Being, Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.
Equally applicable in work and our athletic endeavours. This week I've had a real contrast with two different clients in the same week. Although the outcomes were broadly the same, the route to get there was a breeze in one case and tortuous in the other case.
I will give the more difficult client a bit of leeway though as in the last three months they've gone from a department of four people (should be 5, but the boss is on extended leave) down to two. As a result they had done little preparation for our visit and then had the gall to complain at us when they didn't have the answers to our questions easily to hand and prepared.
The other one, by complete contrast had everything to hand, ready to be checked. A few adjustments were needed, and some cross checks completed, but in the same space of time everyhing was closed out and we'd even finished some of the administration requirements. Only one difference, preparation, made possible by adequate resourcing.
So when it comes to our athletic endeavours, whatever they may be, it's that prior preparation and application of enough resources that make all the difference. To me this includes training time, race preparation and planning, nutrition and diet, equipment and also resting.
I'm coming along nicely with parts of these, working on adjusting others, with a few remaining stubbornly not where I want them, but with a good 5 months before the main event this year, I'm not bothered about that yet.
So what am I doing well at the moment?
Training time and, more importantly quality is good at the moment with the aerobic base-building ongoing at the moment and showing progress. That's going to continue until the end of February, and then I'll start throwing in at least one harder session a week on the bike to get ready for the start of the April TT season, even though I may not actually get started until May with work plans. After that it'll be a slow build of volume through to July for the ultra run.
Race preparation - will come later as I start to refine the race plan, equipment and nutritional strategy.
Resting - a bit up and down. Had a few days last week of good training and good sleeping, getting to bed early enough. I need to be doing that more often though, including weekends. Too many opportunities to stay up late watching crap on TV.
Diet and nutrition, going well. I've always enjoved a good range of fruit and veg and proper home cooked food. I've been slowly reducing my intake of refined carbs and sugars in normal diet (i.e. not in training, where they do have a role), but there's still more to do. I'm also enjoying an increasing variety of fruit and veg at the moment including some of it raw. Where I need to work here, is reducing the booze intake, trouble is I really enjoy beer and wine with the huge variety and great quality we have these days in the UK. I have gone totally alcohol free for an extended period in the past, but didn't find any general benefit training wise, health maybe, but that tends to be a longer term effect.
Training has gone reasonably well this week, one long erg last Sunday, travel to Aberdeen Monday, run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning. Had planned Friday as well, but ended up going to bed later than intended on Thursday chatting with my boss who was also in Aberdeen on another job.
Tuesday - 8.15km / 42:59.6 / 5:16 / A144 / M187* - in reality nearer 150
Wednesday - 8.18km /42:27.5 /5:11 /A141 /M150 - no troubles with the HR strap
Thursday - 8.21km / 42:33.75 / 5:11 / A142 / M176* - again trouble with HR strap interference
All the same route, but Wednesday in reverse direction. The screwy max HR readings came in the first 2km, downhill, so are really not representative. Max in each case was about 150 or so vs the target of 148 max. The silk socks were a godsend, but one now needs a hole repair.
Friday was a missed opportunity and yesterday was a 10km indoor row.
10,000m / 44:07.0 / pace 2:12.3 per 500m /23 strokes per min /A140 /M150 - only 20 secs above 148 HR.
Totals this week (Sun-Sat)
Rowed - 30,477m
Biked - 6.9km
Ran - 24.5km
This is the best of my HR capped rows since I started to erg a bit more again before Christmas, both in terms of pace and HR management.
About 4 inches of snow overnight, with drifting much deeper in places. I'll be heading out with at least one of the kids to play in it this morning, then I fancy a long run this afternoon in some fresh snow. May even take my shoes off for part of it. Let's see how it goes. If I do I'll be trying to bring back a few pictures.
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