There are many ways to train and many philosophical approaches to racing. However, since I have been coaching, I have noticed two main areas where athletes have a remarkable similarity in needs. These areas are race pacing and recovery. These two areas also happen to be where most of us are tempted to believe that "we are different".

A few situations that I have faced in my own athletic career...

Taking it out hard to "see what happens" - This is OK for the occasional C race and in some race simulation workouts, call it taking a calculated risk. However, when we are constantly "exploding" in our sessions or races, then perhaps we need to review our pace strategy. We all know that holding back is useful, but it is a very difficult skill to master (and that is what makes it so valuable). We tend to race the way we train, so it is important to build pace discipline in training. Watch elites train and race, pace discipline is typically one of the key differentiators.

Strong leg race pacing - most prevalent in strong swimmers and cyclists who smack the first half of the race and wonder why they fall apart on the run. This comes back to overall pacing. We've all heard people say, "I'm a weak runner so I have to smack the bike." These athletes are programming themselves for run difficulties. I believe that all athletes should build through their races and sessions - any time that is "lost" in the early stages is compensated by the mental lift of feeling strong towards the end of a session, TT or race.

Injury/Recovery extenders - I'm guilty here! Wanting to "limit the loss of fitness" or "try to save fitness" in an injury or end of season situation. This has always proven to be a false economy for me. Once I bite the bullet and give myself a deep rest, I am back in shape very quickly.

Why talk about these items in the off-season? Because now is the perfect time for us to learn these skills. Our TTs, early races and other tests give us the perfect opportunity to improve our pace and recovery discipline.

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Swim Update

I thought I would give you a brief run down on how my swimming is progressing. You'll remember from a month ago that I decided to place myself completely in the hands of my swim coach and trust his judgment. Well, I should have also added that I am doing a fair amount of self-regulating on the intensity and volume front. This is where we are at:

Two squad sessions per week, the sessions run 90-120 minutes. Monday is strength and endurance. Friday is strength, endurance and aerobic power.

We are doing quite a few TTs. The TTs are a mixture of distances (1000, 1500, and 2000) and intensities. Roly even had me do a 2K bilateral TT. The TTs give a range of swimming pace data and are quite useful for me. Roly, likes them because he can track our progress. He doesn't really "use" them, per se. However, he seems to have a very good "feel" for the exact pace for us to get a certain intensity. I suspect that he pays more attention than he lets on. He watches our splits very carefully to make sure that we don't explode.

I have to admit (like a lot of triathletes), I didn't like the TTs at first. I was worried that I would be "slow" and also concerned that they were "too hard". Roly really opened my eyes after the first TT. I asked him what he thought of my 23:31 time - his reply, "That's how fast you are today and we'll take it from there."

Then it dawned on me… there is no "right" answer to a TT. The purpose of a TT is for us to learn how to swim effectively over longer distances. Some of the short course athletes were a little concerned about the longer TTs. Roly's reply, "How can you race 1500m if you don't learn how to swim 1500m?"

He also makes us comfortable by letting us know that we don't have to PR every TT. Roly has us do bilateral TTs, 75% effort TTs as well as hard effort TTs. Even the hard effort TTs are only tough for the last 30% or so. In order to swim perfect splits, the first half is easy. Slowly, he is helping me to teach myself to control my pace in the water. I think this is a very valuable skill for all of us to learn and now I understand why swimmers like to TT and race so often. It is challenging and fun.

In addition to the squad sessions, I am doing two technique swims. The technique swims cover all four strokes, but generally have an emphasis on the long axis strokes (free and back). Roly is gradually teaching me fly. He is doing it by stealth, working the components of the stroke in while giving me plenty of rest. So, I am learning fly in pieces. Some of the tools we are using:

• A mono-fin for help with kick timing and core conditioning;
• Breaststroke with fly kick (two kicks per stroke cycle) to help with kick timing and learning "wave" mechanics; and
• Lots of front, side and back fly kick to help with kick timing and body awareness.

