What is top end? There are several terms in use that describe pretty much the same thing. The key is rapid movement at high intensity. Think kicking a soccer ball on goal, or a volleyball player spiking the ball. Now extend that effort for thirty seconds to three minutes. For cyclists the best model is a sprint finish. I follow Joe Friel’s terminology and call this aerobic capacity work, since the goal of this exercise is to maximize the body's ability to process oxygen.

This is the first of an eight part series on what to focus on at the start of your season. For those of us lucky enough to be living in Hawaii, that is now. This is not the time for epic, all-day marathon efforts. Focus instead on force production, skills, and things like bike fit and diet improvement, things that often get swept aside once the season gets underway.

Before I begin I must tip my hat to Jimmy Carter, who passed away on Sunday. We should look to him as a model of how to serve. We athletes, and even more so coaches, must never lose sight of our responsibility to serve our community, in whatever way we can.

My take away message for 2024 is this. When life gets hard, having a crazy big goal can help get you through the rough patches.

Eating is a life changing behavior. Eat well and you will be healthy. Eat poorly and your quality of life will suffer. Stop eating and you die. I can think of only three other activities of equal importance to our lives: drinking, sleeping, and breathing.

SAD

The acronym SAD stands for Standard American Diet. It’s fitting. Most Americans eat too much calorie-dense, nutrient-poor food, the result of cultural norms, over-processing, and an endless blizzard of advertising.

A top priority for any coach is to get their athletes to the start line without injury. I did that this year, in spite of a heavier run training program. My last long bike workout was on October 20. Soon after that I made the decision that Pattie would not be strong enough to travel to Mexico for my IM Cozumel race, nor would she be strong enough to be left alone at home. I still had the Honolulu Marathon penciled in on my calendar, so I cleared away most of the remaining bike workouts and replaced them with runs.

If you are like me you are experiencing an explosion of AI promotions offering to write your Emails, fix your photos, and just about everything else short of washing your windows. For athletes, this includes coaching services.

The big race is upon us. Good luck to all of the athletes. I hope you find time to relax and enjoy your stay. Don't forget to eat at my fav Kona spot, Lava Java.

The training process is not complicated. Apply some stress to your body and later on, while you are asleep, your body will respond in ways that make you faster and more powerful. The same activity trains your brain to perform the necessary movements as efficiently as possible. 

The Hawaii Bicycling League annual Fall Century Ride is this Sunday. Let’s take a look at a few things too often overlooked. A century ride is supposed to be fun. A few hearty individuals consider fun to be riding at a scorching pace, but for the vast majority of riders, slow and easy is the recipe for an enjoyable experience. Adequate preparation will go a long way to making the day a success.

I found this insightful and useful. Funny, too, but then anything involvement bodily functions is. It reminds of an old familiar saying concerning Kona, "If you haven't peed by Hawi you aren't drinking enough." Maybe I should add that tn my kit design.

From my fellow triathlete, coach, and FB friend Thomas E. Skelton III, used by permission:

Somebody has to talk about this and thankfully for you all, I’m uniquely qualified to help!