COACH AL CLINICS Visit site for all listings, info & registration.
FREE - TUESDAY NIGHT TRIATHLON "CHALK TALKS" on how to swim, bike, run, and eat
better! Beginning in January.at the Mystic YMCA for 4 weeks, 6 to 7pm. DETAILS HERE!
********
The Active Travel Company for Runners
********
Recommended by
Coach Al, "... by far the best..." FIND OUT WHY>>
EXCLUSIVE LIMITED OFFER TO Only 5 ATHLETES at a time. Visit HERE for details.
VISIT
COACH-AL
FOR LOTS MORE! Let us know your comments! Check out our
PRODUCTS Page.
From the Desk of Coach Al Lyman
Greetings
fellow endurance athletes and friends! Welcome to another issue of the
Scoop. I trust that as you read this, you are training smart and looking forward to a great holiday season filled with good food, family, friends, and planning for a great 2009!
This issue of the Scoop marks a slight change from our normal routine. I’ve asked two colleagues, Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter, PhD, and Sage Rountree, PhD, to contribute articles to this issue. Both have done a superb job, offering some valuable content that comes directly from their vast experience and expertise. I hope you enjoy their articles!
Also, I will have had the opportunity to present two clinics at the Fleet-Feet Running store in West Hartford, CT., by the time you are reading this. This is without question, my favorite running store anywhere, period bar none. If you live in CT or in the northeast and are in need of expert advice regarding running shoes, or are in need of any running gear, I highly encourage you to visit the store and owner Stephanie Blozy and her entire staff. You won’t be disappointed, trust me!
While I generally dislike the cold weather, I have to say that I love this time of year for the sense of HOPE and RENEWAL that is at the heart of the season. Whether you are religious or not, its hard not to feel a sense of hope as the birthday of the Christ child gets ever closer, and the new year beckons. I hope the article I’ve included below on planning for a great 2009 season, is helpful for you, AND inspires you to sit down right now, create some reachable yet challenging goals for yourself. Do it, and then plan to get to work to make it happen!
As always, THANK YOU for receiving the Scoop and for allowing me and the entire Pursuit Fitness family the opportunity to play a small role in your success!!
All the best,
Al
A NEW YEAR:
PLAN TO WORK, AND WORK YOUR PLAN!
"It takes great courage to faithfully follow what we know to be true." - Sara E. Anderson
"Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become."
- Barbara Geraci
"Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it's holy ground.
There is no greater investment." - Stephen Covey
Sometimes in a chat or discussion with an athlete or friend, I’m asked how I have been able to keep my zest and motivation to train, experiment with new training ideas and test myself on the race course, even after so many years and with a body that is more than a little beat up.
I think the answer lies first (from a more practical viewpoint) in the very specific and NEW racing goals that I am continually setting for myself. After all, without any direction, we are truly like a sailboat without a rudder, being blown around on a windy ocean and going nowhere...
Since I am on the topic, YOU DO have some racing goals and dreams that you are setting for yourself right now, don’t you? Long and short term?
What is your DREAM race? You have one, don’t you?
For quite a few years, my daily training, reading, studying and practicing revolved around learning how to swim better in my quest—my DREAM—to qualify for the Hawaii Ironman. That’s no longer what drives me. As I sit here right now, THE race that drives me—my "bucket list" goal race if you will, is Badwater.
But, back to the point: the other primary yet less tangible reasons for why I do what I do are in
my SEARCH.
...for the reasons why I was put here -- my path of self discovery -- my ultimate purpose -- to see whether I have the “stuff” inside or not...
...to test myself and see the response...to never stop striving to learn more, reach higher, be better...AND GIVE MORE back...
...that’s my path toward the words and phrase that define my coaching mission and philosophy:
Personal Growth – Competition – Achievement (and Fulfillment)...
All of that being said, I know from experience that the month of December can be a difficult time of year if you are an endurance athlete in North America: the weather is turning colder, the races you're planning for next year seem far off, and it is easy to be complacent and give less than your best every day.
And as I always say, we are creatures of habit. Once we get OUT of the habit (focused training and smart practice), it is hard to get back into it!
How does one overcome the inevitable inner struggles to keep forging ahead?
