Siouxland Performance Training

07/01/2024

Yesterday I raced the Missoula Marathon, my first open marathon race since 2018. It's long been a top goal of mine to break 3 hrs. Considering the 15 hour drive the day before and the 2 week training plan, I couldn't have asked for much more.

10/22/2023

Last week I had the pleasure of being a pacer for the Des Moines Marathon (3:25). This was my 3rd time pacing this marathon, and 6th marathon as a pacer. I love using my fitness in the fall, after a long season of triathlon/Ironman training, to pace marathons and help athletes reach their goals. The race is a great chance for me to talk with runners from all around the United States and learn about them, their goals, their training, and help them work through the rollercoaster that is a marathon. I love my job as a coach and this is a way for me to extend that work to the actual race.

For the record, I hit my pace perfectly finishing with a 3:24:52 and a slight negative split overall.

08/03/2023

MANAGING FATIGUE AND OVERTRAINING

During a race recap call I had with one of the athletes I coach we talked about how well he raced given some setbacks that prevented him from training much at all 2 weeks leading up to the race. I was reminded of the adage "better to be 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained." So today I wanted to share some tips on how to avoid overtraining.
Managing fatigue and preventing overtraining are critical aspects of maintaining a healthy and effective training schedule. Here are some strategies to help you strike the right balance and avoid overtraining:
1. Periodization: Use a structured training plan that includes periodization, which involves alternating between periods of higher intensity and volume and periods of lower intensity and volume. This allows for adequate recovery and prevents chronic fatigue.
2. Rest days: Incorporate regular rest days into your training schedule. Rest days give your body time to recover and adapt to the training stress, reducing the risk of overtraining.
3. Listen to your body: Pay attention to signs of fatigue, such as persistent soreness, sleep disturbances, decreased motivation, or frequent illness. If you feel overly fatigued or notice performance decline, consider taking extra rest or lightening the training load.
4. Recovery weeks: Integrate recovery weeks into your training plan every 3-4 weeks, during which you reduce training volume and intensity to promote recovery and rejuvenation.
5. Sleep: Prioritize sleep as a crucial aspect of recovery. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to support physical and mental restoration.
6. Nutrition: Ensure you're consuming a balanced diet with sufficient calories to fuel your training demands. Adequate protein intake is essential for muscle recovery and repair. I love using some of the Momentous recovery powder.
7. Hydration: Stay well-hydrated throughout the day, as dehydration can exacerbate fatigue and impair performance.
8. Cross-training: Include cross-training activities in your schedule to vary the stress on your body. This can help reduce the risk of overuse injuries and prevent mental burnout.
9. Self-assessment: Keep a training journal to track your progress, fatigue levels, and any symptoms of overtraining. This self-assessment can help you make informed adjustments to your training plan.
10. Recovery strategies: Use active recovery techniques such as foam rolling, stretching, and light aerobic exercises on rest days to aid in recovery. Our friends from Hyperice make some great products to help with this!
11. Limit intense sessions: Be mindful of the number of high-intensity workouts per week. Too many intense sessions can lead to burnout and increase the risk of injury.
12. Stress management: Manage life stressors as they can add to the overall stress on your body. Engage in relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises.
13. Communicate with your coach: Maintain open communication with your coach about how you're feeling physically and mentally. A coach can adjust your training plan based on your feedback and observations.

Remember that rest and recovery are essential parts of the training process, and taking care of your body and mind is crucial for long-term success as an athlete. It's better to err on the side of caution and prioritize recovery than to push through fatigue and risk overtraining.

Have you ever had issues with overtraining? How do you manage it?

07/13/2023

Demystifying the Taper

As I near racing IM Lake Placid as my A race of the year (I think) and several of the athletes I coach find themselves toeing the line for an A race, I wanted to share some thoughts on the taper--probably the hardest piece of training.

Tapering, the art of reducing training load and allowing the body to recover before a race, is a crucial component of any triathlete's preparation. As the race day approaches, athletes often find themselves walking a fine line between maintaining fitness and avoiding burnout. Tapering provides the perfect balance by gradually decreasing training volume while maintaining intensity, allowing the body to rest and repair while maximizing performance potential. During this period, the body adapts to the training stimuli, and becomes stronger, leading to improved endurance, speed, and mental focus. Effective tapering strategies include reducing weekly mileage, emphasizing quality workouts, and incorporating active recovery activities such as swimming and light cycling. By implementing a well-planned tapering protocol, triathletes can optimize their performance and arrive on race day feeling fresh, energized, and ready to give their best.

Tapering is not a one-size-fits-all approach and requires careful consideration of individual needs and race distance. For shorter races, like sprint or Olympic distance triathlons, a taper of one to two weeks may be sufficient. However, for longer races such as half Ironman or Ironman events, a taper of two to three weeks or more may be necessary to allow for adequate recovery and adaptation. Some athletes (like myself) race better with a less aggressive taper.

It's important to remember that tapering is not an excuse to become sedentary. While reducing training volume, maintaining regular workouts at reduced intensity ensures that the body remains primed for competition.

Mental preparation is equally important during tapering, as athletes must manage any pre-race jitters or anxieties. Trusting in the taper process, staying focused on the end goal, and maintaining a positive mindset are essential elements of a successful tapering phase. By mastering the art of tapering, triathletes can unlock their full potential and achieve peak performance on race day.

Here is a look at my volume over the past 4 weeks and my planned volume for race week. My training was a bit modified due to some travel, and it follows more of a 10 day cycle, but this highlights it well. The volume 2 weeks out is high, but most of that was early in the week. 11 hours of training planned this week, although I will likely do a bit of extra swimming.

Let me know your thoughts or questions on the Taper!

03/05/2023

What a season. Capped off the Indoor season with a third place finish in the Nation.

11/25/2022

11/25/2022

Love this job.

11/25/2022

Always running season

11/21/2022

What a race!

10/14/2022

Do you train with music? Have you ever wondered why music seems to make your workouts more enjoyable? Numerous studies have shown that music can improve physical performance!

Head to https://www.peakathleticcoaching.com/post/why-does-music-make-training-easier to learn how you can use music to take your training to the next level!

07/02/2022

3 quick tips to running in the heat!

06/29/2022

Received an email from an athlete I coach--

"I got to say I’m really stoked with how things are going. This is the most volume I’ve ever done and while I get fatigued, I feel like I’m recovering well. The past couple of weeks were not ideal with the travel but we have a solid 5 weeks at home. Also I’m at my lowest weight in 30 years and figure I’ll drop another 7-10 pounds prior to the race. At my physical this morning, I was down a total of 40 pounds since December. Literally will be 50 years old and in the best shape of my life."