There are numerous reasons why someone would choose to be more active. For some it is to lose some weight. Others may have friends who are into a sport like running and they’d like to give it a try. Whatever your reason for getting started, I want to talk about ways to keep at it and keep improving.

As a kid, I loved to run. For me, it was all about the competition. During gym class when we had to run outdoors, I would try to be the fastest. I didn’t often succeed, but I sure tried hard. This continued until high school where my circle of friends informed me that athletics weren’t very cool. If I wanted to be cool, I should smoke cigarettes and drive a cool car, so I did. I thought I was the Fonz or James Dean or something. I even had the black leather jacket. Once school was done and I entered the working world, I worked in the restaurant industry. Long hours, lots of cigarettes and now the addition of rich food and world-class wine. For a few years, I enjoyed what I thought was the good life.

It was during this time that I began to notice more of my friends and relatives developing heart disease, diabetes and a host of other ailments, many caused by “the good life”. It became very clear to me that if I didn’t change my lifestyle, I would be heading down this same path. So about fifteen years ago, I started making changes. I cut back on the rich food and alcohol. I stopped smoking. I started running.

Have I faithfully exercised every week since then? No. Have I eaten perfect meals every day? Of course not, but what I’ve managed to do through the advice of others and a lot of trial and error is gain a balanced lifestyle.

So what is a balanced lifestyle? Well it starts with a step in the right direction. You all have taken that step by signing up to train for a goal event. For that, you all deserve credit. What comes next is crucial in achieving balance.

It starts with something I call A.S.A.P. Appointments, Small Steps, Appreciation and People.

Appointments – Some people employ a personal trainer or coach, because they know the trainer is expecting them to show up on certain days at certain times. The trainer designs an appropriate program for them, but beyond that, they know someone is checking up on them. My wife, when she first began her running career, hired a personal trainer. She admits to being a naturally lazy person when it comes to exercise. So she hired a personal trainer and met with him twice a week. She knew he would expect her to be there and to have done her homework. In time, she was into a routine and didn’t feel she needed a trainer. She had developed new habits that she was able to stick with. You could accomplish a similar effect by promising to meet a friend or co-worker for a run on a certain day every week. They are expecting you and you are expecting them. That’s an appointment worth making.

Small steps – Once I tried abruptly switching to nothing but undressed chicken breast, unbuttered vegetables and brown rice. I wanted to eat perfect meals. It lasted about three days. Then I tried an approach that has actually worked. I took small steps with my diet. I printed a copy of the food guide for Canada. I started with eating a couple pieces of fruit a day. Once I was used to that, I increased a serving of something I should be eating and decreased something I shouldn’t be eating. I changed slowly over a few weeks. I allow myself occasional treats. I enjoy food and I try to eat well eighty percent of the time. I’m still making minor modifications all the time, but the bottom line is, I’m balancing my food lifestyle, not dieting. The same goes for how far and how fast you run. I lined up for my first Ironman triathlon in 2002 having trained appropriately and feeling ready for the distance. For those who don’t know, Ironman is a 4-kilometer swim, followed by a 180-kilometer bike and then a full marathon. I met someone before the race who had never done an Ironman. He hadn’t even done a triathlon before. He said he hadn’t trained all that much, but he was signed up and was going to “give it a shot”. I only hope he actually knew how to swim. He would be a good example of too large a leap. So remember, small steps.

Appreciation – Running is an enjoyable thing to do if you let yourself enjoy it. Several years ago, a friend of mine, worried that I was working too hard, told me I should “stop and smell the coffee”. I think she meant roses, but I actually like coffee too so what the heck. Her point is a good one. We live in a beautiful city with countless scenic running routes. Enjoy them all. Plan coffee shop runs with your friends where you end up at a café for a post-run treat. Stop in the middle of a run to look at the scenery. We always seem to stop only when we are near a bathroom. Next time, stop in the middle of the Lion’s Gate Bridge for two minutes (don’t do this in your car). It’s a gorgeous view. Appreciate it.

People – Surround yourself with people of like mind. Is there someone at work who also runs? Seek them out and maybe you two can run together. Socialize with people who are also athletes. Encourage your family to stay fit. Join a running club. Find out about what group runs your local running store offers. These are all ways to surround yourself with people who will encourage you and inspire you to stick with a healthy lifestyle. These same people will congratulate you and share in your joy as you accomplish all your fitness goals.

So live a balanced lifestyle. You need to do this ASAP.

