Athletes talk quite a bit about getting to the next level, as if by simply saying this then it will assure the achievement. But, when I dig a little bit into what the definition of “the next level” is and how the athlete plans to get to “it”, I’m often met with fairly nebulous answers – “I’m going to train harder”; “I’m going to train more”; “I’m going to be more dedicated in the winter”; or “My nutrition will be better.” Things like this. 

Achieving the next level is a cliché term, for sure. And it means something different to each and every one of us. However, the process of reaching the next level is pretty cut-and-dry: You have to fully commit yourself to the process. It’s really this simple. Too many athletes talk a mean game but, when push comes to shove, they balk. It turns out that reaching the next level isn’t as important as they like to think it is. 

It’s really easy to set aggressive goals in the Fall when the body’s fresh, the mind gets excited about looking ahead to the next season and our emotions get the best of us. It’s entirely another thing when we start to execute our plans and a few weeks or a couple of months into it, we realize that we’re either in over our heads or we just are not willing to do as much as we had planned to achieve our goals. When I say full commitment, I do not mean sacrifice everything to become a better/faster/stronger athlete. What I mean is, you find a way. 

Getting better at an endurance sport is, for better or worse, about putting more time in. Sometimes this means putting in a second – or third – workout in a day. Sometimes this means getting up earlier to put in more time before the family wakes up and you need to get ready for work. You need to boost your cumulative volume by a good 20-30% in order to create a measurable impact on your training. You accomplish this by extending some workouts – some workouts need to be 2+ hours in duration during the weekdays. You accomplish this by putting in longer workouts on the weekends. 

For cycling, as just one example, 3-4-hour rides are fine. But 1-2 times a month, those rides need to be 5-6 hours. The stressors the extra couple hours puts on the body simply cannot be recreated by intensifying shorter rides. And it is this extra forced adaptation that pushes the body up to the next level. 

Getting to the next level does not equate to doing unnatural things or taking the enjoyment out of the process. However, it does require extra commitment to the process. So, as you continue to create your training plan for the upcoming season or your upcoming key races within the season, first give yourself a quick gut check and make sure you’re ready to commit to what it will take to get you there. If you’re willing to commit, then you stand a great chance to achieve “the next level”, however you define it. 

Happy Training, 
Coach Nate

I originally wrote this back in 2006, but it seemed timely to blow the dust off it and re-post it here. Still valuable perspective nearly a decade later.

Lessons are to be learned from these Olympic Games. Some of the lessons are standard fare - athletes excelling in the face of adversity; teamwork making the whole greater than the sum of its parts; Cinderella stories; underdogs capturing our hearts; and the list goes on. Probably the most valuable lesson that can be learned from these Games, however, is that of perception becoming reality. 

Does anyone think that, for example, Bode Miller's disappointing showing (0-for-5 in the ski events) is based on anything besides the perception of him as a partier that he has not only embraced but also propagated? In other words, if the stories about Bode going into these Games were about a positive gentlemen who was an ambassador of the sport and who was a great role model and who was lighting the skiing world on fire with his victories and top performances, do you really think his results would have been the same? I don't. 

Or, take the drama on the Oval Lingoto between Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick. Regardless of what type of person Davis really is, the one interview I saw with him - after he won the 1,000 gold - made me really dislike the man. He showed no respect for anything with his mono-syllabic, stone-faced answers. Hedrick, too, showed a lack of respect for the competition with his comments after earning silver in the 10,000 - basically, "I toyed with my skating partner then sprinted away to demoralize him. It worked and, thus, nobody cares more or worked harder for a medal than I did." Should it surprise anyone that, in the face of such egotism and in the face of such hostility between these two skaters that both fell short of both personal and media-driven expectations? 

Or, take the US female in snowboard cross, Lindsey Jacobellis. She had the gold so sewn up that she felt a little victory hot dogging at the end was justified. Does a little edge grab, muffs the landing, ends up on her back and by the time she recovers is gliding down the final hill for silver. First thing out of her mouth is excuses and denial; comments she later rescinded and owned up to her huge ego-driven mistake. 

While the above three examples are US athlete-related, there are similar examples with non-US athletes. But, it is telling that the three most prominent stories about falling short of expectations include US athletes. So, how does this apply to you and me? Well, first of all, the adage of "Speak softly and carry a big stick" comes to mind. So, too, does "Actions speak louder than words." Just go out there and do it. No one really cares about how hard you have prepared or how many hours/miles you've put in. Save it. Keep that info to yourself. Let your preparation give you power. By speaking about it, by talking about how you can party hard and still win races, by bragging about yourself. . . all you are doing is siphoning away your power. You are setting yourself up for disappointment and for let down. You're not really giving yourself any options for the outcome. 

