January:
Planning for a Successful 2010
As the calendars flip to a new year, it is time to examine what
you would like to accomplish in 2010. It is time to dream big
and really commit with your heart to what you want to accomplish.
Goal setting is probably the most important thing you will do
all year as they are what will set your direction and drive you
all year long.
Don’t
settle for mediocre goals! Take a risk and believe in yourself.
The reward is great. Therefore, choose goals that take your body
and mind to the next level. If they do not stretch you and call
you to full engagement, you probably should consider more challenging
goals.
Once
you have chosen your goals, it is time to get started achieving
them. As you approach your training, these are the steps with which
you should attack the program.
1. Examine Yourself – Before you start a new training
program, you must fully examine your abilities. By doing so, you
will be able to tailor the program so that you will gain the most
fitness with the least amount of effort. This should involve analyzing
your strengths, weaknesses, past training, available time you have
to devote to training, as well as your current physical & mental
state. All of these items and more will dictate the layout of your
training program. Remember, your training should improve your life,
not take away from it. So, make sure your training fits your life
and priorities.
2. Start With Technique – Whether you are a beginner
or a seasoned pro, technique should be the foundation of your program.
Without proper technique, you are creating a ceiling that will dictate
how much you can improve. Master the technique early before adding
distance and/or speed.
3. Add Volume Safely – Increasing total volume is
the first step to improvement but only if done correctly. An athlete’s
volume should never supersede the point at which this athlete’s
technique breaks down. Furthermore, volume is cumulative and should
be added conservatively from week to week as well as year to year
(both being around a 10% increase). This is also an argument for
increasing race distance slowly from year-to-year as you can only
increase total training volume in small increments which is not
possible if you are making a significant jump in race distance.
4. Choose Speed Work Wisely – There are many ways
to add speed work (intensity) to your training program to get results
fast, but these must be chosen based on your greatest opportunities
for improvement (i.e.: weaknesses) and those areas that will prevent
burnout and injury the most effectively. There is a place for intensity
in your program year-round, but it must be periodized to ensure
you remain injury free and don’t burn out.
5. Race Specific Training – If your goal is to complete
a particular race or event, you must start tailoring your training
towards this race as you get closer to this event. This will require
researching the race and deciding what workouts will allow you to
effectively work the same physiological systems that will come under
demand by the race.
I wish you the best in 2010. Dedicate yourself to the principles
introduced in this article and unleash your potential.
Michael Harlow
is the founder and head coach of Endorphin Fitness (www.endorphinfitness.com)
where expert coaches gets some to their first finish line and others
to their finish line first. You can contact him at michael@endorphinfitness.com
- find them on Facebook,
too.
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