When you decide you want to do something new or do something better, it often pays to consult with someone who specializes. If your kitchen sink is leaking, you call a plumber, unless you happen to be a competent do-it-yourself person. The same goes for triathlon. A competent coach has done some studying, keeps up to date on the latest knowledge-base and has the experience of seeing athletes and their responses to various training regimens and loads.

I know of several coaches who all meet the preceding criteria. So how do you choose YOUR coach?
1. Make sure you get along and communicate well with each other. Without that, the relationship will never work.
2. Ask about their training philosophy and methods. You don’t need every detail, but you need to know that your coach’s goals are in keeping with yours.
3. Ask other athletes who have been coached by that person to help get a feel for what the experience is like working with that coach.

Once you have a coach, believe in the plan they provide. Having said that, it is perfectly fine to ask questions so that you understand why you are doing certain things within your training plan. In fact, there are times when it is particularly important to know why you are doing a certain workout so that you focus on the correct things during that workout. With any concerns out of the way, you can trust that your coach’s plan will take you where you need to be. You can focus on doing without worrying about scheduling, whether you are doing the correct distance, duration, intensity, etc.

It is much easier to focus on the task of completing workouts if you don’t have to think too much about the planning and scheduling, especially if you are not the aforementioned do-it-yourself person.

A final caution, once you have chosen a coach (even if that coach is you):
Beware of the voices.

There are several different ways to achieve the same goal. As long as you choose one way and stick with it, you will be fine. The problem comes when you start getting advice from many different sources. This applies to all athletes, but especially those new to the sport. There are articles in magazines, articles on websites, blog posts, training forums and other people you know who are doing different things than you or have different training zones leading up to the same race. Things get muddy very quickly if you listen to all that (sometimes conflicting) advice. I often use the analogy of being in one area of a city and asking directions to another area. Ask five people and you will get five different routes. They will all get you there, but you want to choose one and follow start to finish. If you pick various parts of the five different sets of directions, you will more than likely get lost. The same goes for training for triathlon. Once you and your coach have a plan, stick to it. It is much easier to believe in one well conceived plan than to try to follow every piece of advice you hear, unless that advice fits in with your plan.

When you find the right coach and are able to focus on the task of training, it frees you to pursue new limits.

August 28th, 2011 was the 29th annual Ironman Canada in Penticton, BC.
Ironman is a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bike and a marathon (26.2 miles 42.195 km) run

This year, there were six Finish Line Coaching athletes racing. This year was a hot one, testing both experienced and first timers alike. There were so many great stories from race day. As a coach, I was so inspired and impressed with the determination of this group of athletes. I’m so proud of them all. I hope to post those stories and more pictures here with the athletes’ permission.

Here are the times:

Cam Mackay 11:10
Craig Johnson 14:21 (First Ironman)
Doug Giles 9:57
Erin Lee 13:39
Michelle LaPorte 16:31 (First Ironman)
Patrick Okens 11:08 (First Ironman)

Congratulations one and all!

August 29th, 2010 marked the 28th annual Ironman Canada in Penticton, BC.

This year, there were ten Finish Line Coaching athletes racing. Athletes battled wind and cold rain to successful finishes. For eight of the ten, this was their first time completing the Ironman distance, while the two repeat finishers had personal best days.

Two of them, Nicole and Richele also qualified for the Ironman World Championship in Kona. That race takes place October 9th, 2010.

Here are the times:

Nicole Akeroyd – 11:20 – First Ironman – Hawaii Qualified – 1st in Age Group
Gregg Ambrosi – 11:12 – First Ironman
Dale Anderson – 12:49 – First Ironman
Will Dugger – 12:51 – First Ironman
Richele Frank – 11:09 – First Ironman – Hawaii Qualified
Cameron Mackay – 11:16 – Personal Best
Chris Revell - 11:30 – First Ironman
Don Smith – 11:26 – Personal Best
Kris Steed – 12:16 – First Ironman
Stew Weepers – 11:48 – First Ironman

Congratulations on some stellar performances!

One of the most important aspects of periodization is the intensity at which each workout is executed. For improvement to occur more effectively, training intensity needs to be measured and controlled.

The easiest measure to use is Rate of Perceived Exertion, or RPE. which is how difficult the workout feels. Also easy to use is percent, although what the various percents mean is open to interpretation. I also use my own “Talk Index” defining how easy or difficult it would be to talk at a given output. Then there is heart rate, with ranges for individual training zones. Average pace is a good indicator once an athlete knows their pace range for various intensities. Finally, power can be used on the bike (maybe someday on the run and swim too) with a power meter.

Each of these methods yield results of varying accuracy since our perception of effort is not always perfect and our breathing and heart rate can be affected by other things besides exercise. Power is a very good standard since it is not affected by these factors. As mentioned, currently this is only available for cycling.

