Notes from Mark Allen Seminar and Dinner
From Luis’ introduction – Mark’s course record run in Kona includes T2.
The thoughts that run through out mind have a significant impact on our physical performance. Energy that is diverted to (any) thoughts is energy that could be used to power the body.
Why do people crawl at the end of races? Perhaps it is because they have built the finish line as a stop sign in their minds. We slow as we approach stop signs. Have a vision that the real finish line is a mile past the end. [I like to think that the race doesn’t end until I’ve drunk my recovery drink – move through the finish area – talk to friends and supporters after the drink/cool down]
Mark did his first IMH in 1982 when he was 24 years old. His goal was Top 100. This was done seven months after starting triathlon. It was his 4th triathlon ever. He followed Dave out of the swim and DNF’d due to a broken der.
Why keep returning to
In seeking to improve race performance there are two main areas one can review:
a) training protocol
b) what is it about me?
Far easier to change a training protocol than to change one’s self. [Perhaps that why people tend to love debates on nutritional and athletic protocols – we are all avoiding the far more challenging task of adjusting ourselves]
As for training protocols, he thinks that many athletes never give their chosen training protocol a chance to work. They are constantly changing based on the latest magazine article or what they have read. It takes at least a year to see if a training protocol is workout. Stick with your plan.
One change he made to his training protocol was the use of Big Day training – Swim 30 mins, Bike 7 hours, Run 30 mins in a single day.
As for himself – he was forced to face his fears:
a) fear of the wind
b) fear of the heat
c) and, most of all, fear of Dave Scott
Each of us will have items that we need to address within ourselves for breakthrough performance.
To achieve at the highest level, one must be totally committed to the task at hand, doing everything possible to achieve. However, when things become challenging, one must release the mind from the task and accept whatever happens. The Performance Paradox – to get past blockages the mind must release so that the body can performance. This needs to be practiced in training [in every aspect of daily life, I believe].
[This concept is frequently brought up in Zen and Shamanist writings – Quiet Mind, Quiet Power. Two training buddies of mine have asked me what I think about when I run 2:50-ish off the bike. I think about running, there is no real thought – the mind is quiet. This ‘skill/ability’ is something that I develop in training by constantly leaving thoughts, letting them simply float away as they arrive.]
So Mark rode with the strongest guys, in the heaviest winds. He ran on the hottest days. As for Dave, he spent a year focusing on his view of Dave. He realized that there was no way that Dave would give the race to him, make a mistake or fold. So he decided to simply follow Dave all day and see if he could hang on.
FYI – his energy intake on the bike was 5-700 cals per hour, similar to what Molina quotes.
I asked about how regular athletes can incorporate Big Day
Training. He said that in his experience
there are “shifts” at three, six and nine hours. So athletes should, whenever possible, train
over the shifts – example is that a 3.5 hour bike would be superior to a
When asked the typical question “should slow runners do mega
runs”… he replied that endurance should be trained on the bike. He said that his long runs were mainly 2-2:20
and that he’d run
He started weights at 32 when he saw that this climbing was deteriorating. He felt that it helped him hold his bike power as he grew older.
Frank Shorter asked, “how do you deal with panic when injured” – We tend to build up the downside too much. One needs to keep things in perspective, it’s not the end of the world. You will get past it and then you’ll be OK. He sees injuries as a sign that a break is required at some level.
I asked about overtraining – in an elite – he sees the overtraining dance as part of the process of achievement. The skill is figuring out how hard to push.
Peak Performance Paradox – Deep desire but low attachment to results.
Race Pacing – Likes to build within each event – final third has the greatest effort with the last ten miles of the run being the only time he “races”.
A large part of training is preparing the mind for what it
will experience on race day. An example
is running in Kona Heat. It’s a lot
different than running fast in
Didn’t really track his volume over the years. Tended to run 40-50 miles most weeks with a peak week of 90 miles and his largest ever week likely around 100 miles done once. Doesn’t see merit in big run weeks at the expense of swim and bike training. Think that it is very important to be consistent year-round with running.
He used to prepare for Kona in
Post Kona Recovery – EIGHT weeks of unstructured training, what
you feel like, keep the running going so connective tissues stay strong. Athletes that want to achieve their fullest
potential need a long period of unstructured training after
I described and asked about Baron – as a young guy he will benefit from some continued hard running.
I told him about my goal to run
I asked about Wiggins.
Rode it twice a year – start & finish of
I asked about the famous
“I did lots of 135 bpm running in the year.” [That’s AeT-5 bpm in g-speak]
“I probably could have done with less volume.”
“There were periods of my career where I knew that I was out-training everyone. However, I wasn’t getting the results that I wanted. So I had to change my approach. Dave was doing less than me but he was beating me. What did he have that I was lacking?”
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Probably the greatest thing that I took from this evening was Mark’s clear explanation of the problem of “trying too hard” to achieve. I see this in many situations – well trained, dedicated athletes constantly underperforming in race situations. Afterwards seeking advice on their preparations, their training protocols – Mark would likely advise the athlete to look within, to really examine the aspects of ourselves that might be holding us back. The ability to have that discussion, that’s what leads to achieving “our greatest race”.
gb –