You get what you give, or do you?

I was reading a blog the other day about an athlete taking a different approach to training this year. He had the notion that in the past, performance/results didn't quite work out as planned. He theorized that he wasn't as focused in training leading up to the "A" race. He had the motto--Put the same thing in, get the same thing out. While pleased with past results, he wanted more this year.

This is so true in many different ways. Professionally, I preach this all the time. If you give me crap data and little information, I can only mold it into prettier crap. I can't develop an earth shaking policy initiative from nothing. Give me something to work with and I will make it shine.

Training is much of the same. If you half ass training, you will have half assed results. If you are shirking your bike, then your bike will likely suffer. If your training for a race is exactly how you train for every race then in theory, your results should be the same. It really isn't a difficult concept to grasp, despite the hundreds of athletes wondering why are they aren't getting better.

In the blog the athlete was taking a different approach to his "A" race. His race schedule was designed in a way to prevent injury and fatigue from racing long. He structured training to have a huge final build at the race venue to acclimate and know all the technicalities of the course. The end result? A worse race. Houston, we have a problem.

While there are a million of variables that go into executing a flawless race, one has to wonder if the training was wrong for him. Did he need to change his approach to achieve his goal of a podium finish? Those answers rest somewhere with the tri-gods.

After reading, I started thinking of my own season. I thought long and hard about how I approached this season. I trained harder and with more intensity. For the first part of the season, I was more focused than ever. I was training differently. But to what end? The obvious answer is to perform better. But that didn't happen.

I am left asking myself the same question as the blogger. In the previous three years of triathlon, I have gotten better with each passing year. This year, I undoubtedly got faster...but it seems that I didn't perform any better. I am still with that same pack of athletes.

Therefore, if my goal is to get better, how should I train? I do believe in eliminating the junk from training. Each session should have a purpose. And you should approach each session with the end result in mind. This year, I trained harder and more focused but maybe that backfired on me.

Maybe I didn't need to change my technique at all. Maybe like the blogger, I was over thinking it. I was trying to apply best practices to an athlete that doesn't respond in the same way as others. I don't know. But as I spend more time in the offseason reflecting and thinking about moving forward, this has to be near the top of my list.

Moving toward....something?

Things are beginning to look better in my world. So much in fact, that I some how managed to blog for the second time this month. In fact, I actually wanted to blog about a few other things lately. I take this as a good sign that I am turning the corner and beginning to re-engage in the sport.

I still don't have an offseason plan or any real goals. I still have't been to the pool in a few months. And quite honestly, I am loving it. I am still managing to train about 4 hours a week which sounds minuscule compared to the 12-15 that I am accustomed to. Instead, this is giving my body and mind some much needed rest.

One of the biggest changes that I experienced this season is that my body didn't recover properly. I used to bounce back pretty quickly. This year I found myself down for about a week after a sprint race. My half put me down for a couple of weeks. This didn't seem to jive with my previous experiences. So I want to take this build really slow. Right now, my back is extremely tight. Chiropractor and massage appointments haven't put a major dent into the issue.

On the other hand, the last few weeks have been good training wise. I retested my FTP and found significant gains. I retested my run LT and it bumped up. And this past weekend I did a four hour group ride with friends...my longest ride since Hawaii. I take all this grain of salt. I do, however, hope that it is a sign of positive movement.

Still Kicking It

Thanks for all the comments and emails, I really appreciate your support. I am trying hard to make a comeback on this blog. I really am. I have often said that if I can't commit to something 100% then it isn't worth my time and energy. I don't like to half-ass things. I do want to start blogging but mentally, I am not quite there yet....despite having tons of things to talk about.

The reality is that the last few months have been extremely difficult for me...probably the most challenging period of my life. I was forced to face some of life's biggest dilemmas and prepare to make life altering decisions. This coupled with having a sour season left me feeling down and not motivated to do much. I think I am turning the curve.

The offseason is here and despite not having a plan, I am still out there training. I competed in the Georgia Cup State Championship Time Trial. With the cooler weather, my running seems to be coming back. And just yesterday, I did another FTP test and saw positive returns. All of this is promising.

Most importantly, I needed a break from the sport...mentally and physically. I think I needed to get away from it all for a while and just enjoy the concept of running and cycling (NO swimming). This is providing my body and mind time to heal and recharge. I am still moving forward, make no doubts about it. There will be good news in the future....just not the immediate future. I don't need to put the pressure on myself right now.

Again, thanks for all the support and kind words. I plan to post a few more times over the next few weeks as I try to regain the blogging motivation.