It is my recommendation that athletes use a multi-pronged approach in their training, using some or all of the above-mentioned measures. Some athletes relate better to RPE, while others love to watch their heart rate, etc. By following more indicators, an athlete can dial their training into the correct zone and also find the measures that work best for them as an individual.

The longer I work with an athlete, the more we fine tune these measures, one of the keys to that athlete reaching their potential.

Episode Two of the Finish Line Coaching Podcast.

Shaking Up Your Training, Swim Transition and more…

Show Links:
Erin Lee’s Tri N Reality
“Pet” Hummingbirds

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Finish Line Coaching is brought to you by Finishlinecoaching.com. Music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley. Check it out at ‘music.mevio.com’. The opening and closing theme is by Black Nite Crash and the Tip of the Day music is by Big Money Grip.

My approach to swim training is somewhat unique. I don’t come from a swim background. I come from a running and cycling background. As such, I have come to several conclusions with regard to swim training for triathlon.

The first is that not all Masters swim programs are created equally. Many are not geared toward a triathlete who is seeking to improve their front crawl. The programs of which I speak are those that give equal training to the other strokes such as back, breast and butterfly. I am in no way suggesting that these are bad programs. My concern is that a triathlete with limited time needs to concentrate on the stroke they will be using in races. There is certainly a benefit to learning other strokes and swim techniques to improve overall swim ability, but I recommend choosing a program that is geared heavily toward front crawl. In the Vancouver, BC area, fortunately there are some great options geared toward triathletes.

Technique is important in the swim, especially since water is more difficult to force yourself through with poor technique. Technique is also important in cycling and running, but is often less emphasized since air is more forgiving of our attempts to force ourselves through it (more on that in a future post). Since we hear these assertions on technique so often, it is tempting to swim drills at every swim session, while omitting or limiting continuous swims and interval sets. I believe in committing time to technique-only sessions and then applying those learned techniques in continuous swims and interval sets. This gives the mind some variety and a break from heavy thinking about swimming. Sometimes, an athlete deserves to “just swim” and feel the joy of being in the water.

This leads me to another point which is swimming interval sets. I will often schedule a session with warm up, cool down and a simple set of X number of sets of X reps with a prescribed rest in between. No drills, just warm up, swim strong, cool down. I find these sessions give the athlete more focus on the intensity because there are no drills in the session to think about. I make sure that the athlete includes drills in another session, but not during this one.

Continuous swims are as important as the long bike and the long run. You will be swimming continuously on race day, so practicing nonstop swimming make sense. This is especially true when the weather allows for group open water swimming.

The final consideration in swim training is how much time to commit to swimming in your overall plan. The swim portion of a triathlon is the smallest percentage of time of the three sports. For longer races, it represents 15% of the time spent racing. Should you swim 15% of your total training time? Probably not, but neither should you spend 50% of your time swimming (unless you have a lot of extra time). I recommend 20-25% of training time be dedicated to swimming, depending on the season. In the off-season I like to do some swimming focus weeks so the bike and run will drop in volume in favour of swimming.

In a nutshell, I believe a balanced approach to swimming with your overall triathlon goals in mind yields the best results in the water and on the bike and run.

We all strive to be happy and satisfied. Happy with our daily activities, happy with our health, satisfied with our efforts personally and professionally and as athletes, satisfied with our results. As athletes, there is much we can do to help ourselves to that happiness and satisfaction, by managing expectations.

First, there are the expectations others have of us. There are many demands that life brings us, some that we have no choice but to accept. These are the highest priority items such as getting the kids to school, paying the bills, getting to work on time. etc. However, there are also those expectations that others place on us that may or may not be high priorities. Some of us (we know who we are) always seem to say yes to added responsibility. It would benefit us all to make a list of our priorities and how much time they take. Then when someone asks us to do something for them, we know if we have the time and can learn to say no. In my mind, even if someone drops a responsibility on my lap without asking, I still reserve the right to say no. Often, I am happy to take on something extra, but I always have a choice and for me, that is important.

In athletics, you have those same choices and it isn’t like getting the workouts and racing done is separate from your other responsibilities. Add the workouts to the list and see how they fit into the scheme of your life. Maybe you can do more training…maybe you should do less. It may cause you to move your training to days it works better. It is about your overall expectations of yourself. If you want to train effectively, you need to be reasonable with yourself and the time you have available.

