First Consistency, Then Specificity

Eventually we learn the #1 limiter facing improved performance is consistency. I talk to lots of folks about performance within the AG ranks, and I'm amazed at the amount of people who feel genetics is the main limiting factor. Few realize you have to train nearly every day for years before your genetics begin to hold you back.

There is no "off-season." Sure, take a few weeks and re-charge, but if you want to get good (and most do!) training is a year round affair. We train to race, and we race to beat someone; that may be yourself or a rival, but make no mistake that the main reason you are training is to get better and win.

Once consistency is established, (and consistency is 1-2 hours a day, EVERY day of s/b/r), the only thing that matters is specificity to your goal event.

This past weekend I raced (participated?) in a cyclocross event. Locally, folks will accuse me of having a leg up genetic wise, which makes me smile since I know my background. Anyway, to make a long story short, I got my ass kicked. This is OK, as it showed some weaknesses. The other thing this highlights is while consistency is extremely important, without specificity to your goal event, you will get beat badly.

If you are one my athletes, you learn this really quick. Couple of my guys are training for an IM, and when I said no to a marathon in the same 12 months as their IM, I received some blank stares. Simply put, (after the recovery cost) the training for a marathon is not specific enough to an IM, and there is little bleed over. A marathon trains you to run 26.2 miles fast. If you've ever run an IM marathon, fast is not how one would describe it.

"But we do this for fun!" This is a common response when I say no marathon.

Well, you certainly do not need a coach to have fun, and if fun is your goal I suggest you consider not hiring me. Fun is a real time thing; you are either having fun or you are not. You do not train to have fun. You train to win, to beat others or yourself. So, while having fun is a very good goal and one I respect; I do not think you need to pay money to a coach to have fun.

The process of training and competing can be an enjoyable one; in fact I hope it is or you will not get very far. However, if you are going to go through a process and hire someone to guide you through it, I hope fun is not the primary goal.

Back to specificity.

If you want to be the best basket weaver you can be, you weave baskets.

To be your best, this is all that matters--establish consistency and then the closer your A event gets, the more specific your training becomes for that event.

It is very difficult to train for more than 1-2 A races per year when they are the same event, but it can be done! Imagine trying to train for multiple events within one year...! Not gonna happen (to your best ability)unless you have a genetic edge and/or YEARS of endurance training.

In order to stay sane and have fun (I do allow you to have some fun), insert some races that do not require specific training to finish without killing yourself (CX, 5ks/10ks/Master swim events). However throughout the year, what you do during the week should be based on consistent training and specificity to your goal event. So, you have to be OK with being OK at these fun events, as you will not be specifically trained for them.

Remember, there is nothing wrong with running a marathon and an IM in the same year if fun is the goal. It only becomes a problem when you are dissapointed with the result of your IM and continue to train for 2 events every year; thinking it is the solution to being faster at IM.

Consistency, then specificity.