1. Shake things up! Get out of your old routine. Force your body to adapt to something new. This will help both your fitness and keep things fresh. Try cross country skiing one day a week or some of the other cross training ideas I blogged about here
2. Add in a weight lifting or core body routine. I am a big fan of doing “weight” training exercises that require you to move your own body weight versus pushing/pulling around some piece of iron. These kind of exercises you can do anywhere and help make you more comfortable in your own body. For example, do 3 sets of: push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, body plank, deep knee bends, lunges. Or try some more dynamic moves. Men’s Health is a great magazine for new workout ideas.
3. Eat better. I know you think you need all of those carbs to give you fuel, but that is bull. You need a balanced diet of protein, carbs AND fat. That’s right, I said F-A-T. Just make sure you get the right kind of fat. The so-called “good” fat that you get from fish and flaxseed. Even better, try organic. You are what you eat, so why do you eat things filled with pesticides?
4. Find a training partner who is at your same level and make a committment to each other to show up and push each other in the right direction. My running has gotten so much better since I started running with a good friend. I push him when he is plateauing and he does the same for me.
5. Leave the iPod at home. I know it is a long run and I know you think you might get bored but you are capable of going an hour or two without being entertained aren’t you? Who knows, you might actually come up with a new thought or a solution to a problem. Even better, you may recognize a way to improve your training or fix a problem in your stride.
6. Take 3 days off in a row. Be active, but don’t train. Give your body and mind a break. It will thank you. Once a year, take 3-6 weeks off completely. Your body will thank you many times over.
7. Do interval training, just make sure it is not too much of your overall workout. Probably not more than 10% a week.
8. Join/start a tri club. I belong to theCNY Triathlon Club and the benefits are many. During the summer, we have once a week mini events that are totally informal, which allows me to try out new things like going out really hard on the swim or having my bike shoes clipped in already.
9. Go riding with the roadies every now and then. You might be suprised what you learn about being efficient on the bike. Then go mountain biking. You might be suprised how much better the workout given the same amount of time on a road bike.
10. Write up a training schedule. Follow it to a tee but make sure it has what I call freelance days built in. These are days when you are going to do something active (maybe even cardio-like) that is not one of the 3 sports. You will be suprised at how refreshing it is and how much better you train after.
11. Practice transition. Transition may very well be one of the most technical parts of the race. You must think clearly while your heart is pounding. By developing a routine and practicing it, race day transitions will be fast and smooth.

Good luck, and let me know what tips you have to improve your training.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 21st, 2006 at 5:27 pm and is filed under Nutrition, Organic, Training, Triathlon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.