Comments on: Time Investment for Athletic Excellence http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/blog/methodology/time-investment-for-athletic-excellence Advice, free guides and products from Patrick McCrann. Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:04:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Patrick McCrann http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/blog/methodology/time-investment-for-athletic-excellence/comment-page-1#comment-198 Patrick McCrann Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:24:56 +0000 http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/?p=637#comment-198 Lee Ann --<br><br>Great question! You will want to spend your time training, not really<br>lifting unless you "have to" to stay healthy. Instead, make a basic week<br>that fits into your life as you know it. Maybe push the envelope a bit on<br>one weekend day, but really no other need. Then 12 weeks out it's go time<br>and you start to take advantage of having been such a good do-bee for so<br>long. Feel free to post up some sample thoughts, what your A race is, etc!<br>Good luck!<br><br>Patrick<br>--------------<br>Patrick McCrann<br><a href="http://www.twitter.com/pmccrann" rel="nofollow">www.twitter.com/pmccrann</a><br><a href="http://www.endurancenation.us" rel="nofollow">www.endurancenation.us</a><br><a href="http://www.triathlonexecution.com" rel="nofollow">www.triathlonexecution.com</a><br>Follow the 2009 4Keys Tour -- Coming to an IM Near You! Lee Ann –

Great question! You will want to spend your time training, not really
lifting unless you “have to” to stay healthy. Instead, make a basic week
that fits into your life as you know it. Maybe push the envelope a bit on
one weekend day, but really no other need. Then 12 weeks out it's go time
and you start to take advantage of having been such a good do-bee for so
long. Feel free to post up some sample thoughts, what your A race is, etc!
Good luck!

Patrick
————–
Patrick McCrann
http://www.twitter.com/pmccrann
http://www.endurancenation.us
http://www.triathlonexecution.com
Follow the 2009 4Keys Tour — Coming to an IM Near You!

]]> By: Lee Ann http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/blog/methodology/time-investment-for-athletic-excellence/comment-page-1#comment-197 Lee Ann Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:14:54 +0000 http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/?p=637#comment-197 Please help clarify for me. I am only in my second season of training for triathlons and yes have a life outside of training...full time job, 2 kids under 10, husband, parents to care for, etc. The time i do have, should i spend it running and swimming faster until i am 12 weeks to pre - race? Should i spend time on strength training to improve my speed? Thank you. Lee Ann Please help clarify for me. I am only in my second season of training for triathlons and yes have a life outside of training…full time job, 2 kids under 10, husband, parents to care for, etc. The time i do have, should i spend it running and swimming faster until i am 12 weeks to pre – race? Should i spend time on strength training to improve my speed? Thank you. Lee Ann

]]> By: Patrick McCrann http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/blog/methodology/time-investment-for-athletic-excellence/comment-page-1#comment-188 Patrick McCrann Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:21:08 +0000 http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/?p=637#comment-188 Maryka -<br><br>Thanks so much for clarifying my persective on training. I think with your<br>background in triathlon you bring a solid aerobic history to the table and<br>should do much damage this year! Looking forward to following you... Maryka -

Thanks so much for clarifying my persective on training. I think with your
background in triathlon you bring a solid aerobic history to the table and
should do much damage this year! Looking forward to following you…

]]> By: smaryka http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/blog/methodology/time-investment-for-athletic-excellence/comment-page-1#comment-186 smaryka Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:45:58 +0000 http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/?p=637#comment-186 Not sure how many non-professional athletes can do 20 hours a week regularly, let alone 50! Keep in mind that Patrick is talking about regular working people for whom sport is a hobby, not a job. Words like mediocre and excellent are quite subjective when it comes to performance, especially for amateurs.<br><br>Regarding base miles: periodisation in Ironman means intensity in the off-season to raise your threshold, then adding volume closer to race day to meet the needs of your 9-14 hour Ironman race. It just makes sense to do it that way, both from the perspective of what the race requires, and of what you as the athlete require to get there. Who wants to be sitting on the trainer cranking out 6 hour rides in the middle of winter? Mental burnout is just as big a factor in endurance sports as physical readiness.<br><br>This year I've gone from Ironman training the past few years to training for cycle racing, so my idea of the worth of base miles is slightly changing. The longest race I'll do this season will be less than 3 hours (though a few of those will be multi-day stage races). A lot of my races are an hour or so at full threshold. Periodisation for me now means more base miles in winter than I'm used to, simply to build up my CTL for race season when I'll be doing 2 intense races a week and needing to recover between them (meaning my overall hours and mileage will drop, and theoretically my CTL too). <br><br>Even so, I'm still doing intensity in the off-season (cyclocross racing! threshold pain and fun all rolled into one). Old school endless hours of long slow distance isn't for me, but neither is a weekly diet of nothing but one-hour trainer sessions. Fortunately I live in a place where I can ride outside all year long, so I'm still doing regular three-hour rides when I can, usually in zone 2-3. Concepts like critical volume and tapering will take on a new meaning this season. Makes me wonder what kind of programme Olympic distance athletes are following? Not sure how many non-professional athletes can do 20 hours a week regularly, let alone 50! Keep in mind that Patrick is talking about regular working people for whom sport is a hobby, not a job. Words like mediocre and excellent are quite subjective when it comes to performance, especially for amateurs.

