03/26/08
Day 4 - ironguides El Paso Training Camp
Time to head into the final workouts of Day Four of the ironguides Method Training Camp, El Paso 2008...
Category: Training
Posted by: marc
The idea behind this camp was more than just to "get in some fun training" -- campers were introduced to the concepts behind The Method and shown over the course of four days how the right training structure could help them train and recover more effectively during Camp and after into the remainder of their season. The wide range of abilities in the athletes attending -- from 1-month novices to 27-year veterans of the sport -- meant that campers could witness first-hand how the principles of a proper training mix apply across the board to all levels of athlete.
Day Four started with a "steady" swim set of up to 40x100y for the more advanced swimmers. We kept the interval short and emphasized a consistent pace for the entire set. Neophyte swimmers kept the set to the familiar "large number" of short 50y repeats, again on short rest to keep the set more endurance oriented. "Dead arms, untaxed lungs" as the refrain goes here in ironguidesville...needless to say, except for the final set of short, all-out 25y efforts the entire workout was done using pull buoy and paddles. Our least-experienced swimmer May was given the opportunity to set a new personal best over 100m at the end of the set -- which she handily lived up to!
A little rest, a little food and it was off again -- time for the weekend's long run. Keeping it easy and on the roads for the first half, the group convened for the back half of the session at the nearby treadmills. Being a little tired after over two hours of training so far this morning, we used the tools at our disposal to ensure a high quality, "honest" effort over the final 40min of running, upping the speed all the way into the cooldown. Again, a focus on high stride rate and pushing the aerobic intensity only towards the end of the session kept athletes focused on motor skills for most of the session.
27-year Triathlon Vet Gretchen McElroy ...before or after the sessions??! :-)
After lunch a short bike ride and camp was done. We headed up to Trans Mountain for the 10k climb high above El Paso -- a nice way of forcing some hard, sustained effort later in the day after the stamina and endurance focus of the morning. Francois put the hurt on the bunch while Felipe made up for a "slight error in judgment" in the previous day's long ride by finishing the climb with an all-out burst over the final few 100 yards.
All in all, a solid four days of training, understanding training, examining our understanding of the word "limit" and coming to understand via seminars and in very real and practical terms how realigning one's understanding of "smart training" from a focus on aerobic fitness to a longer term focus on skills acquisition can enhance one's enjoyment of and payback on training.
Day Four started with a "steady" swim set of up to 40x100y for the more advanced swimmers. We kept the interval short and emphasized a consistent pace for the entire set. Neophyte swimmers kept the set to the familiar "large number" of short 50y repeats, again on short rest to keep the set more endurance oriented. "Dead arms, untaxed lungs" as the refrain goes here in ironguidesville...needless to say, except for the final set of short, all-out 25y efforts the entire workout was done using pull buoy and paddles. Our least-experienced swimmer May was given the opportunity to set a new personal best over 100m at the end of the set -- which she handily lived up to!
A little rest, a little food and it was off again -- time for the weekend's long run. Keeping it easy and on the roads for the first half, the group convened for the back half of the session at the nearby treadmills. Being a little tired after over two hours of training so far this morning, we used the tools at our disposal to ensure a high quality, "honest" effort over the final 40min of running, upping the speed all the way into the cooldown. Again, a focus on high stride rate and pushing the aerobic intensity only towards the end of the session kept athletes focused on motor skills for most of the session.
27-year Triathlon Vet Gretchen McElroy ...before or after the sessions??! :-)
After lunch a short bike ride and camp was done. We headed up to Trans Mountain for the 10k climb high above El Paso -- a nice way of forcing some hard, sustained effort later in the day after the stamina and endurance focus of the morning. Francois put the hurt on the bunch while Felipe made up for a "slight error in judgment" in the previous day's long ride by finishing the climb with an all-out burst over the final few 100 yards.
All in all, a solid four days of training, understanding training, examining our understanding of the word "limit" and coming to understand via seminars and in very real and practical terms how realigning one's understanding of "smart training" from a focus on aerobic fitness to a longer term focus on skills acquisition can enhance one's enjoyment of and payback on training.