2008 is almost a thing of the past, and 2009 looms large. With under one month until the new year rolls around, now is the perfect time to look at your clean calendar, along with your regional list of events, start planning your eventing year.

Having a good idea of what events you want to participate in is the starting point for developing a sound training program.

The event selection will allow you to:

1. Develop a general overview of what your long term training plan will look like
2. Give you a better idea of what sort of time frames you have to work with to implement your training plan.
3. Determine and budget for the financial commitment associated with training and racing for events.
   

Let us say that you are wanting to do a road cycling event. You took part in a few this past season, and feel you are ready to raise the bar.

An awesome cycling event held in Washington State is the Seattle to Portland event. This event is a single or 2 day event and covers 200 miles. Just what you had in mind.

This would be considered your "A" race for the year, and all your efforts and training would be directed at this specific event. Ideally, this would be the event that you would be in peak fitness for.

You also need to select some "B" races / events, that might include a couple of century rides in your area. Not only will these events keep your training interesting, and challenge you to take your cycling fitness to the competition. Furthermore, they will also ensure that you have the confidence and skills to ride in larger groups (Pelotons).

Consider these events as training races - a time to see where your conditioning and fitness levels are at. Select events that are easy to get to, that are in line with your training program, and that will assist you to identify areas in your training that are not where they should be.

"C" races could be a regularly scheduled event such as a weekly Criterium series, or perhaps a local time trial series you enjoy doing. They should not be too serious, but should still play an important role in improving your cycling fitness and cycling specific skills.

Perhaps a mountain biking race, or a triathlon, to mix things up a little bit?

These should be built into your training program and considered to be training days. Ensure that these sessions have a specific purpose and a specific goal.

At all times remember that everything you do is directed at your "A" event.

By now you are probably wondering where you will be able to get more information on races and events in your neighborhood?

1. Start with your local bicycle store, they are always friendly and in-the-know.
2. Join a cycling club (your National Cycling governing body should have a list of clubs registered in your area).
3. Use Cycling forums online - I especially like Bike Forums.
4. Set up your own "Big cycling adventure" - check out Team Average Jo. These guys are leaders in taking eventing to a whole other level.
   

So now that you have a few events selected and placed into your training calendar, we can start to develop the plan that will get you to your "A" race in the best shape possible - and injury free of course.

Join me next week as I have a look at how to set up your Long term and Periodized training program

During October and November, we looked at the concept of Prehabilitation, and all that goes with it.

We also had a quick talk about the difference between Muscle endurance, Strength, Power etc.

This month, I would like to breakdown each of these Phases of Resistance Training (RT), so we can get a little more clarification on how to get the most from our RT.

Endurance Athletes like the word endurance and it is amazing how one little word can have so many meanings. For some, it means the ability to go for long periods of time (in the Ultra-Endurance sense of the word).

For others, it means being able to do an activity without becoming unduly fatigued (like spending the morning on your feet helping an event, while for others, it might mean just being able to carry out your daily activities.

In muscular terms, muscle endurance is the ability of the muscle to overcome an applied resistance for an extended time period. It is an important phase in the Resistance Training (RT) continuum because, like the Base Conditioning training done in the Swim, Bike and Run, Muscle endurance conditioning sets the muscular-skeletal system up for the more intensive lifting in the training phases further down the line.

During this phase of training, the purpose of training is to:

1. Increase the strength of the connective tissue, including Ligaments, Tendons and Fascia.
2. Increase Mitochondrial and Capillary density at the muscular level.
3. Improved co-ordination and ability to perform movements through Neuro-Muscular adaptations.
4. Increase the overall time to exhaustion of the muscle fiber.
5. A transformation of the overall percentage of FT-A fibers compared with FT-B fibers

Ultimately, by using higher repetitions, we are focusing on developing an improved capactiy for submaximal, prolonged contractions with a reduced fatigue rate.

The following are a few general guidelines for training:

• High Volume (3-5 sets of 15 + repetitions)
• Low Intensity (50% - 75% of your 1 Repetition Maximum (1RM)*
• Movement cadence (The spped at which you raise and lower the resistance at) CON: 3sec: HOLD: 1sec ECC: 3 sec
  
• This phase can last for between 6-8 weeks (depending on your program, goals and level of conditioning).
• Add in basic Core stability progressions and a lot of Flexibility work.