PERSISTENCE: There is no easy way, and that is the point.
The simplest and best recommendation I can make is to take small, yet persistent action, starting now. Do it every day. Starting small makes it doable for nearly anyone.
In roughly five weeks, the calendar will turn over to a new year. You must ask yourself this: will you make 2009 different, bigger and better than 2008?
You and I both know that 2009 will be challenging on multiple levels. However, challenging times are all the more reason to believe in you and go for it.
I rise every day knowing that despite the challenges I may face, if I am
willing to plan, work hard, trust the process, revise the plan, and be persistent, I will have a full 52 weeks to achieve whatever I wish!
Heck, in 52 weeks we can transform anything, including our bodies and our minds. We can change relationships, our personality, and our bank account. We can change careers in 52 weeks, we can marry the person of our dreams, or we might even qualify for Hawaii or sail around the world.
The question is what do you want to do with all of the possibilities that exist for you? What action will you take on a
daily basisto make it happen? No matter what, you will have to persist!
You'll have to be willing to make mistakes, sometimes taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back. You'll have to make decisions when it will seem impossible to make the right one, and you’ll even have do things that at that very moment you may not want to do!
You will have to be willing to take risks, start over, be scared, and also celebrate many small victories along the way. Through it all, you will have to "keep on keeping on".
Will it be easy? Heck no! If life has taught us anything, it is that the path toward any goal or dream worth achieving won’t be an easy one.
The hardest part, especially now, is to keep the faith, trust the process and take daily baby steps that will take you where you want to go.
PLAN TO WORK, AND WORK YOUR PLAN From a planning standpoint, I enjoy this time of year more than any other. I love laying out annual training plans, talking to athletes about their goals and devising strategies to make it happen! It is one of my most favorite parts of coaching...
Planning is necessary, but that’s the easy part. The hard part is taking action every day...
You know that successful people are patient, persistent and work very, very hard. They have clear goals. They plan well and use efficient strategies. If things are not working, they step back, reassess and try another way. Always, they "keep on keeping on".
Let me know what drives you, and let's work together to make it happen for you in 2009.
Personally, I WILL MAKE IT TO BADWATER one day. Along with that, I will figure out a way to ensure I use that achievement to give back to others...
As for you, the first step is up to you. I hope I have let you know how much I care and want to help. Make it happen.
Be GREAT! All the best of luck! -Al
Runner-Core Tip Coach Al Lyman
My Runner-CORE tip this week will show you how to integrate some BASIC Plyometrics into your running program, so that you can take your improved functional strength from Runner-CORE and turn it into running power!
Listen to my instructions carefully, and be sure to start conservatively and don't over do it! Too much of a good thing is not a good thing!
Train smart, keep it fun, be great! - Coach Al
The Triathlon of Life: Cycling with PowerJeff "Koz" Kozlowski
The Power of Power - Part II Let’s talk about the power of power, or more specifically, the benefits of training and racing with a power meter. I know that some of you are currently using power, but for the vast majority, power is considered an expensive toy rather than a means to an end. Sure, you could drop some money on a spiffy set of racing wheels and cut some time of your 20k TT or the bike portion of your next triathlon, but in my opinion, that money would be better spent on purchasing a power meter for training. Don’t believe me? Well then read this second article in a series designed to highlight the benefits of training and racing with power.
To begin this discussion, I will provide a scenario to get you thinking. As part of your season, your schedule includes a weekly 10k TT loop on a rolling course. The first time you test yourself on the course, you finish in 17:30 averaging 21.2 mph at an average HR of 168 bpm. Now you have a baseline. The second time you race the course, you finish in 18:00, averaging 20.6 mph at an average HR of 170. Given these variables, what information can you glean from these two efforts over the same course? In terms of time, the first one was the FASTER effort, but which one was the STRONGER effort? Of course there are many variables at play, such as; wind, weather, warm-up, mechanical resistance, tire pressure, fatigue, and impending illness to name a few. Sure, the second effort may have had more head wind causing the slower time at a higher HR. Or, maybe your tire pressure was lower causing more rolling resistance and a lower overall speed at a higher HR. Or, maybe you had done a hard ride the day before leaving your legs fatigued. Or, maybe you are on the verge of getting sick and your body could not generate the force it did in the first effort. Or…well, you get my point. And the point is that you really don’t know which one was a stronger effort. Was it the first TT with the faster time or the second TT with the higher HR? Where should your training go from here?
