After the Cardiff half marathon in 3 weeks time, I will have a break, analyse my season as above and then plan my winter with my coach. But I have been thinking how I can improve on this year without actually doing anything. What do I mean by that? Well, what can I do to get faster without having to raise my heart rate, put out 350 watts on the bike (sorry TurboMan!) or really even break a sweat? After reading a lot of literature and speaking to several coaches, I've found that there are in fact several ways to become faster whilst sitting at home. So here goes:
- Stretch! This is an easy one, how many of us stretch enough? Not me. But stretching is so easy to fit into your daily routine, you can even stretch while watching the TV. Just sprawl out on the floor and stretch out those tight muscles. And you can even take it to the next level and add in some simple self bodywork. Use a tennis ball or a foam roller (or rolling pin if you're hard enough) to really break up those nasty trigger points or lengthen your IT band.
- Another no effort tip is to get some professional bodywork. We spend so much time beating up our bodies, we need to take the time to replenish and rejuvenate our bodies. When our bodies are functioning correctly we are able to get so much more from our bodies and our training. So get yourself off to your local massage therapist, chiropractor or physiotherapist and get some professional bodywork.
- Track your progress and give your training plan an MOT. Hopefully you are using some form of tracking, whether it's something like TrainingPeaks or the simple pen and paper method. Either way by logging your workouts you are able to look back on what was effective and what didn’t work. Look for trends in your training. When did you have good workouts? Can you pin-point anything specific about the lead in to that workout or period?
- You can also try tracking your recovery. For one week take note of the time you spend stretching, doing yoga or your hour massage. We all know that recovery is the key to strong training and faster racing, so why not track it like we do our weekly miles or hours?
- And finally, and the ultimate in terms of no-effort tips, SLEEP! Take your sleep patterns seriously. If you regularly get less than 7 hours of sleep per night, try getting 8 for one week and see the difference. Once you experience the extra energy, you won’t be so tempted to stay up and Jonathon Ross on a Friday night! And how about adding in a nap? A twenty minute snooze is a great way to rejuvenate yourself, and it’s free!
Don't forget, these tips are meant as "no effort" tips. Of course, adding in those core strength sessions and long slow rides, etc will help build that base to build your speed upon, but my tips are meant to be simply incorporated into your day, so with very little effort you can take your training to a new level. The key is to just get started and incorporate these tips into your daily routine. Try these tips over the winter months (and through to the summer) and I'm convinced you'll see some great results. If you have some more "no effort" tips, please let me know and I'll add them to the list (I'm all for more tips, especially when it means no effort & more speed!). Train smart guys!
3 comments:
Good gen there Frank. I need to stretch and sleep more. When i get a moment I'm going to try and find out how I can more of these into my day. I also think hydration could help me out massively- which is a free tip even in these credit crunch times.
Some really good stuff there Frank and not just for the novices. Sometimes, even more experienced athletes need reminding of the basics. I know that I certainly don't get enough sleep although I'm pretty good doing core, stretch and flex through the winter but it's the first thing that goes by the wayside come race season.
I always thought LSD (no, not the mind altering drug!) meant Long STEADY Distance, not Long SLOW Distance; there's a subtle but important difference.
Frank the motivational speaker! i would love to do what you say but it is the pros who have the time etc to do those extra things that take them to super fast speed. One thing I am doing this winter is more rest and less junk mileage - ok, 2 things but they are related!
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