ENDURE: 8/7/15 Training to Peak
Spoiler Summary - matching peak performance with peak demand is the essence of all training plans.....and it's doesn't have to be complicated. Nuanced? Yes. Complicated, not really.
Within 3 minutes of starting my second leg of the River to Sea relay (a 91 mile team relay from the NJ/PA border in Milford to the Ocean at Manasquan on a 90 degree day) I knew it would be about energy management.
I wondered if I had tempted fate by discussing the impact of heat on the body in my newsletter post from the day before (last Friday) and thought about how I was going to keep from imploding in the heat.
I wondered exactly how fast the heat would drain me. I wondered if I had enough ice to keep my body temperature down. I wondered if I had hydrated well enough. I wondered if there would be any shade along the way.
Over the next few miles I kept a pretty regular eye on my heart rate. As a nearly perfect "tachometer" for the body, I knew I if I allowed it to raise too much, I risked fatiguing early and the problems that come along with. However I also knew that if I stayed awake at the controls and kept my body temp down and my heart rate where it needed to be, I could turn in a good enough time to help my team. Admittedly, it wasn't the most fun 9 miles I've ever run.
With that in mind, I figured last week's note on heat and the next day's test might be the perfect segue to take another step in the discussion of readying the body for "peak demand" -- timing training-efforts (MOVE+FUEL+RECOVER) so that peak-fitness capacity coincides with the time(s) when our bodies are being pushed to their limit in order to safely get to the other side (ENDURE).....so here goes:
It starts with designing a training plan:
Step 1: "Peaking" occurs for only a moment of time. We might like the idea of staying at our peak for a while, but in the truest sense of the concept, that's impossible. So we begin by deciding when we want that moment to be. We try to answer the question, when during the year will the demand, either naturally or because we've planned it that way, reach its max. From a work perspective, this is usually the summer and the winter - since extreme temperatures sap our energy so quickly. However, for some folks a big life event (active vacation, big sporting event, etc) can add in another peak or alter the schedule entirely.
Step 2: Next, we try to quantify peak-demand a bit and make sure it's realistic. What kind of effort is going to be required? Will it be like actually climbing Mt. Everest or something more like riding the Mt. Everest ride at Disney? It's really important to get this right -- understanding what "success looks like" is critical and being accurate in the energy demand allows this understanding.
Step 3: Since we now know what needs to be done (finish line) and by when (time oriented) we want to find out where the starting line is.....also known as "baseline testing". This tells us what sorts of assets we already have in the bank and how much ground we're going to have to cover during training. Baseline testing can be done any number of ways and it should include measurements of all of the critical functions that we'll be required to perform during peak-demand. For a running event it might be mostly measures of endurance and movement quality. For a work-related task it might require lifting or lowering something, etc.
Step 4: Once we know when the peak is, what's required and where we're starting from we can slowly insert training sessions, progressively increasing their stress level (by adjusting frequency, duration, intensity) until the goal is met.
First know where you want to go and when you want to get there. Then know where you're starting and progressively layer training-stress onto the system until capacity meets demand -- simple enough right?
The good news is, it really is that simple. The not as good news is, knowing how fast you can ramp between point A and point B and exactly what type of training stress is the best is the critical balance between pushing to the limit and over-doing....and that's a fine line.
To be continued.....but if you just can't wait - definitely reach out.
Have a great weekend,
Mike E.
I wondered if I had tempted fate by discussing the impact of heat on the body in my newsletter post from the day before (last Friday) and thought about how I was going to keep from imploding in the heat.
I wondered exactly how fast the heat would drain me. I wondered if I had enough ice to keep my body temperature down. I wondered if I had hydrated well enough. I wondered if there would be any shade along the way.
Over the next few miles I kept a pretty regular eye on my heart rate. As a nearly perfect "tachometer" for the body, I knew I if I allowed it to raise too much, I risked fatiguing early and the problems that come along with. However I also knew that if I stayed awake at the controls and kept my body temp down and my heart rate where it needed to be, I could turn in a good enough time to help my team. Admittedly, it wasn't the most fun 9 miles I've ever run.
With that in mind, I figured last week's note on heat and the next day's test might be the perfect segue to take another step in the discussion of readying the body for "peak demand" -- timing training-efforts (MOVE+FUEL+RECOVER) so that peak-fitness capacity coincides with the time(s) when our bodies are being pushed to their limit in order to safely get to the other side (ENDURE).....so here goes:
It starts with designing a training plan:
Step 1: "Peaking" occurs for only a moment of time. We might like the idea of staying at our peak for a while, but in the truest sense of the concept, that's impossible. So we begin by deciding when we want that moment to be. We try to answer the question, when during the year will the demand, either naturally or because we've planned it that way, reach its max. From a work perspective, this is usually the summer and the winter - since extreme temperatures sap our energy so quickly. However, for some folks a big life event (active vacation, big sporting event, etc) can add in another peak or alter the schedule entirely.
Step 2: Next, we try to quantify peak-demand a bit and make sure it's realistic. What kind of effort is going to be required? Will it be like actually climbing Mt. Everest or something more like riding the Mt. Everest ride at Disney? It's really important to get this right -- understanding what "success looks like" is critical and being accurate in the energy demand allows this understanding.
Step 3: Since we now know what needs to be done (finish line) and by when (time oriented) we want to find out where the starting line is.....also known as "baseline testing". This tells us what sorts of assets we already have in the bank and how much ground we're going to have to cover during training. Baseline testing can be done any number of ways and it should include measurements of all of the critical functions that we'll be required to perform during peak-demand. For a running event it might be mostly measures of endurance and movement quality. For a work-related task it might require lifting or lowering something, etc.
Step 4: Once we know when the peak is, what's required and where we're starting from we can slowly insert training sessions, progressively increasing their stress level (by adjusting frequency, duration, intensity) until the goal is met.
First know where you want to go and when you want to get there. Then know where you're starting and progressively layer training-stress onto the system until capacity meets demand -- simple enough right?
The good news is, it really is that simple. The not as good news is, knowing how fast you can ramp between point A and point B and exactly what type of training stress is the best is the critical balance between pushing to the limit and over-doing....and that's a fine line.
To be continued.....but if you just can't wait - definitely reach out.
Have a great weekend,
Mike E.
Labels: ENDURE
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