Now what if I told you that your average power for the first TT was 275 watts and the average power for your second TT was 285 watts? What information can we gain with this additional POWERFUL information? What we gain is a better understanding of the efforts. The fact that your power was 10 watts higher on the second effort for a marginally higher HR indicates that the second effort was, in fact, the stronger effort! The likely culprit for the slower time is additional resistance of some sort, whether it is wind, water on the road, or frictional mechanical resistance (from tires or chain).
Let’s quickly look at the other side of this coin. What if your average power on the second effort was only 265 watts? You had a lower power at a higher HR and this might be indicative of fatigue or impending illness. In this instance the overall time is really irrelevant to the whole issue. Maybe there was less wind resistance on the second day and if you had averaged 275 watts you would have gone 30 seconds faster. But alas, if you are not training and racing with power, you’ll never know. So, now that I’ve got you thinking practically about power, you’ll be ready for the next few articles which highlight the benefits of training with power.
With a background in competitive college swimming and rowing providing the foundation, Jeff Kozlowski began his triathlon career in 1999. His career in endurance athletics includes finishing Ironman Lake Placid 5 times with a personal best of 10:48 and more than a dozen half-Ironman events with a personal best of 4:44. A four time finisher of the Mt. Washington Bicycle Hill Climb, his personal best time of 1:14 was good enough to win the Clydesdale division in 2004. He has finished numerous marathons and holds a personal best time of 3:19. In 2008, Koz plans to take some time away from running and triathlon to focus purely on cycling.
Your Performing Edge: Top 10 TipsDr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter
Dr. Dahlkoetter shares her Top Ten Tips to help you reach your performance potential...
POSITIVE IMAGES: Use your mental images throughout your workout to create feelings of speed and power. (e.g., If you’re walking or running and you come to an unexpected hill visualize a magnet pulling you effortlessly to the top). Use visualization before, during and after your training to build confidence and new motivation.
POWER WORDS: Make positive self-statements continually. Negative thinking is common; everyone has an inner critic. Become aware of these thoughts early on. Don’t fight with them; simply acknowledge their presence, and then substitute positive power words. (e.g., When you’re thinking: “This hurts too much, I want to lie down and die”; say to yourself: “This feeling is connected with getting healthier and doing my absolute best”).
PRESENT FOCUS: Practice being in the present moment. Remind yourself to stay in the here and now. Let past and future events fade into the background.
ADVANTAGE: Use everything in the workout to your advantage. For example, if another person passes you, tuck in behind and go with his or her energy for as long as possible. You may catch a “second wind” and be carried on to a personal record.
CHUNKING-GOALS: Focus on your immediate target. Break your training goals down into small, manageable pieces and begin to focus only on the first portion, not the entire workout (e.g., Say to yourself: “I’m just relaxing and getting my rhythm during the first mile, or the first workout session”).
BODY SCAN: Pay close attention to your tension level and training form. Do a body scan while working out and relax your tight muscles frequently. Ask yourself: “Are my shoulders and neck relaxed; how does this pace feel; how much energy is left in my legs?”
PAIN AS EFFORT: If you have “good pain” that is not seriously damaging your body, just shift attention to your breathing or cadence of movement, and let the discomfort fade into the background. You can also use the pain as feedback. Register it not as pain but as effort level. Say: “Now I know exactly how hard I’m working. I know how this pace feels. My body is doing what it should be doing.”
DETACH FROM OUTCOME: Look only at what you need to do right now (e.g., pace, breathing, concentration); your final time, place, or score will take care of itself.
FOCUSED ATTENTION: Be aware of distractions. Breathe out unwanted thoughts with your next exhale and re-focus your attention instantly on what is important.
CELEBRATION: Enjoy and appreciate your fitness and strength. When you exercise, relax and let your body do what you’ve trained it to do. Remember that your goals are realistic. All you need to do is perform up to your capabilities.
Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter, best-selling author of YOUR PERFORMING EDGE™, is a STANFORD Performance Consultant, sports psychologist to OLYMPIC Gold Medalists and CEOs, winner of the San Francisco Marathon and 2nd in the World Championship Hawaii Ironman Triathlon. She is an internationally recognized Keynote Speaker, columnist, and TV expert commentator.
Dr. JoAnn provides corporate training and personal coaching programs for sports, business, wellness, and reaching your potential in life. Email: info@sports-psych.com or call 650-654-5500.
Yoga for Endurance
Athletes: Strength-Flexibility-Focus
Endurance sports and yoga both take us to an intense edge where we can learn what we’re made of. Along the way, we have to develop the most efficient form we can. Here’s where yoga is of special benefit to athletes. In practicing yoga poses, you’ll learn how to direct your energy in the most economical way possible. You’ll also learn how to use your breath to keep you comfortable as you push the edge of intensity. Yoga will improve your mental focus, allow you full access to your VO2 max, and enhance your strength, flexibility, and balance.
In The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga: An Integrated Approach to Strength, Flexibility, and Focus, I explain how you can use yoga to complement your training, whether you’re looking for a class to build strength in the off-season, for poses you can tack on after a run to keep your hamstrings loose, or for an introduction to meditation for focus during your races. The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga: A Personalized Practice (DVD) contains routines to practice during your base, build, and peak periods, and it also allows you to customize your practice depending on your needs. My website, sagerountree.com, offers free podcasts of short yoga routines designed for practice right after a workout.
Many of my students come to yoga complaining of problems with pain in their hips and knees. After a few sessions, these athletes notice a difference. That’s because yoga addresses the root of the issue—and so does Runner-CORE—by building core strength, increasing range of motion and elasticity around the hips, and working in multiplanar exercises to balance the constant forward motion of endurance sports. The bonus stretches on Runner-CORE derive from yoga, and they will let you see the benefit of releasing the tightness around the hips. Increasing hip flexibility affects the whole kinetic chain, relieving the stress of overuse tension and injuries.
Try including these exercises for core strength and hip flexibility—whether you practice from Al’s DVD, from mine, or in person with an experienced teacher who can give you tips on alignment—and you’ll soon be on your way to running, cycling, and swimming with less pain, less injury, more efficiency, and more joy. To get you started, here’s a pose that is very effective for opening the hips:
This balancing high lunge with twist is great for opening the hips, strengthening the core, and building balance. If the full pose is too tough right now, modify by dropping your back knee to the ground, and by putting one hand on the ground and the other on your knee as you twist toward your leg. You'll get a stretch in the hip flexors and quad of the back leg and in the glutes and hamstring of the front leg. At the same time, you'll work around your spine, stretch your chest, and get a sense of where your body is in space. This pose can be practiced repeatedly (hold one or two breaths each time) as part of your dynamic warmup, or can be held longer (hold five to ten breaths per side) as part of a post-workout stretching routine.
Sage Rountree, author, The Athlete's Guide to Yoga -- also available in DVD; Runner's World columnist and advisory
board member; USAT expert coach
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and prosperous new year!
Save 43% on Runner-CORE and your choice of training plans!
ATTENTION RUNNER-CORE CUSTOMERS AND FANS!
Share the love & the solution! (plus the savings) with your runner & triathlete friends/family members and/or TREAT YOURSELF to THE SOLUTION -- improve performance, avoid injury and speed recovery.This product comes with BONUSES, 4 WEEK TRAINING PLAN, FREE SHIPPING, PLUS A MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!
So what are you waiting for?
DON'T PUT YOUR PERFORMANCE POTENTIAL ON HOLD!
Show the world you are serious about your sport and make the commitment with Runner-CORE!
This balancing high lunge with twist is great for opening the hips, strengthening the core, and building balance. If the full pose is too tough right now, modify by dropping your back knee to the ground, and by putting one hand on the ground and the other on your knee as you twist toward your leg. You'll get a stretch in the hip flexors and quad of the back leg and in the glutes and hamstring of the front leg. At the same time, you'll work around your spine, stretch your chest, and get a sense of where your body is in space. This pose can be practiced repeatedly (hold one or two breaths each time) as part of your dynamic warmup, or can be held longer (hold five to ten breaths per side) as part of a post-workout stretching routine.
