As mentioned in The Masters Skate, Part I, there are three major areas of importance that should be taken into consideration when attempting to achieve high-level performances.

The first, Physiology, deals with oxygen consumption, lactate threshold, heart rate and other biologically-related factors discussed in detail in Part I, II and III of this series.

The second, Biomechanics, focuses on the study of motion of the human body, and the effects of equipment on performance (equipment has an effect on the motion of the body).

The third, Mental, is probably the most difficult to "get a handle on," since it is not measurable by conventional methods, and different aspects of the mental game work better for some than for others.

This installment will address two of the Mental contributions which encompass philosophy, mental preparation, motivation, strategy, tactics and more. We'll focus on philosophy and strategy using a recent masters-age personal athletic achievement illustration.

The Goal

Conventional thinking says that it is important to have a goal in order to perform well. This may seem obvious, yet many athletes don't really have a goal. Consider your situation right now; do you have a clearly-defined, written-down goal? If not, why not take a few minutes right now to open up your daytimer (or calendar), and write down at least one goal. It might take a few minutes to come up with something you really want, but without a goal defined, it's not easy to continue on to strategy. Think of a goal you'd like to achieve, and write it down (or remember it exactly as you state it).

Whether that goal is specific (I want to finish my next 10K in 17:00 or less) or broadly-defined (my goal is to finish a marathon) is not important at this point; what is important is that you have one. It's a good start. Goals are a way of giving us a direction for our energy and effort. Yet we need to have one clearly defined in order to move towards it optimally. In order to put a 'real-life' story to this concept, here's the illustration: Last year a friend (a longtime training and racing partner) asked me if I wanted to do an Ironman triathlon with him. I was shocked, since he had never expressed an interest in such an event before. And since I have never had even the slightest desire to do a race of that distance, my reply was "Sure, if you want to do one, I'll train with you." I'm sure that if you're reading this article and you're at least somewhat competitive, you can relate to this; there's just something about a challenge that makes it almost irresistable. I don't really know why I agreed to do it, since I was content doing smaller duration (1-2 hour) races, but I agreed. In any event, my answer to him automatically defined two goals for me - a short-term goal: to train at a level adequate to complete a 12-hour race, and a long-term goal: to complete the event. At the time, I was exercising for health, not for competition averaging 3 30- to 45-minute sessions a week. Bumping up training to complete a triathlon was a daunting task, especially since I had 6 months to do it. But again, having a long-term goal was very helpful. It allowed me to determine what needed to be done in order for me to achieve my goal.

Depending on your current level of fitness and your outside (non-exercise) commitments, you can adjust your goal accordingly. My goal was not to try to win a triathlon, or even to finish in the top 10 in my age group. Based on a realistic scenario, I wanted to finish it, and not feel like I had been hit by a truck. Being realistic is an important component of goal-setting. Being realistic doesn't mean that you set your sights low; on the contrary, it means that you're taking into account all of the issues with which you're going to have to deal. Consider your commitments with work, marriage, children, home, outside interests, etc. and come up with a realistic, but challenging goal.

Take-home Message

It's a good idea to set a goal. It can be broadly or specifically-defined, but having one is important, and can help direct your training.

The Strategy

Once your goal is in place, you need to consider a strategy. The goals I set took into consideration a plethora of day-to-day factors. For example, you wouldn't expect to have much time for your family if your strategy was to leave every Friday night for an all-out training weekend, only to return on Sunday evening, and to also go directly from work to train for 5 hours every evening. You must be realistic, and outline a strategy that works. The term strategy should be viewed in two ways: a long-term and short-term.

Here's an illustration of strategy-setting:
After agreeing to do the Ironman, I called another friend and told him that I was getting ready to start training. He immediately said that he was interested in doing the event, so we agreed to train together (my friend who initially asked me to do the race lives in California, so we couldn't train very often). This made it a bit easier, since I would not be the only one reviewing the workout schedule; I shared the burden of the planning with a friend. This is the "divide and conquer" concept taken to a new level.

