onemarathon said:In article <[email hidden]>, Dot
<dot.h@#att.net> wrote:
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:I know you like races more so than training and aren't racing right now for personal reasons. ...
you know me too well, Dot!
🙂 You're almost exactly opposite me so you're easy to remember.
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:Another thought, too, is do you periodize your training at all? or do you just try to do the same
stuff all the time? Periodizing based on weather may help.
i guess i've been guilty of NOT periodizing my training much. in winters past, i have done mostly
long runs, some hills, and tempo runs. perhaps a little fartlek when road conditions allow. in
other words, hmmm, yeah, i do about the same thing all the time. just minor variations.
Just a thought in general about what's worked for me, or at least seems to be, and is still evolving
as I learn more about me and how I respond to different kinds of training with respect to long-term
goals - might give you some ideas for other years when you're not focusing on swimming. Although
most periodization outlines go through rest, base, strength (hills), peak or sharpening stages (or
something like that), they don't really account for winter running, as in deep snow, ice, subzero F
temperatures consistently. Since I only do about 1 race a year for now, I don't worry too much about
the peak stage, but shuffle through the other 3 about every 3-8 wks with some interfingering of base
and strength, depending on an assortment of things that probably have meaning only to me.
Sharpening, if done at all, is usually something race specific for me - namely runs up longer hills
which I may not be able to do in winter. "Speed" comes from having the strength and endurance to run
the hills.
I view my "schedule" more as a conceptual guideline (but it is written down in a spreadsheet with
actual numbers) that I adjust to fit weather and work, rest-of-life crises but I do strive to meet
mini-goals (approx every month but keyed to something in my life, like 4-day weekends to play/run).
I'm still learning how to tweak things, but my schedule seems to work a little better each year -
and I have more fun and definitely am more challenged this way than using canned programs.
FWIW, I switch the trails I focus on for the different periods - steeper ones (summer) or snowshoe
running (winter) for strength; gentler ones for endurance, usually in winter. That allows me to
repeat some courses to notice any improvement within a few weeks period, but rotate every few months
to maintain freshness. Exploration runs can happen any time I've got a long run. Ditto for xc skiing
or snowshoeing if we have snow in winter (doesn't count as running, but does count for cardio and
fun). I workout with an indoor cross-training group Sat am part of the winter (=LT work) - also good
for learning new drills like plyometrics, plus meeting other runners. I allow time for fun runs
(usually long runs as exploration) in my schedule, otherwise I start feeling caged and stale, and
try to allow lots of time for things to go wrong (inspired by the *many* posts here of "I missed a
long run, what do I do now"😉.
Those fixed schedules that come in books with pictures of people in shorts and singlets just don't
work for me up here 😉 Anyway, this is how I periodize to roll with the flow of weather and work
commitments up here. I've learned that you can't fight mother nature so I just get along with her.
YMMV substantially, but hope it planted some seeds of thought 😉
For some different thoughts on periodization: pponline.co.uk0147b.htmOpen ↗
pponline.co.uk0800b.htmOpen ↗
Quoted message said:
the more i think about it, the more i think i need to move into swimming more. of the triathlon
disciplines, it's my weakest, and yet it's my favourite... if that makes any sense!
Sounds like a plan. Perhaps it's your weakest since it's your newest and hence the one that's most
exciting at the moment and you see the most gains 🙂 Enjoy!
Dot
--
"Success is different things to different people" -Bernd Heinrich in Racing the Antelope
