Phase Two Training

I like the photo above – the orange color of the light reminds me of the warmth of the winter sun in California. There’s a feeling around Santa Cruz that represents much of what I’ve been searching for since leaving Hong Kong in 2000. The closest word to describe it is ‘peace’.

Post-Epic, I was fortunate to be able to spend a couple of days with Mark Allen. While we talked quite a bit about triathlon, I didn’t walk away with a bunch of notes about main sets and training sessions. A lack of notes is an unprecedented change! I do have to confess that I did make a few notes at our first meeting over breakfast. My brother commented that I must have been pretty fired up because I wasn't eating.

The single best thing about Mark’s method is its simplicity. Many people send me notes asking questions about the protocol. There is nothing more to tell you than what you read here.

Mark’s “coaching” me this season but a better description would be that he is guiding me. When I think about “coaching”, my mind seeks direction, instruction and certainty.

Tell me what to do to be great...
Tell me exactly how to do it...
Provide me with the answers to what I think I am seeking...

Real meaning and growth come from figuring out our own way, rather than following instructions.

As a guide, Mark’s provided me with the basics for Phase One. If you’ve read the articles on his website as well as my summary of the Fit Body, Fit Soul seminar then you’ll know as much as me about the protocol. Yes, it really is that simple. I may have more experience than you to apply the protocol but there isn’t anything more. He’s not holding anything back.

The simplicity would have been completely lost on me as a novice and (I suspect) that many athletes refuse to believe the powerful nature of harmonious simplicity.

I’ve often noticed a mutual tendency to create dependency between coaches & athletes. Naturally, it exists only in friends and associates!

The constant review of workouts, the fine-tuning, the periodization… as I learn more about myself, I see that most of this is wasted energy. I wonder how often we “discuss” to avoid facing the issues that are staring us in the face – issues that require us to change in order to progress. Even if we don't need to change (which I doubt)... I'd rather direct as much of "me" into the plan as possible.

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Have you managed to string together those 12 weeks of consistent moderate training that I spoke about in October?

What happened since I reminded you in December?

If you haven't managed it then there is still plenty of time -- after all, it is only the start of February. Keep trying!

Here's why...

There’s no point in progressing your training until you can string together a dozen weeks of consistency. The more you struggle with consistency, the more you’ll be tempted to rush your preparation and cut corners.

Performance flows more easily by establishing your cycle of success.

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January is the time for budgets and planning. During my 48-hour stint in Scotland, we talked a lot about our business' plans for the year. If you are interested in what I do other than triathlon, here's a link to an aspect of the company.

You may be surprised how many people don’t have a plan -- by simply writing down where you want to go, you will get a clear edge over nearly everyone. The power of simplicity!

Even those with a plan struggle to execute it. It’s the same for all of us and I’m no different than you. I read my plan to remind myself what I need to do. My moments of clarity can be pretty spread out -- so I need to write them down quickly and review them often.

Our ability to create, then observe, our patterns and habits greatly influences what we are able to achieve in our lives.

"To know others is intelligence, to know yourself is wisdom."

What I have benefited from is making a ton of mistakes and being exposed to experienced people that shared the lessons of their mistakes with me. These first few months with Mark have reminded me that our best advisors can be the ones that help us ask ourselves the right questions, rather than answering the endless noise created by our minds.

Take time to consider that point...

The best teacher is the one that helps us figure things out for ourselves.

I’ve written six page emails to which the best reply was a telephone call where we talked about the seasons and pacing across a year. Two weeks later, my head had dreamed up a whole range of new issues, which only had a vague connection to my previous ideas.

We can only see things in others that exist in ourselves. By not participating in the noise of my head, Mark helped me better see it.

Now I write my blog instead!

ha ha ha

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A little bit about focusing on what we need in triathlon. While in Santa Cruz, we spent an evening running through the logic of the eGrip on-line engine. I entered some pretty extreme values to see if I could “tilt” the server. No such luck, it kicked out a week that was very close to what I would have created for myself. It took me only a couple of minutes to fine-tune.

If you are looking for a cost effective “coach” then I’d recommend his site as well as a copy of my book, Going Long. The book has sold over 25,000 copies and that blows me away.

Once you have your simple plan, you may consider pulling the plug on all the chat forums and repeat, repeat, repeat to the best of your ability. Remove the distractions from execution. Make a habit of "doing".

It's not easy for me to stay away but I've been off forums since my own board was shut down last summer. I was running with a good friend this morning (Richmond Park, London with the deer -- very nice) and we were discussing the internet. He observed that there is a forum where you can ask a trained nutritionist any question you want and she'll reply for free. Hardly anyone posts! Rather than post to an expert, people end up asking perfect strangers for guidance (most of whom struggle with their nutrition but they are extremely generous with their experience).