Our strategy was to set up a training program that would allow us to each achieve our individual goals while keeping our lives somewhat "balanced." It was based on years of experience coaching, training and competing in various sports, plus input from experienced "Ironman" triathletes and ultraendurance athletes.

Part of any comprehensive strategy is to set up contingencies for unforseen problems. We allowed for "catch-up days" - days when we'd make up for workouts we missed because of bad weather, personal commitments, or problems.

We outlined a game plan for training which allowed us time to build up our endurance; work on speed for a short time; and then taper for the race - all in a 6-month span. Again, a formidable task, but one that could potentially be successful, especially if no major problems such as injuries came up.

When you set up your strategy, keep in mind the fact that it is not necessary to make decisions about every single facet of your training; instead, think of a strategy as a set of guidelines. You can make the rules that you think will best serve your goals. If your goal is to set a world record, your strategy will probably not include a lot of leisurely training, and will not be limited to a short time span (you need time to increase endurance, speed, power, fitness etc. to set a record).

Our strategy called for multiple 'periods' of training; each one devoted to a different aspect of fitness. Since endurance was our main goal, we started developing base endurance immediately calling for longer workouts. Since my fitness level was not high at the time, the term 'longer' didn't really mean long at all; in fact, some of our first runs were only 6 miles, and some of our biking sessions were just 1-1/2 to 2 hours. We decided to "double-up" on workouts - biking and running on the same day - to accomplish two things:

1. The duration of our workouts would be extended to 2-3 hours.
2. We would minimize the toll the workouts took on us.

We weren't prepared for 2-3 hours of running, or 3 hours of biking without increasing the risk of injury from overuse or requiring significant recovery, so doubling up on workouts was a good solution.

We all have responsibilities, so making the most of your time is truly a necessity (if you're trying to maintain at least some semblance of balance). Doubling-up on workouts allows you to have "off" days days of rest, when you can spend time with your family and friends. Another part of our strategy was how we would handle the grueling Ironman race. We included a "run across Michigan" and a "bike across Indiana" in our training program. That would serve two purposes:

1. If we were successful at those events, it would build confidence in our ability to do ultra-endurance events.
2. The events themselves would serve as good training workouts.

Use this concept in your strategy. Try to make the most of your time by incorporating as many helpful ideas as you can from various sources. Look at other athletes' workouts; read books by world-class athletes; hire a trainer; work with a coach; join a club; etc. Some will be appropriate for you, others not. You need to have some idea of what is available in order to implement it in your program.

If you're not sure that you can accomplish your goal, it's not a bad idea to set up a few "dry runs" before the event, to build confidence and see what you'll have to contend with when you actually attempt to reach your goal.

A final component to our strategy was to be ready for the event conditions: hills, hot weather, open-water swimming, and being self-sufficient in terms of equipment failures. When you live in Michigan, hills and hot weather posed a real challenge. We did our best to set up our training schedule at a park with as many hills as we could find, and trained on the hottest days when the heat index wasn't too high. To get acclimated to the open-water swimming as opposed to pool-swimming, we did a few long swims in a nearby lake. To be ready for the possibility of a flat tire or other mechanical problem, we built small 'repair kits' that fit neatly under our seats.

Having some idea of the conditions you'll encounter when you "go for it" is important. Without adequate preparation for inclement conditions, the best trained athlete in the world will be unable to perform to his/her ability.

Take-home Message

Your strategy is a framework for your workout program. It should be well thought-out, comprehensive and reasonable. Without a strategy, your goal maybe unreachable. With a good strategy, your goal is almost guaranteed.

Conclusion

Once you have your goal and an overall concept of how to get there (strategy), you're ready to move on to the next steps in planning your program: selecting tactics and staying motivated.

© 2001, Frank J. Fedel, C.E.S.