Spring
Posted by Dave Johnson on May 26th 2008 in Training Information, Team Communication
By Chad Giese
Factory Team
First published in SkiPost Reprinted by permission
Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. Despite being physically tired and mentally drained after a long racing season it is now when I start to get excited for next season. During these low key weeks of running, biking, relaxing, and working, I generally just do whatever my body feels like it wants to do each day and sometimes that 1 hour workout turns into a 4 hour tour. So I don’t want to rain on anyone’s party, but May 1st is here just like it is every year. This is the traditional start of the training year and we want to be ready, not just for the first week of training, but with our plan for the coming year.
I worked with Ahvo Taipale throughout my entire ski career and we had a Plan, Execute, Analyze approach to things. We are at the end of this sequence and now is the time to analyze how things went this year and create your goals for next year. It doesn’t have to be anything too sophisticated, in fact for most of us it is pretty easy to figure out how the year went, and for some, it is painfully obvious. Part of this process is to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses. This is something that most of us are constantly doing throughout the season, but now is the time to actually figure out how to do something about them. Make sure to set short term and long term goals to help guide your training and planning.
Next, we need to put our plan in place and figure out what we need to do and when in order to reach our goals. This is a very important part of the training process and is where a coach can really be useful. There are a lot of new ideas floating around out there, new training techniques, new strength routines, new periodization ideas, etc. etc. etc. and having someone to help sort through these ideas to come up with something that will work for YOU is invaluable. Look back on what you have done that has worked and try not to make drastic changes from year to year. I have made the mistake of changing too many things at once and never could put my finger on what was helpful and what wasn’t. The plan should provide you with a good framework to start from. It should not be a rigid document, but something that changes as you do throughout the year. Make sure it includes all of the major elements: Strength, Endurance, Speed, Intensity, and Rest. Once you have something that looks good and you think will get you closer to your goals, the last thing to do is to execute the plan.
This is where the rubber meets the road. Execution of our plan is ultimately the most important piece of this puzzle. You can have the best training plan in the world, the best coach, and the most resources but if you don’t get out the door and train it won’t win you any medals. Follow the plan and listen to your body. Use periodic tests to assess your progress towards your goals. Change the plan if you need to, but if you keep moving, and keep working you will make progress. It is the most fun part of the process anyway. Who can complain about having an office without walls? As I have made the transition to a new career I am reminded of this on a daily basis. Take advantage of that office that is sometimes cold, sometimes windy, sometimes hot, sometimes wet, but always incredibly beautiful.
Enjoy the process. It is never ending in the best way. Make a plan to meet your goals and then just get out the door and make it happen.
Train on
