This is my quarterly PSA (that's Public Service Announcement for those in Phoenix).
Do not succumb to Common Man Syndrome between now and Spring! Remember CMS is "An action or collection of thoughts and actions that lead to living a lazy and uninspired life."
That means do not eat the whole pint of Ben and Jerrys in one night when it used to take all week, okay two nights.
Its okay to cut back on training but don't amputate it. For those of us going to IMMOO or IMFL or doing all kinds of 1/2 IM's in 2006 as an 'A' race, keep your base in the winter. So many of you, of us, spent hundreds of hours this year going from Square One to a modicum of self-esteem in our triathlon ability. Why let it go to waste over winter?
Take a week off, take two weeks off even. Call it a vacation or balance or whatever. But to create and follow a short term plan of two or three months where training is de-evolved to two or three short workouts a week and no cycling of any kind is to just....to just give in to Common Man Syndrome.
This is an ugly disease people. I beseech you one and all. Winter is not the time to hibernate. Its the time to stoke the fire in your belly. Its the time to get better than all the other age-groupers who will hibernate. Every mile or meter you do over the competition will only get you more prepared for next year.
I promise you this. If you any of you loyal regular readers suffer from CMS and read my blog between now and March, you will also go into a deep depression. Because I am on fire. I have a pain in belly that is only taken away by LONG DISTANCE TRAINING. My goal is to increase my distance 15% a month until March. That equals a doubling of my training. Will you be able to hang with me then?
So if you pull it in until some arbitary B.S. date like New Years Day, I will be over 30% up in training from today. In January I will be swimming 5,000 meters a week, riding a 100 miles a week (and yeah it will be outside) and running 25 miles a week.
Will You? Or will you be comfortable complaining that your tri-shorts don't fit, that you can't find your pace again or that its harder to fit the training time in like you did last year?
No Alibi's. No Common Man Syndrome. This is a rallying cry for triathlete bloggers. Last season was hard for a lot of us, balance with family and work is critically important. Do the things that you deprived yourself of like going to sporting events that you aren't competing in, sleep in on Saturdays, eat that 'junk' food. But for God's sake, stoke the fire, build the motivation, keep the focus. Train like you mean it.
I'm running 17 miles this afternoon, any joiners?
Do not succumb to Common Man Syndrome between now and Spring! Remember CMS is "An action or collection of thoughts and actions that lead to living a lazy and uninspired life."
That means do not eat the whole pint of Ben and Jerrys in one night when it used to take all week, okay two nights.
Its okay to cut back on training but don't amputate it. For those of us going to IMMOO or IMFL or doing all kinds of 1/2 IM's in 2006 as an 'A' race, keep your base in the winter. So many of you, of us, spent hundreds of hours this year going from Square One to a modicum of self-esteem in our triathlon ability. Why let it go to waste over winter?
Take a week off, take two weeks off even. Call it a vacation or balance or whatever. But to create and follow a short term plan of two or three months where training is de-evolved to two or three short workouts a week and no cycling of any kind is to just....to just give in to Common Man Syndrome.
This is an ugly disease people. I beseech you one and all. Winter is not the time to hibernate. Its the time to stoke the fire in your belly. Its the time to get better than all the other age-groupers who will hibernate. Every mile or meter you do over the competition will only get you more prepared for next year.
I promise you this. If you any of you loyal regular readers suffer from CMS and read my blog between now and March, you will also go into a deep depression. Because I am on fire. I have a pain in belly that is only taken away by LONG DISTANCE TRAINING. My goal is to increase my distance 15% a month until March. That equals a doubling of my training. Will you be able to hang with me then?
So if you pull it in until some arbitary B.S. date like New Years Day, I will be over 30% up in training from today. In January I will be swimming 5,000 meters a week, riding a 100 miles a week (and yeah it will be outside) and running 25 miles a week.
Will You? Or will you be comfortable complaining that your tri-shorts don't fit, that you can't find your pace again or that its harder to fit the training time in like you did last year?
No Alibi's. No Common Man Syndrome. This is a rallying cry for triathlete bloggers. Last season was hard for a lot of us, balance with family and work is critically important. Do the things that you deprived yourself of like going to sporting events that you aren't competing in, sleep in on Saturdays, eat that 'junk' food. But for God's sake, stoke the fire, build the motivation, keep the focus. Train like you mean it.
I'm running 17 miles this afternoon, any joiners?
16 comments:
Woohoo! I'm going to be reading and relying on you for my motivation this winter. Especially on those days when it's -40 here! It'd better be some fire if it's going to keep me warm enough in that!
Now that's what I'm talkin' about... taking advantage of your one week moratorium on Lance bashing I'll point out that he always says "there's no off season".
Thanks for the PSA!
excellent post. I'm printing out and putting it on my refrigerator for some extra motivation.
Nice post. I like to tell myself that while I'm resting my competition is training. Now I've got proof. :)
Very nicely said. And I agree 100%. There is no "true" off-season. I might back it off just a bit, but I never stop. And every time I am out running in the rain and dark, or riding in the wind and cold...I'm pretty sure my competition isn't.
Woot! You are lighting some major fires, man!!!
Good post. I am with you on keeping it going through the winter. Just make sure took some light weeks there, and you will be the better for it.
So you are saying I should do the opposite of what my friends do? :)
I want to join u for a run but my right knee is giving me trouble. I look forward to this winter to go pound on the snow.
I'm totally with you on this one! The "off-season" is for people who DNF. My IMFL season starts on November 20th, when I'm back from vacation and I'm halfway recovered from the NY City Marathon. Maybe.
BRING it on. But 5000m swimming. COME ON! you outta be doing twice that!
(easy coming from me when I'm injured)
Great post!! I'll be re-reading it for motivation on the cold days.
I hope you submit this one to the carnival!
Alright Com, I'm in! IMAZ isn't that far away. This is the best part about tri-blogging, tapping into eachothers motivation. Keep it up Com!
alright zag, I give you that. I have 3 swim workouts a week right now. Two open water lake swims of 1.1 miles or 1800+ meters and one pool swim.
2x1800 is 3600 which leave 1400 for 5000 total. Lets move that to a minimum of 3000 for my pool swim putting me over 6500 meters, at least for the week.
As the lake temp goes up and we get more daylight for weekday swims as my team preps for April's IMAZ, I will doing 2.4 mile open swims twice a week plus the pool swims, putting me over 10,500 meters a week.
15% a month improvement zag, 15%. But thanks for the slap.
Great post. Great message and motivation.
I had CMS, now I am in recovery. My name is Bill, and I am a Common Man.
Great post, thanks!
I'm a beginner, and this is my first "off" season, but by the end of the year, I plan on doubling my longest run distance from 5 miles to 10. I'm at 7 now, with 6 weeks to go, so I know I'll do it.
Now, if I could just lose the CMS with respect to swimming, biking, and eating ;-)
CMS...too funny! I'm with you Commodore, I don't plan on complaining about ill-fitting tri clothing in 2006:D
Post a Comment