Plan Your Play (making goals and plans)

Plan your play, and play your plan is a great credo I once heard from Ray Browning M.S. author of Serious Training for Endurance Athletes. If you were starting out on a new business venture, would you take the time to develop a solid business plan? Of course, failure to do so could only lead to disaster or total failure. So it is with designing a training plan. Careful planning does not have to be hard work and it is a great way to design the plan that you want. By taking  20 minutes on a Sunday evening to look at your upcoming week, you can design your training to easily fit your schedule. This eliminates all of the stress of finding time to train and allows you to  enjoy your runs.

Make your goals possibilities not expectations. Many times, we are disappointed when we do not achieve our expectations. However, possibilities are always there to work toward regardless of the results. Write down your goals! Post those on your refrigerator, your computer at work, share them with a friend a family member or business associate. Being aware of your goals will keep you committed to the process of reaching them. Once you start to see the successes, they will keep you motivated and moving forward. More importantly be consistent, let your training become a part of your daily routine.

Consistency is by far the best and safest way to attain the results you are looking for. Consistency does not mean over training, but it does mean establishing a pattern of training that allows you to achieve the most improvement with the least amount of focused effort. Most coaches today, myself included, support the training philosophy that small fitness gains over long periods of time are far better than large gains over short periods. It is your consistency that allows you to practice moderation in training, and coupled with periodic rest days that will contribute to long-term gains and lack of injury.

Are your support systems in place? My guess is, if you are reading this book you are not training to make the next Olympic team or earning your income from endorsements. Like most people, you have a family, a job, and the daily responsibilities that life brings. Take the time to talk to your family, friends and business associates about your goals. Let them become a part of your efforts to make positive physical changes in your life that will carry over into a more positive and productive personal life. If you are training for a marathon, it will require weekend long runs. Have the family meet you at the end of your run for a nice cool down hike or walk. If you train in an area where it is safe for your kids to ride bikes, take them along on your runs. Whatever it is make it a team effort. The rewards are worth it.

Keeping your goals realistic is important. You want your goals to be challenging, but if they are too high, they may only lead to failure and disappointment that may discourage you from continuing. Make sure your goals are specific. By setting short-term goals that keep you focused and motivated, you will not loose sight of your ultimate goal. Being able to measure your goals allows you to monitor your progress. It is imperative to log your training. Keeping a log provides an invaluable resource in pinpointing which workouts are working best for you. It has been my experience that runners who keep a log are far more focused and achieve much higher levels of success than those who do not.

Make sure your log contains the following details:

Workout specifics (type, distance, intensity)

1. Pace
2. Time of day
3. Weather conditions
4. Nutritional information (before, during and after workouts)
5. Heart rates (morning resting and heart rates during your run)
6. Sleep patterns
7. Daily stress levels
8. Workout summary of how you feel

I cannot begin to tell you how important it is to have fun and find some kind of entertainment value in your training. Always look for new ways to make your training fun and interesting. Vary your workouts never do the same training week back to back. A fresh approach means a fresh attitude, and this can carry over into every aspect of your life.

“Unleash Your Potential”

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Coach Jeff