Rest week done and now it's time for some serious training!

Well, my rest week has come and gone and I feel good right now. It took me a while to recover from my first race of the year but that was to be expected. It felt good to relax a bit and get my mind and body fresh for what is to come.

I am launching into a tough block of training that will push me to my limits for sure. I know exactly what I need to do, I have a great plan in place and I am excited to see my progress...a perfect recipe for success in my opinion.

With my race and work schedule the way it is I am doing 3, 2-week build blocks seperated by a rest week. This is slightly different from years past but I think it will work well for me and will assure I build enough rest into my training, which is key at this stage.

I will start to include some mountain bike races to build my speed and pain tolerance and some tough group rides to build endurance and power. I have two key run sessions per week that are very specific to my races and will no doubt make me strong. I will start to add in some open water swimming b/c this is so important to faster race day splits....open water swimming is so different from pool swimming and, in my opinion, it is required. It is also a lot more fun to get a group out to a lake or the ocean for some quality work.

Over the years I have come to realize how important it is to be pacient and consistent with your training. It is so easy to flood your week with hard workouts b/c you think it will make you faster based on the "more is better" attitude. As athletes we all want instant gratification but "instant" is a bad word in my opinion b/c it leads to overtraining, burnout, and injury. It take years to become a solid, all-around athlete so I think it is important to be specific in your training. By specific I mean pick a few key sessions per week to really work and focus on, fill the rest of your week with recovery and build to harder workouts as the year progresses. Over time you will see steady progression and your love for the sport will remain. So, enjoy the ride because the road to success can often times be a long one and will no doubt be filled with some great adventures!
Alright, that's my thought for the day. Have a good sunday and happy training!