• Free segment - 4x100, free on 30s rest
• Back segment - 4x100, 50 fr / 50 bk on 30s rest
• Breast segment - 4x100, 25 fr / 25 bk / 50 br on 30s rest
• Fly segment - 4x100 IM on 45s rest

Since IMC, I have done a lot of b/l swimming. When I started, I used to flame out after about 250m. Now, I can swim a very long way b/l at a "cost" of only 1-2s per 100. This tells me that I have greatly improved my economy in the water. It has also enabled me to improve a number of weak spots with my offside swimming.

Roly uses key words throughout these sessions to help me learn the key areas where I need to focus. Some examples:

• Free- BOOM - snap the elbow in the catch
• Back - STRAIGHT THEN PINKY - helps me with a straight arm recovery then a proper entry
• Breast - SHOOT - kick timing as hand shoot forward
• Fly - SHORT AND SHARP - two kicks per cycle, quick kicks from the core

What's my point? My point is that we each need to be constantly looking for what is "right" for ourselves. Our gut instinct is often to work harder. I could have easily started swimming four squad sessions per week (and I would likely have a sore shoulder like some of the folks that are trying that!). My lane partners can't figure out why I keep getting faster, if I am only there twice a week. My secret is a dedication to technique and a keen set of ears.

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Mental Skills: Self-Definition

How do you define yourself? Are you a triathlete? A mother? A son? A partner in a large international firm? I've been giving a fair amount of thought to self-definition and talking with a few buddies on the subject (more than one, in case you think I am writing about you!).

I believe that a stable self-image is essential for elite performance in any field. I also believe that the strongest self-image is one that is defined independently of others. For me, the concept of independence is very important because it implies that our strength cannot be taken away by anyone or anything. I also believe that this type of self-definition makes it far easier for an athlete to engage in "task-based" racing (more about that topic in the future).

When we catch ourselves wishing to be first, to win, to beat Ms. XYZ - it is often worth asking ourselves "why". None of these goals will bring us enduring satisfaction. In fact, winning our age-group only means that nobody faster turned up!

I believe that true achievement lies in leading a life of honor where we are each seeking to perform our best in any given situation. Sometimes our best will get us to Kona and sometimes our best will result in a PR. The most rapid way to achieve superior results is to create a solid strategy and then revel in the joy of working towards our goals.

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Mental Skills: Awareness

Many of us are learning new skills this winter. Skills such as:

• How to swim better
• How to ride smoother
• How to run more economically
• How to perform more accurate core exercises
• How to strengthen our bodies through yoga instruction
• How to feed our bodies with more effective nutrition

In order to become a "master" of our new skills, we need to move through this period of conscious incompetence towards conscious competence. Always remember that the transition is both temporary and essential. By working through our apprenticeship, we will be able to make enduring changes to our skill base. During the transition, we should always remember to cut ourselves some slack.

In order to improve quickly, we need to know where to focus our attention. "Conscious incompetence" can help us spend our energies more effectively.

Please remember that quite often we are far more competent than we give ourselves credit for being. When I feel a little overwhelmed, I find that a few positive affirmations can be very useful. With enough drive, focus and patience we can become competent at just about anything. Our sport is filled with numerous examples.

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Self-Regulation

It's neat to watch different threads on the Internet. I saw an interesting one the other day when athletes were talking about their coaches burning them out. As my athletes know, I place their overall health at the top of my list - however, the thread on coaches causing burnout started me thinking and I wanted to make a few points:

View your coach as a doctor or lawyer - Coaches can only help you as far as you disclose the full facts to them - hiding illness, fatigue or injury serves no one. A good coach will never be disappointed to find out that his athletes are human!

View your coach as a mentor - My best athletes learn how to regulate themselves. In an ideal world, I should be able to teach my "method" so effectively that my athletes are able to eventually coach themselves. Fortunately, sports science is an evolving field so hopefully I won't make myself redundant for a while. By the way, this is a large part of why I share information so openly. Information is only valuable if shared.