This Muscle Endurance phase of training can be applied through the December month, and into the January month, depending on the structure of your training plan.

With the focus in your Endurance Training (RT) training on General Preparation, the result is a great compliment between your RT and your ET.

Use this FREE 45 MINUTE TRAINING SESSION to get a better idea of what a Muscle Endurance RT session might look like (Use Promotion Code at checkout: F5853ABD)

Next week we will break down the concept of Strength and how to train for it.

As we all know, Endurance athletes are generally super driven and highly competitive individuals.

Whether you are a runner, cyclist or cross country skier, the nature of the beast is very similar across disciplines. So when a new challenge is decided upon, and the decision made to go for it, there is absolutely no holding back.

Enter the decision to take endurance training from the uni-sport status of just running or cycling (perhaps bi-sport status - Running and cycling), to the Tri-sport status - in simple terms, adding swimming to the mix.

The majority of convertees come from the land based sport codes (running, cycling) report that their first encounter with swimming is not exactly what they had in mind.

You see the rules that apply to activities on Terra firma, are not directly transferable into the Aquatic enviroment.

Example 1: You are doing a track session, which consists of different distance intervals. The goal to is to tax the Anaerobic system, and ultimately improve speed.

To increase your velocity, you have 2 options:

1. Increase your stride length
2. Increase your leg cadence
3. Both
   

More often than not, the increased cadence will be selected, and your legs will move faster to assist you to cover the distance more quickly. Done!

Let's move into the swimming pool, where you are busy doing some 100m repeats under 2 minutes. You take what you learned and experienced in running, and try to apply to it to the swimming set.

Faster arm cadence = faster swimming velocity.

You apply the theory, and come off second best - out of breath, very frustrated and very tired.

Example 2: You have been actively involved in running and/ cycling for many years, taking part in races and events, and have achieved a good level of Cardio-Vascular fitness.

You know that the transition into the swimming pool will be challenging, but you have good fitness, so you will be alright.

Unfortunately, when it comes to endurance sports, Cardio-Vascular fitness from running, does not necessarily translate into a good level of fitness in the water or on the bike.

In this instance, being well conditioned in one area, does not guarantee a good level of fitness in all.

We need to remember that there are so many differences that exist between water based activities and those on the land, that we need to look at changing our paradigm when approaching aquatic based sports.

First off, swimming is an unnatural activity for Human beings to take part in - we are not designed to be in the prone position, with our heads covered by water, starving our body from oxygen- so it basically goes against our hard wiring.

Secondly, the lack of O2 on demand, because we have to hold our breath and control our breathing (when our heads are in the water), and the involuntary swallowing of pool water can trigger panic and in turn the Fight or Flight response.

This can result in the following scenario:

1. We begin to "fight through the water".
2. An increased reliance on the Anaerobic energy pathways and the use of the Fast Twitch Fibers of the muscles is believed to be necessary to overcome the resistance of the water (*Isokinetic nature of water).
3. This in turn leads to a reduced intake of O2 thanks to hyperventilation.
   
4. Increased FTF and anaerobic Glycolysis increases the production of Lactic Acid a
   
5. Energy starts to run out very quickly, and fatigue sets in,
6. Swimming form and technique breaks down.
7. We begin to Fight the water a little harder.
   
8. THE CYCLE BECOMES EXACERBATED.

The *Isokinetic nature of water basically means that as we apply a force against the water, the water returns the favor, and pushes right back.

As we struggle and fight through the water, the water does exactly the same back against us.

Remember Newtons Laws? Remember the one that states: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction?

This is so important to keep in mind when swimming, because in order to be able to pass through the water, with little effort and as little energy wastage as possible, we need to:

1. relax in the water
2. no longer "fight" the water
3. learn to control the anxiety that creeps in when the body starts craving O2
   

As is true with any sport or training, the more you practice and the more you learn about the requirements of the sport or activity, the more proficient you will become.

• Get a swimming coach to teach you the basics.
• Start with mastering the technique (see previous posts on drilling).
• Accept that you are not going to rock the swimming world right off the bat.
• Learn about swimming - become a pupil of the sport.
  
• Revel in the joy of a) learning a new skill b) being able to learn a new skill.
  

I have decided that Friday Blog posting will be dedicated to Blogs that I have read through the course of the week, that are both informative, interesting and of course, of a high quality.

