort
and Heart Rate don’t always coincide
·
Overtraining – stress – sickness--all elevate H.R.
·
Don't
let H.R. Monitor restrict your training
11. Focusing only on best events
·
Need to
work on weaknesses
·
Don’t
favor strengths/best events
·
Use
drills to work on weaknesses during the early season
o
Swim
drills – focus on proper technique
o
Bike –
work on proper “spinning” technique
o
Run –
vary paces
12. Inconsistent training schedules
·
Keep
training days consistent from week to week (swim Monday, Ride Tuesday, etc…)
·
Body
responds to routine
·
Train
when you race (a.m. vs. p.m.)
·
Don’t
try anything new on race day
12.
Spending $ on “Stuff”
·
You can
have the most expensive bike out there but…. “it’s still about the motor”
13. Forgetting Family & Friends
·
Many
triathletes are divorced
·
Don’t’
forget those who put up with you and your training (take spouse out to a
movie, skip a bike workout and go to your kids soccer game or practice)
·
Remember, your family loves you because you're "Mom" or "Dad" NOT because
you're a triathlete.
·
Remember: this is for fun (& health) don’t let it get out of perspective
