(upbeat music)
- Now, it is all too easy to get carried away
in our training and feel that we absolutely have
to get things done at all costs.
Now this in itself is a great mindset for us to have,
but it's not ideal if it means that we maybe start
trying to cut corners to get that training done
or even worse still, that then impacts the training
of our clubmates or our training buddies whilst we
try and do so.
So today, I'm going to outline five ways that you
can actually ruin a workout so that you can do your best
to then avoid falling to those same pitfalls.
- Let's start with the warm up.
Now, as far as we're concerned here at GTN,
whatever session you've got planned,
it's important to factor in a portion of that
as warm up time, even it is just a five minute
super easy jog ahead of your steady run.
And it's an important aspect of any training session,
and it becomes even more important if you've got
a key running session planned.
That being said, it's still amazing how many people
don't value the importance of those first few minutes.
There are two aspects of getting your warm up wrong.
The first one is omitting it altogether.
Say you're really strapped for time,
but you're desperate to get your session done
and you just think I'll straight in with the main set.
Now you run two risks here.
The first one being the fact you're not going to get
the most out of your session and you're unlikely
to be able to hit those target times, but the second one,
and more worryingly is you could actually get injured
by pulling muscle or something if your body
isn't quite ready.
Then on the flip side, you might end up going too hard
in your warm up, and you've probably experienced
teammates doing that in a swim, tapping your toes
or going just ahead of you on the bike
and you're just losing that opportunity to actually
warm your body and your mind up,
ready for the main session.
So, if you do actually approach your warm up as a really
key part to getting to the next session,
you'll make sure that you really nail the main set.
- Now, it might seem entirely obvious, but training when
you're ill is something that many of us can fall
into the trap of doing.
Now as triathletes, we are very driven individuals usually,
so that means we don't want to ever miss a planned workout.
But we've all been there, when we wake up in the morning
and we've got some, if not all of the tell-tell indicators
of an oncoming cold.
We may we have a scratchy throat, a sore head, sniffly nose
or just all of the above, but still we'll drag ourselves
off down to the gym or the pool simply out of habit.
Now in all likelihood that training session is going to be
well, a bit of a write off
and we're going to struggle through it.
But you're actually going to start digging a hole for days
and even weeks of training in advance that could end up
becoming essentially a write off.
But secondly, it's actually really unfair on your
training group and environment.
I for one lost count of the number of times I'd get angry
if somebody coughing and splattering behind me in the lane
in the pool.
It's a selfish approach to training and you just don't want
to become that person.
- Having the right kit for your planned training session
is kind of crucial.
Hands up whose turned up to a run session with the wrong
pair of running shoes.
Say you've got a long off road run planned through
a muddy forest in the middle of winter
then you're going to want some shoes suitable for the job
that have got plenty of grip and are strong and sturdy,
not your racing flats that you used in your last session
indoors on a treadmill.
Because not only are you going to ruin your shoes,
you're probably going to struggle to run as you'll be slipping
and sliding everywhere.
And then, there's the pool scenario and I'm sure you've all
been there when you've forgotten your goggles or even worse,
your swimsuit and you've had to go
and beg with lost property or teammates to try
and borrow some kit.
And the worst case scenario being no one has any you can
borrow and you've got to head home without even getting
in the pool.
And finally, there's the bike.
Now, we are lucky to get electronic gears on bikes
which are brilliant, but only if you remember to charge them
and I've certainly had the embarrassment of that,
turning up to ride as a guest with a local club
on my lovely canyon air road and I didn't notice
until halfway through the ride,
I could no longer change gears
and it meant for a very painful
and rather embarrassing ride home.
- Now, we've all been there with hectic lifestyles
and juggling all sorts of commitments,
it can be all too easy to simply forget to plan and pack
adequate nutrition ahead of a planned training session.
Now, I don't know about you, but if I'm meeting some friends
for a training ride for example I'll never forget
the important stuff, like say my bike or my helmet
or other equipment, but I've lost count of the amount
of times I've turned up and realized I haven't got
adequate nutrition ahead of that session.
Now it needn't be an afterthought but I think for so many
of us nutrition can be, and it's just not a good mindset
to get into.
I for one am terribly guilty of stopping mid-ride
at grocery store or even a petrol station just grabbing
some cereal bars or chocolate bars or inevitably even,
a sugary drink as well, which is not a good way to be.
And in all seriousness,
these sorts of poor nutrition choices can really scupper
a quality training session
and really undo all that good work.
And as the old adage says, you only get in what you put out
or as I'm told you don't put diesel in a F1 car.
- Exploring new routes is a great idea,
for certain sessions.
It's worth being mindful that however well you study
the route or you've downloaded the map,
it is still possible that you might get lost,
so if you've got a key session coming up it's best
to stick to the routes that you know,
places you've run and ridden before so you can really
focus on the effort intensity that you need,
'cause there's nothing more frustrating than being
in the middle of a hard effort, getting to a junction,
and not knowing which way to go.
So, it's best to save your sightseeing
for your easy training days.
I'd be lying if I said we haven't committed any of these
training faux pas
and somehow I think we're probably not alone.
But if you have miraculously managed to avoid all of these,
this video such at least ensure that you don't ruin
any workouts in the future too.
Hopefully you've enjoyed this, give us a thumbs up
if you have and hit the globe on screen to make sure
you get all of our videos here at GTN
and for a video that Mark did looking into coffee doping,
you can find that one just down here.
And if you want to know more about plantar fasciatus
and how to avoid it, there's a video on that,
just down here.