Triathlon: Coach Watson - Stay fit during the holidays

Written by: Lance Watson, CTS Multisport Head Coach

The holidays mean many things to many people. To some it is a time to celebrate religious faith, to some it is a time to celebrate family and for others it is a time to celebrate food!

Whatever the holidays mean to you as an individual, it is a tough time to be triathlete. Our lives are based around routine: 6:00a.m. swim, 9-5 work, 6:00p.m. run, 7:30p.m. dinner, 8:30 indoor bike, 10:00p.m. sleep. Repeat daily for 1-20 years. Results may vary.

The holidays throw a monkey wrench into the whole routine, keeping us out late and placing many engagements on our heretofore-empty calendar. So, as a triathlete, how do we stay fit, meet our holiday season obligations, and come out the other side happy and stress free? The answer: relax. It will all work out fine. The following will help you to enter January fit and in a great frame of mind!

The first principle that needs to be understood is that of frequency and how it relates to maintaining fitness levels. In the mind of many triathletes, a day off equals loss of fitness. The idea that having two, three, or even four days off in a row results in a loss of fitness is misleading. People who swim everyday will notice a different feel in the water if they have not swum in three days, but their fitness levels have not dropped. If you don't run for three days after having run everyday for the past two weeks, your form may feel a little off, but, again, you won't have lost any fitness. It is possible to take a week off and not lose any fitness, but the feel of the sport will take a workout or two to regain. This is an important concept because it frees you from the thought process, which consumes many triathletes - "I MUST TRAIN TODAY!"

The slogans on the backs of T-shirts and in athletic ads are great motivators, but not necessarily accurate representations of proper training. You don't need to train on everyday ending in "Y", and just because you take a day off doesn't mean that you competitors are out there hammering away on the bike in the middle of winter. If you stimulate the body through exercise once every three or four days then you will maintain fitness levels over a reasonable period of time (i.e. a few weeks, not over four months).

Working with this guide and this idea that one can maintain fitness over a period of time with a reduction of training volume, let us work out an applicable training schedule. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, it is important that one realizes that fitness levels can be maintained by participating in a workout every three or four days. Having said that, if you are only going to be doing one workout every three or four days, then the workout should be at an intensity that is equal to your highest intensity level from your previous block of training.

That means that if you are doing a 10km tempo run in 45 minutes, then you should be averaging about 4:30min/km for about 5km as your "holiday workout". It does not mean that if you have run a 38:00min 10km in a race last summer, then you can do the workout at sub 4:00min/km pace. Draw your intensity levels from your last block of training, because that is the fitness level you are maintaining. Remember that you are maintaining fitness levels, not trying to improve them!

There are seven days in a week, 24 hours in a day, and 10 000 holiday engagements of one kind or another to fit in during that period of time. First off, prioritize! What is most important and go from there. Realize that you cannot do everything and please everyone. Choose the engagements that are most important for you and enjoy them. Once you have planned your engagement calendar, look at where you can fit in a workout. You may have a swim time that only works twice a week, and thus you want to make it to that workout.

Running is easier to fit in because it is very flexible. If you are going out of town for an engagement, consider going early and running in a new place. Biking on your windtrainer is best done at home because of the equipment and noise, so plan on riding when you have some free time in your own house. As triathletes, we have to master our time management skills, so this should be no different than how you set up training in the summer, except that it is on a shorter time frame, and the workouts are shorter.

And finally, if you aren't able to make a planned workout then don't stress about it. The body needs to recover. During this holiday season, help your body recover. Not training does not equal recovery. There are many important facets to recovery, and if they are not thought about or practiced then your recovery is being compromised. This means that you can take a couple of extra days off. You can scale back the duration of your workouts. Eat well, but don't overeat! Drink whatever you wish, but in moderation. Sleep well.

These are all key factors to assisting your body in recovery. You will find yourself emerging in the New Year with a body full of energy and a mind full of focus.

Happy Holidays.

Lance Watson

Visit Carmichael Training Systems at: TrainRight.com.