My coach Jaime deserves better.
I’m sure he probably feels that way after the past two weeks.
We’ve begun training for my Ironman in earnest. I came off my last race feeling really good and champing at the bit to keep it going. Jaime has spent the better part of the past two weeks pulling back on the bridle and trying to keep me from blowing up. Much like a young colt, I have not responded well to the guidance and have kicked my back hooves a couple of time and put my ears
back. It’s taken me the better part of two weeks to finally understand what it all means.
It’s all about the volume, stupid.
Years and years ago I had another coach who, among other things, made the comment to the effect that I would never be an athlete and never amount to anything. It’s a comment that has haunted me for years. With my new found confidence I have perhaps developed a bit of a chip on my shoulder.
When Jaime would try to rein me in I would push back. When he’d try and explain that different athletes (including himself) needed different training I’d just see it as another example of me not being good enough. When I was relegated to runs while Jaime and other teammates swam and biked together I became resentful.
Like I said, he probably deserves better.
Much like a horse that finally accepts the saddle and stops using up energy mindlessly bucking at unseen ghosts I finally came to terms with things. I realized I frankly needed to stop thinking, stop worrying, trust in the plan, and just take a long deep breath.
It didn’t come easily. After Jaime and I agreed on Ironman Coeur d’Alene the first task he had assigned me was to find a marathon. Once that was done the training began. I’m not sure what I thought would occur. Part of me knew I was training for a marathon but the other part of me was still focused in on Ironman and the swim and bike that would come with that. I kept watching my run volume numbers rise and my swim and bike volume numbers plummet. I’d spent all summer working on getting stronger on the bike that I wasn’t willing to watch it waste away. Jaime kept telling me that my bike would come back up after our camp in February and that I would come back stronger but I just had a hard time believing what he was saying.
I’m not sure when it finally began to make sense. Maybe something about volume – I remember back when my daughter was young she’d have a problem with pouring liquids into a cup. It took her awhile to understand that eventually the cup would completely fill, you couldn’t get anymore in, and it would start to overflow, run everywhere, and that everything would become one big mess.
I’m sure he probably feels that way after the past two weeks.
We’ve begun training for my Ironman in earnest. I came off my last race feeling really good and champing at the bit to keep it going. Jaime has spent the better part of the past two weeks pulling back on the bridle and trying to keep me from blowing up. Much like a young colt, I have not responded well to the guidance and have kicked my back hooves a couple of time and put my ears
back. It’s taken me the better part of two weeks to finally understand what it all means.
It’s all about the volume, stupid.
Years and years ago I had another coach who, among other things, made the comment to the effect that I would never be an athlete and never amount to anything. It’s a comment that has haunted me for years. With my new found confidence I have perhaps developed a bit of a chip on my shoulder.
When Jaime would try to rein me in I would push back. When he’d try and explain that different athletes (including himself) needed different training I’d just see it as another example of me not being good enough. When I was relegated to runs while Jaime and other teammates swam and biked together I became resentful.
Like I said, he probably deserves better.
Much like a horse that finally accepts the saddle and stops using up energy mindlessly bucking at unseen ghosts I finally came to terms with things. I realized I frankly needed to stop thinking, stop worrying, trust in the plan, and just take a long deep breath.
It didn’t come easily. After Jaime and I agreed on Ironman Coeur d’Alene the first task he had assigned me was to find a marathon. Once that was done the training began. I’m not sure what I thought would occur. Part of me knew I was training for a marathon but the other part of me was still focused in on Ironman and the swim and bike that would come with that. I kept watching my run volume numbers rise and my swim and bike volume numbers plummet. I’d spent all summer working on getting stronger on the bike that I wasn’t willing to watch it waste away. Jaime kept telling me that my bike would come back up after our camp in February and that I would come back stronger but I just had a hard time believing what he was saying.
I’m not sure when it finally began to make sense. Maybe something about volume – I remember back when my daughter was young she’d have a problem with pouring liquids into a cup. It took her awhile to understand that eventually the cup would completely fill, you couldn’t get anymore in, and it would start to overflow, run everywhere, and that everything would become one big mess.
several half marathons I would need to bring up my running volume in order to be
successful in completing a marathon and then transferring that run fitness to an Ironman. Between work, family, other commitments, and training, I only have a finite time within which to work in getting ready for the Ironman. Coeur d’Alene comes in late June so the majority of my training would take place in the late spring when I’d still be working full-time. Jaime said he’d get me to CDA but it would take some unorthodox means and it would mean making the most of the training I had. There was only so much volume I could undertake so it would be essential
to get the biggest training bang for the buck so to speak. I remembered that Jaime had
written back in a blog when he and his family went to Hawai’I in which he puzzled the benefits
of focused training in one specific area. He told me over and again that we’d focus on
the run,undertake a marathon, and then start bringing up the volume in the swim and the
bike. As my volume would have to increase with the run it meant that either something else would have to be reduced or I’d more than likely blow up or become fatigued, injured, ill, or all of the above. Essentially, there was a point where I
could no longer take the volume and if it went over I’d be reduced to one big mess.
It’s a tricky balancing act but for now I’ll have to trust in what Jaime has been telling me and understand that it’s all about volume. In the past my training has ranged from 10 to 18 hours a week. That will more than likely stay the same and will no doubt increase as I get nearer to racing at CDA. None of my runs will be under an hour and my long runs will increase in time, most going over two hours. There will be hill workouts and pyramids, but there will also be a lot of time spent simply building up the volume and putting in the hours.
I had conversation with Jaime today. I simply asked him about the bike and whether or not my fitness would return. He told me it would take awhile to come back but that it would come back stronger. As with weight lifters all the gains would come out of recovery and to have faith in my body. He noted that my fitness had allowed me to be able to ride and feel good these past few weeks but that I now needed to focus on the marathon. I needed to make each run the best it could be and understand that it was a big part of the preparation for CDA.
It’s all about the volume. I’m sure Jaime and I will have this chat again in March when my bike volume numbers start to increase. Like I said, he probably deserves better
It’s a tricky balancing act but for now I’ll have to trust in what Jaime has been telling me and understand that it’s all about volume. In the past my training has ranged from 10 to 18 hours a week. That will more than likely stay the same and will no doubt increase as I get nearer to racing at CDA. None of my runs will be under an hour and my long runs will increase in time, most going over two hours. There will be hill workouts and pyramids, but there will also be a lot of time spent simply building up the volume and putting in the hours.
I had conversation with Jaime today. I simply asked him about the bike and whether or not my fitness would return. He told me it would take awhile to come back but that it would come back stronger. As with weight lifters all the gains would come out of recovery and to have faith in my body. He noted that my fitness had allowed me to be able to ride and feel good these past few weeks but that I now needed to focus on the marathon. I needed to make each run the best it could be and understand that it was a big part of the preparation for CDA.
It’s all about the volume. I’m sure Jaime and I will have this chat again in March when my bike volume numbers start to increase. Like I said, he probably deserves better
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