Maxim 1 – Take Process over Perfection

Whereas special training interventions and the latest, greatest, special workout are cool, I find that a basic fixed weekly schedule creates the best conditions to ensure consistent training. Consistency, repeatability, and accumulated adaptations give the best results over time. Variation is for the weak-minded!

In creating a weekly schedule, decide up-front what are the non-negotiable commitments that you have outside of training. This includes work, family, and other distractions. When you have that list of non-negotiable limiters, create your plan. When the plan is created, do not allow any other “negotiable” limiters to impact your training! Stick to the plan – it’s no longer negotiable!

There are no specific rest days in my weekly schedule. Unless you are a full-time athlete, life circumstances generally dictate rest days as unplanned events that arise in real life. Also, if you are unusually tired then a rest day may be needed even if not planned and can be taken guilt-free. In this way I strive for consistency, with rest taken when needed, keeping balance with other life factors.

With a future race/event date in mind, work in 4 to 6-week blocks of specific training focus. Further out the focus is on building high-end fitness. The quality sessions here are a limited amount of short-interval speed work (one session a week and you don’t need too much of this stimulus) and long-interval controlled threshold work (max 30 mins controlled threshold per session and max 2x a week). The rest of the sessions can make up simple easy volume. As you get closer to the race the sessions are tailored to the needs of that event, for example, marathon pace sessions if you have a particular pace goal for a marathon, which then replace some of the other sessions.

Leading Dutch running coach Grete Koens doesn’t prescribe specific VO2 intervals. In her system, Mondays are very short sprints, and then later in the week, there are two long-interval controlled threshold sessions (plus lots of easy volume). One of her runners just broke the Dutch National record for the 10k!

Stimulus + Recovery = Adaptation. Only when you recover (right nutrition, sleep, naps, and a mix of easy sessions) will you improve. Monitor recovery more than you monitor your Strava and social media threads! 

Have the mindset that today’s session is important but the next session is the most important. Never do a training session that you won’t be fully recovered from in two days. Add easy days after hard days to ensure you recover. If you are not hitting the targets for your next hard session, you may need to dial back. Value accumulated weekly volume more than any single hero session that will impact your ability to recover and reduce the overall training volume.

At easy intensities (where you should spend most of the hours) it should feel “easy” – you should be able to talk, and even nose-breathe. At this point, the glycolytic system is not creating enough CO2 that the body is stressed to get rid of it. At the next level of intensity, “controlled threshold” long-intervals (5 to 15 min range) working in the range of 60 min pace to marathon race pace, it feels comfortably hard – CO2 build-up means that breathing becomes pronounced, but even when running at this effort level I can still manage 4 steps for each inhale and exhale. Moving up the intensity to a short interval (30 seconds to 2-minute range) it just feels hard (or for very short intervals, just fast!). For short intervals, you don’t need to go faster than 5k pace (95% of VO2 Max) to get the stimulus you are after, and 10k pace (90% of VO2 Max) works fine for most.  Add some real “sprint” work in the 15 to 20s range and you’ve hit all the intensities you need to train. 

I completely ignore pulse zones and the only time I use heart rate is as a secondary check-point for easy/recovery runs where I try to keep the pulse low <135 BPM. I rarely use a GPS watch to guide pace unless leading a paced run or I am doing specific pace sessions in the block before a target race. I might have an idea of what pace I’d like to hit but if it isn’t happening on a given day, I am more interested in running/swimming at that “effort” than beating myself up over a strict pace target.

This is somewhat a contradiction to the last principle. But if I trained on HR I’d go too hard, and if I trained on feel I’d go too slow. A smart trainer and a power-based structured training program is the best way I have found to set bike training intensity.

Every stroke counts and to keep a focused mindset of purposeful practice, you don’t need your watch’s opinion on every lap. Now and then add a timed (wall clock or a Finis Tempo Trainer beeper) Critical Swim Speed set of intervals to gauge your progress, that’s all you need.

Protein is more important immediately post-workout than carbohydrates unless you are going to train within four hours, in which case carbohydrate is recommended as well. Protein is needed to build and repair the muscle tissue that is undergoing constant breakdown from day-to-day training. For optimal recovery, take in 25 to 30 grams of protein within the first 30 minutes post–training. In terms of total daily protein intake look to be taking in a total of 1.4-1.8g/kg [0.63-0.82g/lb] body mass spread out during the day as meals and/or as supplements. 

Lift heavy weights at least once a week and a maximum of three times a week. Strong bodies can absorb more training stress. Strength training enhances mobility, promotes fat loss, improves joint health, and makes you look better in your Speedos!

Get an average of a minimum of 8 hours of sleep a night which means 8.5 to 9 hours in bed. Sleep is by far the most important way for you to recover and greatly helps your ability to absorb training (and other) stress.

Ingestion is one thing but training your gut to absorb high levels of carb intake may well be a necessary step if you’re looking to optimize your performance in long, sustained events. Note that the body can not oxidize more than 60g of glucose per hour, this is why most sport-specific gels/drinks have a glucose-to-fructose mix. I make my own mix with carbs and water. Maltodextrin (glucose) is fairly inexpensive when bought in large bags (<50kr per kilo). For 60g/hour mixes, I use it on its own with water. For 90g/hour mixes, I add fructose 2:1 and for 120g/hour mixes, I use a 5:4 ratio.

Make sure they are part of your hydration plan. The amount depends on your sweat rate and the conditions, so work it out before race day.

Caffeine exerts its ergogenic effect by binding to adenosine A1/A2 receptors and inhibiting the fatigue-inducing effects of adenosine in the brain. It is widely shown to decrease motor-related cortical potential and Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and yields performance benefits. If it isn’t part of your strategy it should be! Ingest 3 to 6 mg of caffeine per kg of body weight at the start-line… it takes about 60 minutes to kick in, by which time you’ll be glad of a boost.