Race results are cruel. I have long thought they ought to have a comments section so you can tell the world a little about what may have affected how you finished. The truth is that you know what your priorities were in your training and what may have affected those outcomes and that is all that should matter. Easier said than done, I realize, but you will be a much more memorable athlete for balancing your priorities and having realistic expectations than you will for great race results alone. If you can achieve a balance and have both, fantastic! If not, it is still fantastic!

Set out to do the best you can with an honest effort. Expect no less and no more.

The maiden voyage of the Finish Line Coaching Podcast.

Mental Training, about Coach Calvin, Music and more…

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Finish Line Coaching is brought to you by Finishlinecoaching.com. Music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley. Check it out at ‘music.mevio.com’. The opening and closing theme is by Black Nite Crash and the Tip of the Day music is by Big Money Grip.

A subject that has been on my mind a lot lately is unplanned time off from training.

I have personally had a few injuries, illnesses and unplanned events, minor and major, that have interrupted my training and racing. Because I also coach quite a few people, I see that others have similar unplanned events that take them away from their sport.

This is my take on how to successfully get through a layoff and also how to adjust your viewpoint while you are at it. The steps for me are: Establish an action plan, find what you CAN do, pursue other interests, find perspective and appreciate what you DO have.

First and foremost, what can you do to make whatever is wrong better? Do you need physio, a doctor or other professional? Do not delay getting the professional help you need. Get an action plan in order as soon as you can. Of course, you may have no other plan besides waiting and seeing, but it still pays to consult experts.

Second, with the advice of the experts in mind, get to what you CAN do as quickly as possible. If you are fortunate, you may be able to continue with a modified training program. It is also possible that you will need to fill the usual training time with other things, which leads to my third point.

Take the time you wouldn’t otherwise have to pursue your other hobbies. Read or watch movies more, whatever you personally find rewarding.

Fourth, find perspective. It isn’t the end of the world! I have said many times that these things are not roadblocks, but rather speed bumps. Try to treat this time as an opportunity to broaden your horizons. Initially you may be quite angry and that is just fine. Wallowing for too long, however, isn’t going to help in the long run.

Finally, appreciate what this time off has given you. Do you truly miss your sport? You now have a keen awareness of just how much you love training and that’s a good thing. It is akin to a loved one being away for some people and as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I personally would not know how much I love triathlon were it not for the times I couldn’t do it. I also have a passion for many other things that i never want to lose touch with. I put my family first in all that I do. These priorities came to me most clearly when I was forced to stop the routine and think about why I do what I do.

You wouldn’t leave on a road trip without filling the gas tank in your car, would you? If a plane bound for your holiday destination neglected to fuel up before takeoff, the result would be even worse.

When you prepare for your workouts, filling the tank is just as important. Far too often, I hear of athletes “bonking” during workouts and I will be the first to admit that occasionally I have been guilty too. Even if you don’t get to the stage of feeling light-headed, you may still suffer diminished performance from starting out with less than adequate energy stores.

I recommend that you learn how to calculate the calories required for your planned workout ahead of time. There are several online calculators. Use one that takes your age, gender and weight into consideration. Several watches will also calculate caloric burn during a workout.

You also want to get to know your Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR, which is the number of calories you burn each day when not working out. Again, there are many online calculators for this. If you divide this by 24, you will have a ballpark figure for your hourly requirements, which is important in what I am discussing next.

For your workout, calculate the total caloric requirement and add it to your BMR. Subtract the hourly BMR calories based on the length of the workout. The reason for that is that during the workout you are exercising INSTEAD of resting. This becomes more important during sessions that last for several hours. Once you have added all this up, you know how many total calories you need that day.

Some calories will be consumed during the workout, but likely not as many as you are burning, so you would want to have those calories in your system prior to the workout. The practical considerations of this are that you may need to top up the day before an early workout. You may need to have an early light dinner before an evening workout.

The best type of extra calories for workouts are carbohydrates. Fat and Protein are too difficult to digest while exerting yourself. Your overall diet needs to be balanced and have a variety of fat, protein and carbohydrates, but for exercise fuel, carbohydrates are what you need.

Finally, my brief thoughts on fueling while on a weight loss plan. While it is understandable that you may be limiting caloric intake to shed a few pounds, you don’t want to over-limit that intake to the point of losing too much too quickly. Most experts recommend no more that 2 pounds of weight loss per week. Either way, high weight loss diets should be medically supervised. Within any restricted calorie diet, when you add calories is still very important. It is a good idea to completely top-up your fuel stores (no caloric deficit) before long workouts and also before high exertion workouts. If you need to limit intake, do so when light activity or rest are planned so you don’t “run out of gas.”

By starting each workout with a full tank of energy, you will get the most out of every training session.