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The Last 10%

As you get closer to your race goals your training should become more precise, specific, and step towards race intensities. This is a precarious and technical process called �peaking.� A base training block is relatively easy to design but a race specific block is tricky. Maximum results often occur in that last 10% of intensity or duration. This may mean that extra little push needed to get into your aerobic capacity zone, a few more seconds of anaerobic endurance, or another 5 minutes at threshold. Mentally these efforts are the hardest to focus for and require the most fortitude to complete, but they may be the necessary stimulus to prepare you for your next race.

Conversely race specific training requires the most recovery and sensitivity to recovery. A bit more may be too much and can put you into overreaching, the predecessor to overtraining. The extra weight work out, a few added miles, another sprint could break your body down too much or perhaps even injure it. An extra 10% can leave you flat and tired on race day.

This careful balancing act is what we coaches build into our athlete's plans. Each work out has a recovery period attached to it and each athlete will recover differently based on a wide variety of factors. The athlete, however, knows their body best. In my experience elite athletes do not take enough rest days and focus too much on quantity of training over quality. Listen to your body; if you are showing signs of overreaching such as lethargy, irritability, digestive problems, performance drop, or frequent infections, it is time for a day of (or two). Realize that the extra rest may give you a better quality work out the following day, enough to put you in the last 10% that you could not achieve without it.

-Coach Matt Russ

Matt Russ has coached and trained elite athletes from around the country and internationally for over ten years. He currently holds expert licenses from USA Triathlon, USA Cycling (Elite), and is a licensed USA Track and Field Coach. Matt is head coach and owner of The Sport Factory, and works with athletes of all levels full time. He is a free lance author and his articles are regularly featured in a variety of magazines such as Inside Triathlon, and Triathlete. Visit www.thesportfactory.com for more information or email him at coachmatt@thesportfactory.com