Well the holiday's are over and the winter lull is about to set in. January marks the beginning of most endurance athletes, yours truly included, return to the grinding stone. For those in the know this is what we refer to as the "base building" phase of our periodized training schedule. This is the bread and butter of our fitness and everything we do over the next 3-4 months is going to set the tone for the 2008 season. Thats why I titled this blog entry the way I did. Missed workouts, low miles, and winter weight gain cannot dictate the pace at which you return to your training. Base building is all about slowly increasing your workload by doing lots and lots of slow and steady workouts. No more than 1 workout a week should be done at an RPE (rate of percieved effort) of more than 3-4. Any races during this time should be chosen carefully and run "for fun." I use races this time a year as speed work and strength building workouts.
Speaking of "fun" races on December 29th I had my best placing ever in the 3rd annual "Race to the New Year" at Cool Creek Park in Westfield. I finally got an age group award for that race also. It was a very nice clock. I ran Race #1 of the Runners Forum Winter XC series yesterday. I finished 9th overall out of 58 in 21:34. Slow yes but like I said earlier this is just a fun way to do some strength building workouts. I also got a new pair of shoes which I was long over due for and a new Tri top for only 20 bucks. I also purchased an Ice cup that you freeze and use for post workout ice massage. It comes with a tiny cooler that keeps it frozen for 12 hours which will be great for the trail and races.
Well I'm off until next time.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
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