Is More Always Better?

Well this is it, moving into my final 3 week building block before tapering for IM 70.3 Haines City Florida. I have to say I am getting pretty excited looking back at the last few months. At Christmas I was at the peak of off season laziness, sitting at about 10 lbs over weight with almost no motivation to train. With a little push from my aunt I signed up for 70.3 Florida shortly after the registration opened, and like gas to a fire my motivation came back. Literally the next day I was designing a building block for the next month.

I have been running a new program in this race preperation. Its the first time I have had an in-person coach. The last few programs I have followed have been online. I find having someone to communicate with on a daily basis to be extremely helpful.

In the past I have gone through training blocks and two things have happened; I end up hating training, and I over train myself to exterme . I have over trained myself many times from the old school ways of thinking. More hard work you do the better the results. I guess this is true but there is a key point missing from that statement. More "quality hard work"you do the better the results.

The first thing I noticed about this race prep was I was putting in the same amount of hours per week but I wasn't exhausted. I was enjoying the process. Which got me thinking, I have been doing triathlons the last three years with one goal, which is to Race Hard!! Racing hard is always good you always want to bring your best. But I have realized after reflecting on my past results its about racing to what your maximally capable of on that day. Do your best on that day. In my opinion what people for get about "there best" is that it is not an subjective definition. Your best is always changing it is subject to other events. For example your best 10k run after a full taper and prep will be much different from your best 10k after a 40hr work week. Or what about your best 10k coming off of a flu? In all three situations you are giving your best, but due to the other factors they will change your best. Yes OK you want to keep improving that's fine. But if we reflect back to enjoying the process that's where you make all your improvements. Its not on that one race day that you become a faster athlete. Its the all the weeks prior, in this block I have set PRs in training. Thats the way it should be consistant quality good work day in and day out. Enjoy the process.

D