Training tips from Macca

Macca wrote a post on his blog about preparing for the season ahead and he then offered eight training tips.

Here's a link to his post.

In shortened form, the tips are:

Don't focus on 'pre-conceived' ideas on volume. Focus on developing functionality in all three sports.

Recovery - in its many forms - is key.

If you miss a session, move forward.

Seven day cycles aren't required. Be open to mixing it up.

Identify your weaknesses at the start of the season - and note that not all of them are physical.

Trust your coach but remember you are "the CEO of your journey in this sport".

Brick sessions are key - but easy does it on the run.

Consistency rules but be flexible too.

Seasons pass

I am looking forward to the season ahead and have firmed my race plans a week into this new year.

I have purchased the Subaru Western Triathlon Series seasons pass and have put three of the five races on my schedule. There are conflicts with the two others.

The plan calls for racing at Shawnigan (near Victoria) in late May, Vancouver in early July and then closing out the tri season in Banff in September.

I'm really looking forward to racing again.

After a bit of a search, I've also settled on a new helmet (a Giro from Speed Theory) and a new pair of cycling shoes (Sidi Genius 5's from WesternBikeWorks).

I'm patiently waiting for the new CompuTrainer centre to open here in Squamish.

Eat healthier

This post is a reminder to myself more than anyone else.

My diet has improved vastly this past decade as I've become more fit and made training almost every day part of who I am. I enjoy racing and am looking forward to racing later this year but far more importantly I enjoy being fit.

Training consistently is a critical part of being fit. And one need not train as I do. I embrace the challenge. It keeps me younger. It helps me cope with the various stresses of daily life.

What I eat is something that I increasingly focus on. I have been making incremental changes year to year. It's nothing too dramatic. I still am attracted to foods that aren't always the best.

So I read an interview with the author of The China Study in the New York Times today and I thought it was interesting and might be of interest to others. The author - T. Colin Campbell - has decades of expertise.

His advice: plant-based eating.

I think there is merit in what he has to say. It doesn't mean I will stop eating meat, but I do think there is value in his argument and it's another reminder to think before eating.

A Challenge in Cairns

There's a new Challenge series race in Cairns - the third iron distance race in Australia. I wrote a short profile on the race for the January issue of Triathlon Magazine Canada.

The story isn't yet online so you'll have to get a copy from a newsstand.

Won With One

Lacking some motivation .. look no further than the Won With One group of athletes. I had the opportunity to chat with several of them and write a story for Triathlon Magazine Canada that was published in this month's issue.

Here's the link:

http://triathlonmagazine.ca/2011/01/sections/racing/profiles/triathlon-team-making-a-difference/