Practical training without racing
Trimarni
In my previous blog post, I discussed the struggles that many athletes and coaches are facing during this time of cancelled races.
Before I offer these tips, I want to remind you of a critical component of sport longevity and achieving athletic excellence.
I've been a competitive endurance athlete for the past 14 years. I've had my share of setbacks but I have never lost my love for training. I contribute this to one thing: maintaining joy for the process and letting the outcome take care of itself.
Many athletes experience burnout when preparing for an endurance event. The training journey rarely starts this way but when an athlete feels tremendous pressure on an outcome (race day success), the training becomes stressful, monotonous and tiresome. Although not every workout will be inherently enjoyable (improvements require hard work and stretching the comfort zone) and there are struggles in every athletic journey, maintaining joy for training is an important element of athletic development. When you experience a sense of pleasure and fun with training, you are more likely to experience an overall sense of satisfaction while staying motivated during the process.
During a time of cancelled races, athletes are no longer training with a specific date in mind. Unlike in years past, when training would keep athletes motivated to work towards achieving optimal performance on a specific date, athletes are training in a state of uncertainty. Athletes who only know how to train with outcome-oriented goals will certainly struggle when there is no endpoint to reach a performance milestone. However, for those who truly enjoy the process of athletic development, it's a lot easier to find joy in what you are doing. I feel this is why some athletes are able to maintain focus and motivation without a race in sight.
Even if you have joy for training, there will be struggles. For some athletes, this time has offered a period of soul-searching. Perhaps a break in structured training or stepping away from the sport is needed. We are living in a very stressful time and we are all on our own path of getting the most out of life.
Here are some of my suggestions to help you get the most out of your training during a time of no racing:
- Physically and mentally, you should not feel like you are training for a race. This style of training requires great dedication, focus and emotional energy. Now is not that time.
- Be flexible - life is unpredictable right now, be willing to adjust without guilt or worry.
- Go into workouts without expectations. No expectations = no disappointments.
- Have a mix of structured and soul-fulfilling workouts. Around 40-60% of your weekly training volume should come from purposeful and structured workouts where you are mentally engaged and are physically prepared to execute. The remainder of your workouts should have freedom and flexibility so that you don't feel like you are showing up to an actual "workout" every day of the week.
- Enjoy a change in your normal workout routine. You want to look back at this time of no races and feel as if you made the most of it.
- Give the little details extra attention. Whereas the nature of race season typically leaves you time-crunched, exhausted and cardio-obsessed, give more attention to proper nutrition, recovery, mobility, sleep and strength training.
- Dial back the volume. You don't need to be completing every long workout that you are used to completing at this time in the season.
- Bump up the intensity. With a solid aerobic base, tissue resilience and muscular strength, spice-up your workouts with a bit of intensity.
- Make the focus on maintaining your fitness. Once you have a race on the calendar, you can begin to progressively build your intensity and/or volume to prepare for the race.
- Keep your foundation strong. Don't neglect strength training.
- Gift yourself mini-breaks (up to seven days) from training structure. Without races, the monotony of training can lead to burnout and staleness with training. No need to be sedentary during the break but instead, spice up your routine with different activities.
- Set personal workout challenges. To keep you accountable and to keep a high level of motivation and focus, having a challenging training objective is critically important right now. Whether a virtual race, a specific race distance spread over a course of a week (or weekend) or a self-defined multi-day challenge, you can experience some of the same mental and physical aspects that you would experience at a race.
- Socialize. While keeping yourself safe and following CDC guidelines, connecting with others is very important for your mental health. Even if just once a week, looking forward to a workout with a training partner or small group can be a welcomed gift during this time of social isolation.
- Work on weaknesses. Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and do the stuff that you typically push aside (or neglect) when you have a race on the schedule.
- Work on your nutrition/diet, relationship with food and the body and sport nutrition. You don't need a race on the schedule to improve your dietary habits and fueling/hydration regime.
- Communicate with your coach. Be willing to be vulnerable, open and honest with your life, emotions and needs. You have a big role in the coaching relationship - don't let your coach be a dictator. You deserve to have a voice with your training routine.
- Do what you can. Have fun. Don't waste away your previous/current fitness. Keep setting goals. Make the most of this time of cancelled races - however that may look for you.