This posting written by Ross Tucker, PhD, and Jonathan Dugas, PhD, and is an awesome look at the current trend of world record smashing efforts in the pool VS those in Track and Field.

Their Blogs can be read at http://www.sportsscientists.com, and they are a great resource for anyone interested in the Sports and Exercise Sciences.

It is a longer posting, but well worth the time.

Here is there posting from 3 days ago:

World records in swimming compared to records in athletics - interesting observations

Two days ago, I did a post looking at the absolute "cleansing" of the record books in the sport of swimming this year. 70 records in 2008, 66 Olympic records in the recent Beijing Olympics, and swimmers who began the year as world record holders (think Alexander Popov) suddenly find themselves outside the top 10 in that same event by the end of August! It has been an unprecedent explosion in the sport, one which I do believe is bad for the credibility of swimming.

That post got some good feedback and questions, and hopefully prompted some thought about the causes. There are some who have claimed that this astonishing "record-rush" is the result of better training and better athletes. Yet that implies that swimming legends like Alexander Popov, Pieter van den Hoogenband, Ian Thorpe, Janet Evans, were "inferior" only a few years ago. The problem is the timing, not necessarily the concept - evolution in training, generation of better athletes, only works when you look back over many years.

For example, we can compare the current marathon world record holder, Haile Gebrselassie, to Jim Peters, who held it in the 1950s, and then it's appropriate to say "better athletes and better training". The fact is that great swimmers who were world record holders at the start of 2008 (like Alex Popov) are now not even in the top 10 in their events! Better training, which by nature tends to evolve slowly, especially in a mature sport like swimming (this is not BMX racing with rapid growth opportunities), doesn't demote you from best EVER to outside the top 10 in a few months.

So I firmly believe that the suit is a large part of the "problem", whether it's a placebo effect or a real one (I believe it to be real) is another debate. But the latest news is that the USA are pressing FINA into banning the full body suits, and as mentioned the other day, the big swimming nations might yet step in to 'save the day' for swimming.

The influence of doping: Swimming flies under the radar

One interesting aspect of this debate is that little mention is made of the possible impact of doping in swimming's record-explosion. If it was cycling or athletics, the noise would be far louder, the accusations far more frequent and much more intense.

I have no doubt that doping happens in swimming, just as it does in all sports. But massive doping scandals are conspicuous by their absence - the Chinese swimmers of the 1990's are perhaps the most recent large scandal. Jessica Hardy missed the Olympic Games for a positive test, Ian Thorpe defended himself for an alleged EPO positive, but other than this, I can recall few high profile cases.

I suspect that a big part of the reason for this is that doping is far less beneficial for swimmers than it seems to be for track and field athletes. This is not simply a bald assertion, it is a conclusion drawn from the analysis of world records, which I discuss below. So before leaping onto the attack, consider the follow story, told by numbers:

World record evolution and what it means for doping

The table below shows the average age of the world records in men's and women's swimming events at the closing of the Beijing Olympic Games. They are the same tables I showed in the previous post:

• In men's events, the average age of world records was 1 year, 1 month.
• For the women, it was 8 months. That was thanks to the incredible events of Beijing, where a total of 21 world records were broken.
• The result is that when the 32 events are combined, only 4 of them have records that are older than three years.

Now look at the same analysis for athletics (both track and field):

• For men (a total of 21 events) , the average age of track and field records was 8 years and 11 months
• Of the 21 records, 16 are older than three years. The age has actually been greatly reduced by Usain Bolt's Beijing performances, because he took out a 12-year old record (MJ in the 200m) and also helped the relay team break a 16-year old record.

On the women's side, it's even more pronounced:

• The average age of world records is 14 years and 9 months. That is an incredible 22 times older than the swimming records (14 yrs 9 mths compared to 8 mths)!
• 18 of the 21 records are older than three years

The graph below shows this comparison:


So what does this mean? Some observations and ideas

The more astute among you (and we know that all of you are particularly astute!) have by now scanned those athletics tables, and you will have noticed the number of records that date back to the late 1980s and early 1990s - men's and women's field events in particular are dominated by records set in this period. I think it is unquestionably known that athletes of the 1980's, especially in women's athletics, were quite "reliant" on anabolic doping products!

In fact, across both men's and women's athletics, it is only really the men's track events where any world records have been set in the last ten years, and those are courtesy first of Usain Bolt in Beijing, and the east African runners (whether these are drug-assisted is another story entirely!)

