tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053030335037533161.post6106705781367371716..comments2024-02-05T03:05:30.896-06:00Comments on PowerMultisport: 2011 Mardi gras Marathon Lessons LearnedTri-Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09164926140098806417noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053030335037533161.post-2694736326871360172011-02-18T11:06:42.451-06:002011-02-18T11:06:42.451-06:00as you achieve, it becomes harder to achieve.
k...as you achieve, it becomes harder to achieve. <br /><br />keep in mind, you are still fairly new to the marathon distance. So much to figure out. I have run MANY, and I'm still a work in progress. Some of that is because I enjoy "mixing things up", but some is still trying to figure out exactly what works best. with each distance race, I figure a few things out. In the mean time, enjoy the journey to your next BEST race. <br /><br />peaking has been a major issue for me in the past. I'm getting closer to peak fitness at my goal race, but still don't think I've achieved 100% success with it yet. (my current experiment is more racing and less taper)Happy Feet 26.2https://www.blogger.com/profile/07319635538117315117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053030335037533161.post-89667807662435234782011-02-18T09:53:49.965-06:002011-02-18T09:53:49.965-06:00Matty-O -
I know that the body does not always d...Matty-O - <br /><br />I know that the body does not always do what you wnat it to - but ... Sometimes you just got to roll with it.<br /><br />Keith - <br /><br />I understand what you are saying and I agree 100%. The key to progress is consistency. And the key to consistency is doing just enough to achieve results. I wanted a big jump and it was just out of reach. I have pulled those down in the past. My biggest mistake was not altering the plan. <br /><br />First you have to have a plan. Second you must be willing to change the plan.<br /><br />Jon - <br /><br />I hear you on the peaking too soon. It was a fear. I may have peaked too soon last year as well. I need to evaluate exactly how long I need for a build and sharpening to lay down my best marathon. Using this year's Ole Man River as my peak would indicate 6 weeks which would include a build and some racing.<br /> <br />I appreciate your thoughts!<br /><br />Pretend this is real - <br /><br />Definitely a concern. However, that is why I dropped the volume. I went down to 3 runs a week - intervals, tempos and hard long runs. This is less than I ever run but I wanted to be fresh so that I would be able to achieve my paces on the runs. Most were successful but obviously the ultimate goal was not achieved. I also upped the swim and bike to cross train aka a FIRST plan.<br /><br />I'll bounce back bigger and stronger ready for the next test.Tri-Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09164926140098806417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053030335037533161.post-79459778675437208752011-02-18T09:41:40.617-06:002011-02-18T09:41:40.617-06:00Smart move to look back at your whole season for s...Smart move to look back at your whole season for some answers. One suggestion... were you, perhaps, not giving yourself enough time to recover in the high intensity phase? It sounds like you didn't have ANY runs at a comfortable pace during that time. Maybe with a run or two/week at a slower pace you would have been ok? I guess we'll never know, but this post is a great reminder to constantly evaluate what does and does not work for each of us.Pretend this is realhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08115394437330140236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053030335037533161.post-25547750906079834962011-02-18T09:26:56.594-06:002011-02-18T09:26:56.594-06:00Very interesting and thanks for the breakdown.
Do...Very interesting and thanks for the breakdown.<br /><br />Do you think maybe you peaked from this giant training schedule too early for this latest marathon? Based upon your racing results you can see the trend of how you "felt" and the results that came with it. Looks like to achieved that "almighty invincible" status and came tumbling down from there. I know I felt that 3 weeks earlier than my A+ race last season.Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03748250987644502052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053030335037533161.post-41602441869526620892011-02-18T08:37:08.291-06:002011-02-18T08:37:08.291-06:00Mentally construct a graph. Vertical axis is your ...Mentally construct a graph. Vertical axis is your overall fitness, your performance envelope as it were, the whole package, cardio, strength, agility, everything. The horizontal axis is time, probably measured in years.<br /><br />Now, starting from where ever you like, you start graphing things. The general shape will be a sloped line leading up and to the right, gradually flattening out and declining if you extend it long enough. One could, if you wished, plot each element of "fitness" but that's more detail than needed for this thought exercise.<br /><br />On that graph is a line that represents your body's absolute limits, and crossing it almost certainly means an injury or a bear is chasing you. Colour the area above that line red. <br /><br />Somewhere a bit below it is a line that represents where you start seriously risking injury. Colour the area between the lines orange.<br /><br />Of course, I realize that performance one day affects results the next day for good and bad, so there is some fuzz in those lines.<br /><br />Depending on your exact training philosophy and your good fortune in the genetic lottery, there is maximum steepness to those lines. That is, there is a physiological basis for how quickly your fitness can improve. Trying to push beyond that will lead to an injury.<br /><br />As I do each workout my goal is to stay solidly in the green, edging into orange briefly and rarely. Perhaps this limits how steep my fitness line is, but I keep firmly in mind that good too hard leads to that line dropping vertically, with a recovery period. One could argue if you ever get back up to the max fitness lines where you were. Certainly you've lost the time. Other people are more aggressive, and want to be in the orange all the time, edging toward the red. I hope they're being paid for it.<br /><br />Now we come to setting plans. Know thyself and all that. A plan, no matter how carefully constructed that has you in the red zone will injure you and is a bad plan. It doesn't matter how badly you want the result, or how much you paid your coach. We are up against bodily limitations here. Of course, the challenge is that we don't see a graph. And it changes from day to day; what's red one day might be orange the next, or vise versa. All we know is how our body feels. It doesn't know about numbers or graphs. People that don't listen will injure themselves. <br /><br />I admit that someone following my training might say I've backed off too soon, too often, and not achieved the maximum growth in my fitness levels. Maybe so. I'm also acutely aware of how long it takes to heal from injury. I'm also pretty pleased with how it's gone.<br /><br />So, this has been a long, roundabout way of saying, don't feel bad about how things went. When you're up against your limits, you run the risk of failure. Don't beat yourself up. Be glad it's a failure to achieve the plan, and not an injury failure. Learn from it and move on.Keithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09364395150014197905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053030335037533161.post-42526814278173354052011-02-18T07:49:33.036-06:002011-02-18T07:49:33.036-06:00just throwing this out there... Sometimes your bod...just throwing this out there... Sometimes your body does not listen to your mind.<br /><br />If you weren't 100% on that day (even you don't know what your body will do until you are actually racing) nothing you could have done for preparation would have gotten you your goal. I know running is mental... but there are days where you can do no wrong and its effortless, and there are days where you can do no right and its pointless. But most days fall somewhere between those.<br /><br />However, I do agree, higher volume, and keep your structured speed work. It will make your body more accustomed to that abuse.Matty Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13447270565189789394noreply@blogger.com