Process orientated people always do better…
We know that process orientated people are more consistent with their training plan and generally have greater longevity in the sport compared to ‘outcome orientated’ people. If you enjoy swimming, cycling and running and that’s your prime reason for taking part, then you’re always more likely to get out of the door on a regular basis. Heading out onto the trails or the road because you enjoy being out in the fresh air and enjoy the scenery makes you a process orientated person. Yes, you may take part in races and yes, you may always want to be competitive, but primarily you simply enjoy the activities.
By comparison, an ‘outcome orientated person’ may not enjoy the activities so much, but they are a necessity to complete their goal. It may be that you’ve entered an Ironman and know that you have to do more swimming to make the cut off. You may hate swimming and you have a pact with yourself that after the event, you’ll never swim again, but for now, it’s a necessary evil.
We can very easily switch from process to outcome without even realising..
You may consider yourself to be a process orientated person, but you’ll be surprised how easily a ‘training plan’ can ruin that for you. Now that you’ve entered your Ironman, enjoying swim, cycle and run are no longer enough for success. You now need a structured training plan with greater quality and specificity. You also need to hit a certain speed, power output or heart rate for a specific time and if you don’t… then you’ve failed. There is a real danger that when we add structure in order to improve our performances, we can lose focus of why we started taking part in the first place. The plan can work against us, it hangs over your head adding stress and your training peaks notifications reminds you that you’ve missed yet another session… you’re such a disappointment.
No you can’t go for a swim and enjoy it, because you’ve got 16 ‘stroke errors’ which need correcting. Rather than relaxing and enjoying the feel of the water, you need to permanently think about that dropped elbow, poor catch and sinking legs until your brain overloads. Seriously, who enjoys a sport where you are reminded every day how bad you are?
Are you doing a long cycle ride today because the weather is nice? Okay well no, unfortunately you can’t go out, ride 100 miles and simply enjoy the sunshine, because that’s just not structured enough. You need to ride at a specific power output for the whole day and there’s no cafe stop either.. you don’t get one on race day! You were going to ride with friends? No, you can’t ride with anyone else either, it has to be alone (just like race day) and you can practice your nutrition whilst you’re at it. One more thing, it has to be your time trial bike, aero for the whole thing, because that’s ‘position specific’ to race day.
We think that adding more structure and more detail to workouts, makes them better. But honestly, it can be the killer of all joy.
So why do plans include so much data and intricate detail? The answer is simple, because it sells!! I can’t sell you something you can do yourself, so paying to be told “run 30-60 minutes 5-6 times a week” just isn’t value for money. Even if it’s the right answer.
That’s all very well, but I don’t want to enjoy it, I want to get better... so I need complexity
Let’s be honest, when you read about how a training plan should fit into your life, so you can balance it with family etc, a lot of people don’t care about that bit. A lot of people sign up to a coach because they want to know which sessions to do, so they can get faster. That’s what they’re paying for.
They don’t sign up to a coach to learn about life balance, they just want to know which sessions to do and they’ll do the worrying themselves with regards to how to fit those sessions into the week without upsetting work and family. Just tell me how to get faster, that’s what I’m here for…!!
Here’s the thing, one of the great mistakes is to believe that ‘adding structure’ will always add benefit and more importantly, believing that removing structure somehow makes a session less beneficial. Let’s look at some basic facts. Most people riding in Ironman events can’t ride 112 miles at a steady pace and get off the bike feeling good as they simply don’t have the endurance. The simplest way to solve this is to regularly ride 100 miles+ in training… end of conversation, no more needs to be added.
The likelihood of this happening increases if you enjoy the day out on your bike so ride with mates, pencil in a coffee stop and enjoy the scenery. There is of course a time for specificity and before race day, yes, a solo ride on your race bike practicing your nutrition would be important. But that the finishing touches.
Enjoyment is key, you must ‘want’ to do it and there’s a greater likelihood of wanting to do it, if you enjoy it. Unfortunately when people hear the term ‘enjoy your training’ they often switch off at that point as they automatically associate that with ‘messing about and not training properly’. Riding 100+ miles on a regular basis isn’t ‘messing about’. Don’t feel guilty about enjoying it. However, forcing yourself to ride 100 miles alone, staring at a power meter and banishing all coffee stops is less motivating for a lot of people and is potentially mentally draining. It can be the case for many people that adding structure, data and targets to the plan can be far more mentally draining and as a result, far less enjoyable.
But I love my data…
It’s important also to balance this from the other side, because at the moment this sounds like an anti-data rant. If you are the kind of person who is enthused by structure and technicality then crack on. Perhaps what’s key here is assessing individual personality types and using that to gauge approach. There are people who are driven by data, they need to measure all their training and calculate their ‘macros’ for their food intake etc. If that’s what floats your boat, then yes, crack on. If data motivates you, then that’s the correct approach for you. I have however seen a correlation between this and burnout, where triathlon is someone’s sole focus in life for a short period of time, before it crashes down on them.
So here’s some simple steps:
- Be realistic with your plans. It’s better to plan 5 workouts a week and hit them all, rather than planning 10 and only hitting 5. You don’t need the stress.
- Buying a plan will not solve all your problems. Look at your personal situation and start there, before you think about integrating a plan into your schedule.
- Write your session plans and keep it simple. If you need to hammer a nail into a piece of wood, you wouldn’t hit it from one angle at 65% maximal force, then from another angle at 75% maximal force… Some things don’t need overcomplicating, hit the bloody thing hard, 3 times, on the head. If you need to ride long, then ride long. If you need to do 1 minute intervals at maximum, then just do them.
- Manipulate the sessions for maximum enjoyment. If you enjoy trail running, run on the trails. If you enjoy company and it makes it easier, run or cycle with others (groups & social interaction can be key for motivation). If you like data and riding indoors, then fine, get on zwift and ride your intervals to power. If you don’t go outdoors, find a hill and just ride up it hard several times. What stimulates or excites you to want to train and what will ensure that you consistently do so, every week without mental & physical burnout?
- Never let the plan become a stressor. If you just can’t face those intervals because you had a bad day at work or the kids are winding you up, then go for an easy run to relax and clear your head. Be flexible. Just because you didn’t do what’s on the plan doesn’t make you a failure. There’s more than 2 options, it’s not simply ‘the prescribed session or nothing’.
Regards
The Endurance Coach
We offer coaching from £40 per month for triathletes and runners. We also offer lactate threshold and VO2 Max testing with consultation for £60, to help you better structure your training. Find details on the menus above.