Implications for swimming

So what does this have to do with swimming? Well, you've by now already come to the conclusion that athletics records are so "old" because they are influenced heavily by doping that was undoubtedly pervasive in the 1980s and early 1990s.

But, the question you might ask, is "Why do the swimming records not reflect the same pattern?" It is again difficult to argue that the swimmers of the 1980's and early 1990s were NOT doped. We know that the eastern Bloc nations, in particular East German athletes, were heavily into drugs at this time - this applies to both swimmers and athletes. Yet the drug-induced records from the pool are now long gone, ancient history, replaced by the records set in the "new era", thanks to newly designed swimming pools, training methods and, in particular, swim suits.

There are many possible implications and arguments about this. I believe it suggests that the impact of technology in swimming dwarfs that of doping. This is clearly not the case in athletics, because records exist that may survive forever - can we ever expect to see a woman run under 47.60 seconds for 400m, for example? Perhaps "forever" is too strong a word, but what is certain is that the track and field records have withstood all the improvements in equipment and training since the 1980s.

Swimming, on the other hand, has leapt forward, and I do believe that this is an indication that doping is far less significant to swimming performance, which is the statement I began this analysis with. The reason for this, I believe, is that swimming is such an "inefficient" activity (even the world's best swimmers are only 7 to 9% efficient, I'm reliably informed), that any technology that reduces drag in the water has an enormous effect on performance. On the other hand, drugs which improve strength and power (as the drugs of the 1980s would have done) may have a far smaller effect, with so much of the gains being lost to the inefficient swimming stroke.

This is an oversimplification, and the obvious argument is that doping may be very effective, but is "masked" by the added introduction of technology. If they've been doping for years, technology would still move the event forward when it is introduced. I'd be keen (as always) to hear your views and opinions on that statement.

Is track and field lacking credibility in a different way?

The final point, an extension from the previous post, is that if swimming lacks credibility because its records are broken almost at will, then does athletics lack credibility when some records are so superior that it may take two or three generations to come close?

One might argue that in the case of women's athletics in particular, world records are equally meaningless, just as they are for swimming, though for a very different reason. If I was a female 100m runner, I'd certainly be more than disgruntled that the world record in my event is almost 0.5 seconds faster than most women will ever run. That is perhaps just as bad.

I have a feeling that IF FINA does ban the suits, we may, in 20 years time, find that swimming is in the same situation as athletics is today - its world records are "meaningless", simply because they are so out of reach that rather than being a trivial subtitle to the race (as they are now), they are a remnant of a previous time, where doping (technological or pharmaceutical, depending on the sport) was rife.

Ross

Posted by Ross Tucker and Jonathan Dugas on 11/27/2008 11:58:00 A

As far as road running goes, there are races, and then there are RACES.

Marathon wise, there are the BIG 5 races: London, New York, Berlin, Chicago and Boston, which all attract tens of thousands of competitors yearly (with the numbers continuing to rise on a yearly basis).

But after you have completed a marathon (or 5), you might be looking for a little something to work towards that pushes your endurance to the limits.


Enter the Comrades marathon.

An Ultra marathon run in South Africa every year in the month of June, this 87km event, is run in one (as in 1) day.

The interesting thing about this race is that every year the direction of the event changes. You have the choice of running it from Durban to Pietemaritzburg (called the Up Run), and the following year from Pietermaritzburg to Durban (called the Down Run).

As far as most Ultra marathon go, the field size is generally fairly small and comprised of mostly highly experienced runners. Not Comrades.

11 000 runners line up every year to tackle the Up or the Down run. And don't think that just because the ultimate Human race, as it has been called, has 11 000 participants, that it is an easy course.

There is so much history attached to the event, and many things that make this event
one-of-a-kind:

1. My Dad ran the race twice. He got me into Road running (and ultimately endurance sports).
   
2. It has an Up and Down run.
3. If you run the event 10 times, you get to own the number of your 10th event forever.
4. There are 6 medal categories, with the cut off being at 12 hours.
5. The current records, for both the Up and Down runs, in both the Male and Female categories are held by Russians - note the times for around 90km of running)
6. The race has been around since 1921, and since that date, has been run every year since then, with the exception of the years 1941-1945.
7. The course records for the Up and Down runs are as follows:
   
   

8. 2008			5:24:49			Leonid Shvetsov	Russia	6:14:38		Elena Nurgalyeva	Russia
   2007			5:20:49			Leonid Shvetsov	Russia	6:10:11		Alesya Nurgalyeva	Russi

But one of the biggest draw cards for the event is the route. It has legendary hills, legendary scenery and of of course, the legendary distance.

