Good Health is Everything

As an athlete, your number one goal is consistent training.  Excellent athletes get in 9 out of 10 of well-planned workouts.  Sick for four days?  You've just gone backwards 2-3 weeks on your training plan.  Injured for a month?  You'll need to start over.  Injured for six months?  There goes your season.

When we've had a great workout, we start to feel invincible.  Teenagers have this same false sense.  Don't fall for it.

Be alert for any tightness or sore spot.  From the first sensation, treat it as if it is an injury.  Back off from training and start icing.  With your quick attention and a little luck, the tightness might disappear in a day or two rather than becoming a long term ordeal.

Guard your health like a newborn baby.  It is almost as precious and precarious!  Have hand sanitizer handy.  Avoid sneezing, coughing friends.  Get enough sleep.  Eat nutritiously.

Don't risk your health!

Child-Like Racing

 

I am just back from the Cross Country Coaches National Champs in Lexington, KY this weekend. We took at team of 15 runners aged 6-13, including my 8 year old son. The course was run on a horse cross country training grounds, so it was lumpy, bumpy and Kentucky hilly. It was my son's first experience racing from a starting box along with 200 runners. What a thrill for him! All the kids were there to do their best, and have a lot of fun. This race was their reward for all their hard work running this summer and fall.

 

Of course as soon as his race was over, he spent the rest of the afternoon tossing around a football with the other kids, then splashing in the hotel pool all evening. And those may be even better memories from this trip for him.

 

There are many lessons that we can learn from these kids:

• Sign up for some races/challenges that seem a little scary.  
• Get some training partners that make you laugh.
• Enjoy the people that you meet along your journey of training and racing.
• Train hard, race your heart out, cross the finish line, then move on and celebrate with everyone.
• Definitely get a cool sweatshirt to help you remember the fun weekend afterwards!

These kids had a great time. They didn't dwell on their times or place. They knew they did their best. And they definitely are very, very proud that they can race cross country at the national champs. My son stands a little taller after each one of these experiences.

 

As it turns out, these kids have a much more mature attitude about training and racing than many adults who unhappily stress over competition and perfection, often over-training and shunning family and spouses during the process. It might help all of us to train and race a little more like kids as we start the 2011 season.

 

This week is the beginning of the holiday season! Holidays are sometimes going to get in the way of training. Try not to stress. Your families are truly something to be thankful for this week. Don't worry if you don't get a swim in while you are traveling. Just do your best to do something every day. Even a 20 minute run will maintain your fitness. Don't despair if you only have time for a 20 minute run. Get out there, warm up for 5, run hard for 15, get showered and you maintained your fitness during a hectic week.

 

 Relax. Be thankful for your health and your ability to go after your racing goals. We are the lucky ones!
 

Chris

Off Season Pondering

The off season can be a welcome break from the rigid structure of the competitive season.  Some athletes are very good at relaxing and regenerating.  Others find that they miss the day to day accomplishments of training and working toward goals.  "What should I do today?"  "Should I lose weight or is this the time for a little splurge?"  "Should I do any training?"  "What will happen if I don't run for a week?" 

Or you might find yourself out on a late season bike ride on a beautiful day and wonder why you are riding?  This happened to me last week.  I hadn't ridden simply for pleasure for months.  With a spring and fall Ironman this past year, my purpose filled bike rides started in January.  It was odd to be out there on my tri bike when I didn't need to be. 

And this is exactly why we need an off season.  It is time to rediscover who we are without an upcoming race.  It is time to recconnect with families and clean the garage.  It is time to heal that injury (my darn S-I joint for example) that has been niggling at us for months.  But most of all, we need this to rediscover the joy that we had when we rode that first long ride out on country roads, or that fun in-town running loop that passes by the restaurants or the ski trails this winter.  Go out for dinner, stay out late, read a book, don't run for a week.  Release yourself for a few precious weeks this fall, and you will be better off next year.