When most of us think about overcompensation, we tend to think about the body super-compensating following a BT workout. However, a number of my better coaches have taught me the benefits of overcompensation in training.

Here is how it works. When you want to change an element of your technique, go further than you want to change. The most common example...

We've all seen swimmers "carving Xs" up the pool. Their hand entry is well past their mid-line. In order for this swimmer to effectively change their stroke, they should have their hand entry "way wide". The new movement will feel ridiculously wide to the athlete but, in reality, it will probably be about right. Here is where one-on-one and/or video feedback can be extremely useful. The overcompensation is moving the hand farther out then the athlete thinks is necessary. By overcompensating, you start the "re-wiring" of your nerves and muscles.

You can apply this principle to any aspect of your technique that you want to improve:

• Quicker hand entry;
• Less kick (forcing better body position);

• Higher cadence -- to improve efficiency
• Shorter stride -- to reduce overstriding
• Silent running -- to reduce foot drag
• No movement riding -- to reduce bobbing in the saddle

Try it, it works for me.

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Racing Forwards

We are all well into our seasons. We are racing old rivals and discovering new ones. There seems to be a common thread running through a lot of the post-race discussions I have been having, and I wanted to remind you (and myself!) of something that I believe is essential for long distance triathlon.

The energy that we spend thinking about our rivals would be better spent on staying aero, checking our HR, eating, drinking -- basically anything! I have a hard enough time controlling my own race and when I start thinking about others, that's a sign that I have lost focus. What I like to do is acknowledge the thought. I might say to myself, "Leave it, you are having a great day" or "Leave it, you are doing your best". As much as possible, I like to race forwards.

Negative thoughts arrive in everyone's head and I've yet to meet any athlete that doesn't get them. Know that they are normal and just "leave them". Practice this throughout your training, racing and living. You can beat them -- they are only thoughts and you control your mind!

The same thing applies post-race. Do your best to leave the "what if's" behind. I've seen lots of athletes smiling at the finish and bumming 36 hours later.

I think there may be a physiological factor here as I am pretty sure that endurance racing messes with our body chemistry. Expect to feel a little flat after the race. You'll come right in a few days. This seems to be most pronounced our first few times over a distance. It's not just IM racing where I have experienced this effect.

If you are like me then you like to study race results. By all means, study the results, but do so to learn how to make yourself stronger. Define yourself based on others and you'll never be happy. My goal is always incremental progress. Certainly think about ways that can speed your progress, but always bear in mind that you are recreational athlete and doing this for fun! A long, healthy and happy athletic career should be your goal. If not, then you need a different coach (ha-ha!).

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Interpreting Advice

I give a lot of advice to folks. It is scary how literally people can take me! For this reason, I do my best to encourage people to find what works for them.

Always remember, there is only one person that knows what is going on in your body -- YOU.

A couple of months ago, I wanted to improve my running. So I used my network to get ideas for how to improve my run split. The advice I received was all over the place (run every day, run hard all the time, run waaaaay long, run hard off the bike, short intervals, long intervals, you get the picture!). In the end, I sat down with all the tips, gave them some thought and went with what I thought would work for me. It was a mix of some very good advice.

We are like artists sculpting our bodies and minds for Ironman. Our mentors will do their best to advise us but, ultimately, we are each 100% responsible for ourselves.

Good luck at the rest of your races. Now is the time to spend that fitness you've built all year!