Patience, Consistency and Skill Are The Real Keys To Endurance Training Whatever Your Age

Hi folks,

Social networking, whether on the Internet or locally (in real life?), plays an important role in our lives, directing us towards or away from the critical human interactions. I was recently approached for advice on triathlon training via a circuitous path, initially as result of a face to face conversation between two people in our little grocery store, Johnny’s Gone Fishing, which progressed to the Internet via my business website, Old Dogs in Training LLC, to finally arrive in my gmail inbox as a request for assistance. Now, I’m no triathlon coach and I don’t want to be one, but I love the sport and I like to provide relevant information when I can do so safely. The contact was from a very enthusiastic young lady, Dionne, and we finally got together at our weekly group run on the Chez Ollie. My first impression was ‘inexperienced and ENTHUSIASTIC!‘ This means danger. To make matters worse, Dionne has a background in track as a sprinter. OH! BOY!

The problem one has in such a case is to provide some guidance (like get a real coach), whilst not dampening the enthusiasm that is so critical for success, which Dionne has in spades. The key is patience, on the part of the advisor and the would-be endurance athlete. I was waiting for trouble, and it came in the form of ileo-tibial band syndrome (ITBS), which was reported as ‘knee pain.’ Dionne is rolling and taking the issue seriously, which is very promising. I warned her of the dangers to come, how endurance training is nothing like the high intensity work undertaken by sprinters, and her need for a real coach, a bike fit, and to start swimming again from the beginning.

I think that Dionne will do well if (a) she slows down, (b) finds the right coach, (c) finds the right peers with which to train, (d) works on body awareness as a key priority, and (e) learns be simultaneously enthusiastic AND patient. It is delightful, however, to see such energy applied to our sport.

The critical need for patience is a fact of every day life for the endurance athlete, old or young, so don’t forget!

-k @FitOldDog

Today’s workouts:

Workout PLAN: COACH Chris Hauth move  Rest