May 18, 2021
Hi. My name is Chris and I am an endurance junkie.
If you have been with me for a while, you know I love the training days where I am out there ALL DAY LONG. During my gym days, back-to-back classes were my jam. Then, I’d throw on my running shoes or head to the yoga studio or pool.
I also am a firm believer that most athletes could benefit from taking an 80/20 approach to their training. We tend to fall in the middle too often. The slow easy stuff is not slow and easy enough to build a solid base and allow our bodies to recover so we can hit it hard for the remaining 20%. And as a result, we aren’t recovered enough…or in some cases simply don’t want to get out of our comfort zone to train hard enough in our shorter, more challenging sessions. But that’s a topic for another day!
So before you talk yourself out of the hill climbs or Yasso 800s, remember that to improve you need to push the bar.
Athletes have three main ways to make training more challenging.
1. Increase distance. (YES! Speaking my language! Going for a run! See you in 3 hours!)
2. Increase frequency. This can be swimming 3 days a week instead of 2. It can also mean appropriate double workouts in one day. (Again…one of my favs!) If you are new to doing two training sessions in one day, check out last week’s BLOG where I gave some tips!)
3. Increase INTENSITY. Magic never happens within our comfort zone. Albert Einstein said, “A ship is always safe at the shore, but that’s not what it is built for”.
This is where we shortchange ourselves as athletes looking for improvement. This is the one that most closely resembles work. And since this is something we ENJOY doing….why turn it into work?
There is MAGIC in the short training session!
Because for short intervals, increasing intensity, you can get tons stronger and more resilient! What does this mean? You will be able to train longer at an endurance pace. And a races pass people that slow WAAAAY down!
Now, I fully admit, if left to my own devices, I will procrastinate on my shorter workouts. And then be cranky when I need to squeeze it in at the end of the day. So look at it this way. Short workouts mean you have time for other things in life. Housework, family time, etc…I know…I will choose a 2 hour long run over folding laundry any day. And while the cats love to take an afternoon nap on the clean laundry, it can get out of control quickly!
Truth be told…I am a long-distance athlete because the shorter the distance, the faster I need to move, and the harder I have to work. There’s that word again…WORK. Spending all day at a more leisurely pace is way more fun!
So here is a mental game I play:
47 Minute Run.
10-minute warm-up…EASY
6x 90-second hill repeats (WORK) with 3 min recoveries (EASY)
10-minute cooldown EASY
Do the math. That is 9 Minutes of actually digging deep and getting out of your comfort zone work.
If I can run for 3 hours, I can handle 9 minutes of work. Especially in 90-second chunks.
See what I’m saying?
So while they may not be necessarily FUN…use some of your shorter sessions to push the pace, your watts, your swim stroke, or even lifting a heavier weight. Your body will thank you long term.
Need help putting it all together? Send me a message! I offer FREE 15 MINUTE Discovery Calls for athletes who are considering a coach. And when you make a big investment, it’s important to do your homework and shop around so you know the fit is right! I can’t be the solution in 15 minutes, but we can chat and see if I can help you reach your goals!
Leave a Reply