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Okay i may get this so wrong, as i have never in my life blogged!!  but today is the start of test week for me!!  that's a first for me too!! but it is just on 12 weeks 5 days until Ironman Western Australia so i think it is about time i actually get serious about my training,, especially as my husband is doing his first and he is blowing me away with the easy he has slipped into the mode of athlete,,,, (they don't call him legend for nothing)  so off to swim now.........

The pillars of distance training

 

Well we seemed to have missed spring in Josi, going from a pretty cold winter to 29° in one day!

That means dust off the bike, extract the mouldy socks from your takkies and buy new swimming trunks because last season’s Speedo is soo out and anyway it probably shrunk in the cupboard in winter.

Time to actually start serious training, so here are the pillars or framework for all distance training, no matter the discipline.

Easy to remember, the three S’s:

Stamina

Strength

Speed

Strength is divided into two: - Physical Strength and Mental strength

You will need to train for each S individually in the correct proportions and progressions to avoid injury and to attain your goals.

Whist of course there are cross benefits, such that Stamina training for example will add to your Strength and so on, you really should not train for more than one S at any given session. It would be foolish to do 30k’s of hill repeats at speed in training. Get it? So, plan your training to emphasize one discipline for each session.

The objective is to get the balance of the three S’s right in training for your target race so that you have the Stamina; Strength and Speed needed to reach your goal. The art is to bring all the S’s to a peak at the right time. This is what coaches do.

The only time that you should concentrate on applying all S’s at the same time is throughout your target race!

 

Happy training

BigD

For the Gautengers, Sunday provides a pretty tough 21.1K in the Vodacom Country Challenge.

 

Tough because it is early in the season, it is likely to be windy, but most of all it has a serious hill at the beginning and an even tougher climb at the end, with a few minor ones in between!

 

So, here is some advice on RUNNING HILLS

 

 

• Get up on to your toes
• Shorten your stride
• Pump the arms aggressively, as good arm action on climbs contributes a great deal to speed and effort on hills
• When swinging your arms try and envisage a rope tied to your chest bone and connected to the top of the hill. Then pump your arms in such a way as if you were pulling yourself up hand over hand on the rope by “pulling” the rope in towards your chest. This mimics the sort of arm pumping action which works best.
• Keep your chin up. Imagine there is a tennis ball under your chin which may not be dropped. This keeps the chin up and your airways open, Do not drop you head and look at your feet, this will close your airways and make you look tired (even if you are tired never let the opposition know!). This will also prevent you from running into trees and things.
• Run over the crest of the hill, you can recover on the run down. A great deal of time is often wasted by stopping to catch your breath at the top. You will just as easily catch your breath jogging downhill and will save a whack of time.
• If you simply cannot run, then walk but never, ever stop on an uphill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the brain stuff:

·         Every hill has a summit

·         There is not a hill in the world that you cannot walk up. Some people even walk up Everest

·         Try and pass someone on each hill, even if they are crawling and you are stumbling along, pass them and draw their energy.

·         A mantra is always good. You may recall the children’s story of the “Little Red Engine” who refused to give up when pulling his coaches up the hills?

·          He would say to himself over and over again

o   I think I can

o   I’m sure I can

o   I know I can

o   I will

Try the mantra in time to your steps all the up the hill. It may sound stupid but it works

·         Do not regard hills as a pain or a struggle or an effort.

·         Make hills your friend by powering up them

 

TIME TO TURN THOUGHTS TO ACTION

Phew, luckily last weekend was only mental training; no-one in their right mind could have actually trained in Johannesburg last weekend. It was THAT cold and wet.
Was last week fruitful? Did you decide to be part of 2010? Do you have a goal in mind?
Your dream distance and time are not relevant at this point what matters is that you have decided to do something for yourself, so you really have to get those takkies (running shoes!) dusted off. For now the old ones will do, but check for wear and tear. If you can twist the soles or squeeze any part of the sole with your hands, time to go shopping, but not yet.
All we need this week is to convert your duvet thoughts to steps on the road.
When you are ready, and it is warm and safe, put those smelly old shoes on, dress comfortably and go walk around the block or around the local dam. Not far and not fast, the aim is to do this small walk three times between now and Monday next, with or without your dogs.
Take along some water and remember the sun block!
That’s all you need for now, just keep that objective in mind as the first step will lead to the next and next and next and next........................ Just take one at a time

BigD