Regarding base miles: periodisation in Ironman means intensity in the off-season to raise your threshold, then adding volume closer to race day to meet the needs of your 9-14 hour Ironman race. It just makes sense to do it that way, both from the perspective of what the race requires, and of what you as the athlete require to get there. Who wants to be sitting on the trainer cranking out 6 hour rides in the middle of winter? Mental burnout is just as big a factor in endurance sports as physical readiness.

This year I've gone from Ironman training the past few years to training for cycle racing, so my idea of the worth of base miles is slightly changing. The longest race I'll do this season will be less than 3 hours (though a few of those will be multi-day stage races). A lot of my races are an hour or so at full threshold. Periodisation for me now means more base miles in winter than I'm used to, simply to build up my CTL for race season when I'll be doing 2 intense races a week and needing to recover between them (meaning my overall hours and mileage will drop, and theoretically my CTL too).

Even so, I'm still doing intensity in the off-season (cyclocross racing! threshold pain and fun all rolled into one). Old school endless hours of long slow distance isn't for me, but neither is a weekly diet of nothing but one-hour trainer sessions. Fortunately I live in a place where I can ride outside all year long, so I'm still doing regular three-hour rides when I can, usually in zone 2-3. Concepts like critical volume and tapering will take on a new meaning this season. Makes me wonder what kind of programme Olympic distance athletes are following?

]]> By: Time Investment for Athletic Excellence [Guest Post] « Endurance Nation | Online Triathlon Coaching & Community http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/blog/methodology/time-investment-for-athletic-excellence/comment-page-1#comment-185 Time Investment for Athletic Excellence [Guest Post] « Endurance Nation | Online Triathlon Coaching & Community Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:44:49 +0000 http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/?p=637#comment-185 [...] Continue reading the full post over at Coach Patrick’s Blog: www.patrickjohnmccrann.com [...] [...] Continue reading the full post over at Coach Patrick’s Blog: http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com [...]

]]> By: Patrick McCrann http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/blog/methodology/time-investment-for-athletic-excellence/comment-page-1#comment-184 Patrick McCrann Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:46:00 +0000 http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/?p=637#comment-184 You'll have to be more specific about what "excellent" is. Not to be "that<br>guy" but I have gone to Kona three years in a row on much less than 25 hours<br>a week...which meant I could try and be excellent at other things like being<br>a dad, or a good worker bee, etc. But that's my personal<br>perspective....triathlon is a game, not my be all end all. You'll have to be more specific about what “excellent” is. Not to be “that
guy” but I have gone to Kona three years in a row on much less than 25 hours
a week…which meant I could try and be excellent at other things like being
a dad, or a good worker bee, etc. But that's my personal
perspective….triathlon is a game, not my be all end all.

]]> By: JK http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/blog/methodology/time-investment-for-athletic-excellence/comment-page-1#comment-183 JK Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:41:08 +0000 http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/?p=637#comment-183 A 25 hour week is not epic.<br><br>A 50 hour week is epic. <br><br>Your concepts work well enough to get you to the level of mediocre, where 25 hours seems epic. To be excellent, there's a different level to be reached, and that's marked by 10000 hours among all the other things you suggest isn't necessary. Set your sights higher! A 25 hour week is not epic.

A 50 hour week is epic.

Your concepts work well enough to get you to the level of mediocre, where 25 hours seems epic. To be excellent, there's a different level to be reached, and that's marked by 10000 hours among all the other things you suggest isn't necessary. Set your sights higher!

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