Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Competing with Yourself

The only person you compete with on this journey is yourself. And I recommend that you do so. Each workout, from long Saturday distances to weekday hill and tempo miles is a chance to measure where you are and how far you’ve come. Keeping a training log helps you keep track. Remember, this is a 28 week season. Lots will happen and you will go bonkers if you try to keep it all in your head.

The training log allows you to track the details of each workout so you can compare one to the next and make adjustments. Start with the miles or minutes scheduled for the day compared to the miles or minutes accomplished. Also rate your workout. How did you feel at the end.
I use a 1, 2, 3 scale. 1= too easy, 2= just right, 3= i’m not looking forward to that again!! And it’s ok to use decimal points in the rating :)

Then keep track of the variables in the workout. Combine the variables with the rating and you start to see a picture of where you are. Compare that picture with the one from the day, week and month before and you start to see how far you’ve come and where you want to go from here. Here are just some of the variables you might want to track.


Weather: We will train through many different weather patterns in one season. A workout on a cool, low humidity spring day will likely feel different than the same workout on a hot, high humidity summer day or a cold icy winter day. And the effect will not be the same for all of us.

Who did I train with?: Or did I workout alone? For many this makes a big difference and again the effect is not the same for everyone. If I was with others, who were they?

What fuels or fluids did I take in and when? These are critical variables. One thing you will discover quickly is that it is not just distance that affects how much and when. The weather, your pace, the intensity, what you ate or drank coming into the workout all play a role. Once again, the answers are individual. You need to figure out what works for you. You can start by asking others but in the end you have to be aware of your own responses.

What did I eat or drink leading into the workout? Did something upset my stomach or head? Did forgetting to eat (or not eating enough) leading into the workout cause me to run out of steam too early in the workout? Do I see a pattern with a particular breakfast before my long saturday distance? It would be nice to identify that breakfast (or in some cases lack of) that works for you in time for race day.

Sleep: How much and how well did I sleep the night before? Too much can be just as much a factor as too little.

What you wore: distance training is by no means a fashion event. Still what you are wearing is a factor in your performance. Perhaps it was too much or too little for the weather conditions. Perhaps there was chafing caused by the weather (maybe you need more bodyglide there) OR an ill-fitting piece of clothing (maybe you retire that piece). Did you wear a hat? Gloves? What shoes were you wearing?

Mood and stress levels: How did I feel coming into the workout? How did I feel when it was over? Most of the time the workout improves our mood and lowers our stress levels but sometimes the mood manages our workout. Sometimes a poor performance has nothing to do with anything physical. It helps to recognize this.

There are other variables and I encourage you to add them in the comments portion of the blog. Along the side of this blog you will see links to logs kept by other Phillyfitters. Read them. This will help you discover that you are not alone in your search for the perfect workout. If you have a training blog of your own please send me the link and I will add it to our list.

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