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Triathletes and the Festive Season
Well here we are at the end of another year, although still with Christmas and New Year to look forward to.This is the month that we as coaches often find difficult to programme. Many triathletes have work parties, family reunions and a more active social life at this time of year. Not to mention Christmas Day, Boxing Day , New Years Eve and New Years Day celebrations!
Primarily, the key point to remember is that your programme should be flexible – it is NOT set in stone but instead should be viewed as stepping stones, designed to get you to where you want to be in terms of your level of fitness and training.
I am reminded of the George Gershwin song “Summertime and the livin’ is easy“ well for us triathletes we should amend it to “Wintertime and the training is easy“ as the majority of our training should all be under 80% of maximum heart rate.
Stay aware though because at this time of the year, with all the nights out and festivities, there is a chance of the “off season jelly roll“. There is often a risk of putting on too much weight in the off season, as training gets cut back (through bad weather and less spare time etc.), so remain focussed on balancing your food and drink intake with your reduced calorie expenditure. We should all continue building and maintaining our endurance, strength and technique, as well as injury prevention, by doing core work, weights and gym work.
This is the time to pay back our support team and family for their contributions in the last race season and prepare your brownie points for next season too!
I know many of you will have put “go faster kit” and other such accessories on your wish list for Father Christmas, and will no doubt be unable to wait to try them out on Christmas day, before dinner and the inevitable post meal slump onto the sofa for the Queens speech and an array of unnecessary snacks! Some find the roads really quiet on the key days around Christmas which does provide a great opportunity for getting out. There are many special fun races and activities in clubs on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, so take the initiative to move training around this month to fit all your family and social events in.
However, if the weather does change over December please think twice about going out on your bike if there is a chance of ice and frost on the roads. When in doubt, don’t go out!
New for this month and in keeping with the Christmas spirit, I thought I would give you a present – a FREE session in Swim, Bike and Run.
How do I claim this present you ask? Well, the idea is that YOU decide what you are doing for this one session in swim, bike and run and how long it will be. Once you have made the decision then the FREE part comes into play… You are going to be free from all of your toys and aids and go back to basics! So, NO stop watches, iPhone apps, heart rate monitors, bike computers, pull buoys, swim fins, paddles, treadmills, Garmins etc. You may well have just received them as presents, which are taunting you from their shiny boxes, but on these three occasions leave them at home – please! Just rely on your sense of timing and paces with your RPE (rate of perceived exertion) and enjoy this FREEDOM! It’s such a rarity that we ever let go of all the technology and go back to basics. Just enjoy the run, enjoy the swim, enjoy the ride – take the time to focus on your surroundings, use it as valuable thinking time, the calm away from the festive madness.
On that note, let me take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I and all the other coaches at thetrilife.com look forward to working with you in 2014.
