Update
Man what a month it's been. Had a short and sweet summer at home… got to spend some good time with friends & family, do some camping, get back on a horse and of course get in a nice block of altitude training. I was able to spend a month at home soaking in the sunshine and breathing in the thin air before returning back to AK at the beginning of July. Coming back up to altitude, I felt that I made the first basic adaptation to altitude the fastest ever. Likewise, I felt that I reached the same level of being “altitude fit” in 3 weeks this year as I did in 10 weeks last year which was cool to see & feel. Besides that, nothing juicy to report, just ticking right along, rolling with the punches, getting some good training in, and trying to enjoy the process as much as possible along the way!
Small Margins!
One of the most pertinent things that I have observed throughout the beginning of this season is how much of a difference there is between optimal and making due when it comes to training gains. Personally I try to keep things within a certain range of being optimal, and if some aspect falls below that reasonable range, then something needs to change. Here’s the story and what I’ve gleaned from it:
After my spring semester of school, I had several weeks where I was essentially on training camp. Having been on the road, for the better part of a month, going back and forth between the States and Europe and finishing out the school semester, I was grateful to be in one place with less on my plate. I worked a bit from home, but other than that I was able to put all my energy into optimal training, and made the transition from on snow training to dry land training. (rollerskiing, running, biking, etc) This was the first time I’ve ever started my dryland season in AK whereas I’ve previously started at home in CO. When I got home to CO this year I was working longer hours 5-7 days a week, while still training at the same level. It wasn’t until I’d been back in CO for a couple of weeks that I realized a number of things;
There is a big difference between living a life where you can just focus on training, versus any other permutation you can think of. Simply put, for optimal training adaptations, you ideally wouldn’t do anything but eat, sleep, train. If too many sacrifices are made, whether it be in sleep, nutrition, equipment, training location and recovery, etc…optimal training will be compromised.
Being in a suitable location where you don’t have to “make do” makes a big difference. Having previously started my dryland training in CO, I didn’t realize any different to know what I was missing out on. Don’t get me wrong, there is some amazing training in Gunnison, particularly running and biking, but roller skiing, which is the most important modality for me, offers limited terrain. One of my goals for this season is to work on my v1 specific strength. V1 is a technique/ climbing gear that is used in skate skiing on steep hills. In the Gunnison valley, the roller skiable terrain is 98% flat and gradual which is not what you want when you’re trying to improve your climbing.
Lastly, sequencing in training is important. Within training there are different cycles. These cycles range from as long as many years, to what you’re doing in each session, on a daily basis. Basically training is structured using layers and phases of working and resting. Pretty simple right? Where this can get a bit more tricky is on a daily and weekly basis. If your life schedule and training schedule don't match then the workload will stay a bit higher than desired.
Now of course most people can’t afford to live in a manner that allows them to sleep, eat, train, nor do many people actually enjoy that lifestyle for extended periods. However, if you want to harvest some low hanging fruit and eek out some extra gains from the training that you already do, then try to strike a balance in life that enables you to put adequate energy into training AND recovery. Find yourself in a location you enjoy that optimizes your training efforts. Lastly, have a daily schedule that fits with the highs and lows of training sequencing.
The sequencing, in particular, is something that I am trying to nail this season in order to get the most bang for my buck. :)
Hope you’re enjoying many nice summer activities wherever you are, and soaking up the warmth while you still can. Winter is fast approaching. ;)
Until next time,
Garrett
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