The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley. -Robert Burns
A training plan that covers most of a year is always a good idea. The plan should target the key races or events the athlete is training for, arrange workouts that fit the athlete’s schedule, and lead to an optimal race day performance, all while taking into account the athlete’s abilities that need extra attention.
If only life were that simple. Unanticipated events always come along and disrupt the plan, resulting in the need to make adjustments. There will be days when it seems like the best thing to do is to tear up the plan. Recently I have had two major events that disrupted my plan. I am sharing those here in hopes others can learn something useful.
Before I jump into specifics, I want to mention the emotional impact these intrusions will have. Notice I say will, not may. Anyone who trains systematically and tracks their progress on TrainingPeaks is taking their training seriously. Minor disruptions might slide by without significant impact, but it doesn’t take much to trigger a real and negative emotional response. Thoughts like
“The world is against me.”
“I am so unlucky.”
“Why does this always happen to me?”
“Why do I even bother trying?”
Use situations like this to practice mental toughness skills. The same skills that will get you through a hard patch in a race. (see https://windsofhawi.com/drupal/mentaltoughness) One approach is to focus on the facts, the “What’s so” about a situation, while setting aside judgment and blame, and especially without imagining all of the bad outcomes. What some people call catastrophizing.
The first disruption came in December, while my older son Matt was visiting for the holidays. Our landlord decided to follow through with a plan he had been working on for years, tearing down the old house and building something new. He asked that we be out by the end of January. I was sure he would extend that if needed, but it was better for all of us to deal with this quickly. We all pitched in to look for a new house, pack, and move, and we got it all done with a few days to spare.
One week after we were settled in, my trusty old Subaru Outback decided it wanted attention. It overheated on the freeway. I had it towed to the dealer, where, as I write, it sits waiting for an evaluation. I admit that Pattie and I did jump to a possible outcome, the need for a new car. The soon-to-be-released Trailseeker sure looks sweet. As my dad used to say, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
As if that were not enough, as if my plate was not already full, Hawaii was hit by a significant weather system this weekend. Lots of rain, light but continuous, mixed with strong, gusty winds. Pattie and I decided not to swim yesterday, and we skipped our usual breakfast at the farmer’s market. I was not happy about skipping my scheduled two hour bike ride.
I used this opportunity to try out TrainingPeaks Virtual. This app has been on my radar for months. It is one reason I grabbed a MacBook before Trump's tariffs made them ridiculously expensive, and it is why I insisted on a three bedroom house. The app is easy to use and quite entertaining. It sure made the time on the trainer more enjoyable. I was surprised to see cruise ships and windmills scrolling past after we came down from the high mountains. Very cool. I do enjoy riding outside, but with TPV I can skip all the set up and tear down, and get more out of a morning ride. Not to mention days like today, when riding outside is risky.
Recognizing a disruption is the easy part. It is not always easy to develop useful and effective solutions. This is where a coach can help. My athletes can contact me whenever the need arises, and together we can agree on a course of action.