We often think that boards are a meeting place for experts. Quite often, they turn into places were people come to reinforce their existing biases or self-image (particularly "poor me"). Watch for that -- you don't want those things in your head.

Keeping my head clear is why I'm very wary of television and any form of violence these days. I haven't watched a movie in a long while.

If you are seeking change in your life then look out for habits that become a time sink.

Beware of the enemies of action!

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So what about the title of this piece? Well, Phase Two of my season kicked off this week.

Summing up Phase One…
***14 weeks of base training (HR <= 148 bpm)
***Epic Camp (phew!)
***Two weeks mellow with high run frequency

I achieved most of what I wanted in Phase One. The area where I fell short was strength development. I suppose the best way to look at it is that I have plenty of upside in Phase Two. To give you an insight... 3x15 squats at 135lbs was tough this week. I will be working towards 3x12 at 185lbs. For reference, six years ago I ended my strength phase able to do 3x12 at 225lbs comfortably.

On the plus side, my aerobic fitness and stamina are strong for February. My benchmarks and training volume indicate that I'm in good shape. I don't want to be in great shape at this stage of the season.

My aerobic test has stalled (7:10/6:50/6:25/6:18/6:23/6:28 -- October to January) so it is time to kick off Phase Two and add in some tougher stuff.

Before you lace up your spikes... note that my approach was... 14 weeks of simple base training; a bike-oriented aerobic overload cycle; then rest.

I spent two months "stalled" and didn't rush to use intensity. It was more important to establish the depth of my aerobic platform than start the tough stuff. When you think that you are behind (and our minds always try that on) then it is tempting to constantly rush.

This is fundamental -- to absorb tough training, we need width and depth in our platform. Appropriate preparation is required to get the benefit from harder training.

Mark’s guidelines to me were pretty simple, “a couple times a week go as hard as you can -- finish the main set with your heart rate as close to max as possible”. You can read an article on his website that lays it out. Don’t bother sending me an email for more info, that article tells you more than I heard! In fact, you'd be silly not to read everything on his website -- he just might have something to teach us.

Of course, if you read his advice then you might be left in a position requiring change and we are often unable to change without the stimulus of a crisis.

In terms of the session structure, I have enough experience to create something that is reasonable but that didn't stop me from asking Molina then checking with Mark! What we came up with was a main set like 6x3 minutes fast on 90s rest – it’s what I did to kick off Day Eight at Epic.

I’ll use some variations but workout structure is not a constraint on performance.

What I target is:
***intensity (fast);
***rep duration (2-4 minutes);
***rest (about 50% of rep duration);
***cadence (92-94, bike & run); and
***form (best -- this is important).

I'll note power/pace when convenient but they are a result, not a target. I'm seeking a physiological response rather than a target performance. It's easy to get caught up in the data (personal limiter of mine). All of my breakthroughs have come when I removed my mind from what I was seeking to achieve. For my money, that is the crux of performance psychology.

I was a bit jet lagged on Thursday and did my first session in the dark around Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh. It was 5am and I was running with the aid of moonlight. If you know the climb then I started at the base of the steep side. Two uphill reps (rest was downhill walking) then four repeats along the top (3 upwind, 1 downwind). I started uphill to ensure a good HR response.

I couldn't see my heart rate monitor so I set it to beep at 170bpm. The set ended up 6x2:45 (fast) on 90s walking rest, probably 15 minutes over 170bpm. When I checked my data after the session, I saw that my max for the workout was 185bpm. That's the highest heart rate that I've generated since I started triathlon. High octane stuff -- I've felt the training stimulation for the last three days -- the physiological responses leave me feeling like I'm on happy-juice.

It will be interesting to see if the ability to generate high heart rates continues because the main difference between me and my "fast" pals is their ability to access higher power/pace by driving their heart rates higher than me. I'm efficient within my steady zone but the top guys can load me up by accessing their superior top ends.

In the past, I've chosen to carry background fatigue that limited my ability to elevate my heart rate. Those long term periods of being overreached were a conscious decision to develop my stamina and endurance. Even with the associated periods where I was overtrained, they were successful from a knowledge and performance viewpoint.

I'm seeking a deeper level of success this year.

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I've adjusted my race schedule (yet again).

Feb -- Snowman Stampede, 10-miler in Denver, hope I don't need crampons!
Mar -- Lake Havasu Olympic Distance Triathlon
Apr -- Desert Olympic Distance Triathlon
May -- Napa Half Ironman
June -- Prospect Lake Sprint Triathlon

July and August will be specific preparation for Ironman Canada. In the summer, I get enough action with my key sessions. My "best" training performance will likely be seen July 16th to August 5th. Thereafter, I build inwards for game day.

As Mark reminded me in Santa Cruz, through all the training, it is important to remember that there is a race coming. When Ironman Canada arrives I plan on being ready.

All my best from Bermuda,
gordo