Check out the comparison of the Comrades marathons Up runs grueling hills in comparison to the legendary Boston Marathons Newton Hills:

At roughly the half way point of the Boston race, you are faced with one of the most famous, and grueling hills, in road running - Heartbreak hill.

The name says it all - an 800m long climb, that gets a 30m gain in elevation has left many a runner beaten down. The saying goes that:

"If you are having trouble in the Newton Hills, you will die on Heartbreak. If you are not having trouble in the Newton Hills, you will die on Heartbreak."

Enter Comrades Up run hills:

• Cowies hill - at 14km - 9.1% gradient (137m elevation gain) - 1.5km long.
• Fields hill - at 22km - 7.1% gradient (213m elevation gain) - 3km long.
• Bothas hill - at about 32km - 6.3% gradient (150m elevation gain) - 2.4km long
• Inchanga - at 44km - 6% gradient (150m elevation gain) 2.5km long
• Polly Shorts - at 80km - about 2km - Run it if you can!

Keep in mind that if you are doing the Down run, these uphills will all become Quad killer, Eccentric, thigh numbing downhills.

Amby Burfoot, writer and runner of note, wrote a great article (for Runners World) about his
experience in the Comrades Up run in 2007. It is a great read.

I will definitely take part in this race before my time is up - how about you?

As the days grows darker and colder, and the Winter storms bring rain and snow, outdoor cycling comes to grinding halt.

That should not mean that your cycling training should end for the next 3 months months.

The solution is indoor cycling. With the right accessories, there are ways to maintain, and even improve upon your current level of conditioning through the winter months.

If you are new to Indoor cycling, check out this great resource on how to set you bike up on an indoor spinner.


The beauty of indoor training is threefold:

1. You have complete control over the terrain you are riding over at all times, making Interval sessions more controllable.
   
2. A shorter indoor session equates to a longer outdoor ride (1 hour indoors approximates to 1H30 on the road)
3. You can ride no matter the weather - snow, sleet, rain or sunshine.
   

Here are a couple of other things I use when riding indoors to make the most of the training time, and keep things interesting and entertaining:

1. Doing quality training session on a Compu-Trainer.
   
2. Using trainer led sessions on a DVD like Coach Troy Jacobsons Spinnervals series, and Richard Alms indoor spin sessions
   
3. Get into a spinning class specifically for cyclists.

And finally, ensure to keep the following in mind when riding indoors:

1. The room you are in should be well ventilated. A fan can keep you cool and comfortable.
2. Have an ample supply of fluids, and do not forget to drink them.
3. Put a rubber mat underneath your bike to avoid sweating directly onto the floor (especially if it carpeted.
4. Alternate between hard sessions and easy sessions. You want to avoid overuse injuries at all costs.
5. Use this time to work on your cycling technique, your body position on the bike, and things like cadence.
   
6. Spend 5-10 minutes stretching at the end of every session.
   

After breaking down what the Core consists of and why it plays such a crucial role in the execution of effective and sound movement patterns, it is time to have a look at a few exercises that will make all the difference to the strength of your core musculature.

We have all read about the traditional exercises that can be used to improve your core conditioning: The front and side plank, the heel drop, the axe chopper, to name a few.

With this in mind, I decided to pull out a few of the more unusual, challenging and down right crazy Core exercises.

Please remember that these exercises are considered to be at either an intermediate or advanced level, and should not be prescribed to or attempted by, beginner trainees.

These images are taken from PT on the net - a great resource for everything exercise and training related. Some are combination movements, others pure core movements.

Try them, have fun and have a laugh!

Exercise 1: Core Board push up with running motion










Exercise 2: Alternate arm bends

Exercise 3: V-Sit + Rotation









Exercise 4: Side plank snatch

Exercise 5: Swiss ball with Glute bridge and twist









Exercise 6: Superstars w Barbell










These 6 exercises challenging the Transverse Abdominus, the Internal and External oblique muscle groups and Mutifidus muscles of the spine.