Bode's cavalier attitude sealed his fate all those months ago when he gave those interviews. He was literally doomed to failure. On the flip side, Darrin Rhalves. Very classy guy, very hard working. Very respected on the circuit. Usually pretty soft-spoken. Very much on fire the last handful of World Cup races leading into the Olympics. But, what did he say at these Games? He basically said, "I am my only competition here.” One might think he meant that he only races against himself because he can't control how others ski. But, what he actually meant was that no one will ski as well as he, so the only way he won't win gold is if he messes up. The only one he has to worry about is himself. Well, guess what? He got stomped. Big time. 

And who won the Super G? An "old timer” who was called "soft and really out of shape". A veteran who knew how to get things done, who had torn up his knee in the downhill earlier in the week, but who slid in under the radar. Because there was no spotlight on him, because there was no bleeding of his energy by the media, he was able to focus on the task at hand. Singularly so. And he won. 

I guess what I'm getting at is allow your preparation to do the talking for you. Don't do the talking for your preparation. Hone your focus and harness that energy, then let it all rip in the race. If you suffer from diarrhea of the mouth when talking about yourself, your training, your exploits, then you’re not leaving yourself much - if any - wiggle room for error. But, you are certainly setting up a large stage for disappointment. People scorn losers and respect winners. But, being a winner is less about standing atop the podium than it is about how we handle ourselves. 

Handle yourself like a champion and, regardless of the end result, you will be a champion. Your results will mean something because your journey will have been meaningful. 

Happy Training,
Coach Nate

How Confident Are You? 

I'm reading "The Race Against Time" which outlines the sometimes friendly, sometimes contentious rivalry between Chris Boardman and Graeme Obree, arguably the best two time trialists on the bike during the '90s and both British. 

Two completely different riders with two completely different personalities and two different approaches to training. Boardman was always considered the scientist, creating a methodical, surgical strategy to training and racing; if it could be quantified, Boardman measured it. Obree, on the other hand, seemed to fly by the seat of his pants, riding minimally and completely by feel; he was either full gas or not riding. Boardman trained and raced to the numbers while Obree wanted to see just how deeply he could descend into the Pain Cave. Two entirely different approaches. 
Yet, nearly identical results. In the individual pursuit on the track, 10-mile and 25-mile TTs on the road, and in the pursuit of the then romantic and prestigious hour record. 


We all strive to find the best, most advanced approach to our training. Sometimes that's getting back to basics; sometimes it's buying in to the latest and greatest training tips. Sometimes it's spending countless hours on the internet looking for some reference to a super secret training method that Racer X used to conquer the world. We track heart rate, sweat rate, caloric burn rate, power, RPE, cadence, stride rate, stroke rate and anything else we can in order to create marginal gains. 


All of these things are important. To a degree. But without comprehension, the numbers are quite meaningless. I think we can all benefit from a greater comprehension of the signals with which the body is providing us. Athletes suffer from a syndrome of training to the numbers while tuning out the body's signals. I'm prone to wonder how much less effective our training would be if we ditched all the numbers and just trained by feel. How long or short would it take to become proficient at it? How much confidence would we have in a back to basics approach? How many of us would be willing to go off the grid? Would training be more enjoyable if we set ourselves free? 


Some of my most enjoyable training sessions are those in which I have no expectations yet from which I derive plenty of challenge and fitness benefit. Think about it ... 


Happy Training,
Coach Nate

Consistency.

When devising a training plan for the upcoming season, whether you do it yourself or have a coach outline it for you, consistency in your training is key. Skipping workouts, however infrequent it might seem, will hamper your progress and instill a sense of guilt. 

How many times do we think, "I should have done _____ today." Even if we don't have the time, the thought of a missed workout eats at us until our next opportunity to sweat. And if you do find yourself skipping workouts frequently, then it might be time to rethink your plan. Maybe you're scheduling too many hours or workouts during your week. 

When I ask my athletes to figure out how many hours, maximum, they have each week to train, I tell them to subtract 20- 25% from that figure to come up with a realistic training budget. That 20-25% deduction allows for those "unforeseens" that take up our time but we can't really put our fingers on. For example, I didn't work out today because I spent a lot of time shoveling the 8 inches of snow we got last night. I decided to keep the day low stress rather than add another "to do" to the list. 

The holidays are well-behind us now so it's time to start focusing on the new season. The more consistent you can be, and the more stress you can remove from your training schedule, the more progress you'll make and the more fun you'll have.

Happy Training, 
Coach Nate