April Challenge?

I would hate to be repetitive, but I think a swim challenge might be the ticket ... I know that is so January, but swim training is so fundamental to not drowning.

I have two 'A' races coming up - St. Anthony's Oly in Tampa on April 30th and Gulf Coast HIM in Panama City on May 13th - and swimming is definitely still my weakest sport ... so I am going to need some time in the pool (and could use the kick-in-the-rear that the challenge brings).

I'd like a multi-sport challenge.  I've realized that with each month I'm in a challenge, I focus on that specific sport (swimming in December, running in February) at the expense of the other disciplines.

A multi-sport would require me to focus on all 3 elements of weakness.

I'm up for Multisport also. First race in may so the timing is great.

Challenges are good and I do not want to pooh-pooh any challenge ... these things work!  Personally speaking, I doubled my run volume in February and am close to tripling my normal cycling volume for March (despite the advent of interval training into my cycling diet).  The challenges provided the extra motivation to not only not blow off or curtail a work-out in that discipline, but to do more with each work out ... something that may be good for an over emphasis on one but not all three sports. 

One of the benefits in these challenges is the over emphasis on one particular discipline while still following (and completing) the training plan for the other two.  It is through this over emphasis that leads to building that extra base, strength and endurance in that discipline that can be relied upon on race day(s) ... but it should be part and parcel of the periodized training schedule you are already following (base=> build => peak).

Within this periodization, I am told that there should be periods of over emphasis on each discipline where you focus on ramping up your volume and/or intensity* on that one, particular discipline ... ramping up on all three, though, can be a path to injury.

Training is, well, just that - training according to your schedule.  The additional volume generated by a challenge should not come at the expense of training for the other disciplines, but in addition to it.

Perhaps the solution is to take your training schedule and add an emphasis on one sport as your focus for that month ... but then how is that not a sport specific challenge?

* For example, see Triathlete Magazine's "The Complete Triathlon Book" by Matt Fitzgerald ... a well written and not too highly technical, mumbo-jumbo book and is written by one of the magazines better contributors.  http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=217

I need my training to be more balanced, so my vote is for multisport, but let's not dismiss the point made above on periodization.  If all we do is train to meet challenge goals, we may not be doing ourselves the justice of building a base, testing it, growing it, and then tapering it for a race.  

I'm still new to BT.com so maybe I'll see the challenges fade away as race season starts to take off, but I really do think that now is the time to build, test, and grow the base in all three sports.  Multisport challenge is the way to go -- just keep it in tune with your larger race goals.  (sorry if I'm preaching to the choir with that...I know ya'll are smart)

What huengsolo said..

I agree.  Challenges usually keep me from blowing off a day of training because 'I didn't feel like it,' but injuries are definitely a thing to watch out for especially since our training volume is increasing.  I think if we all try to follow the 10% rule (don't increase training time/distance in any discipline more than 10% a week) we SHOULD be O.K.

The other thing we need to remember to do is set REALISTIC challenge goals.  If we know we are going to have a killer month at work, don't list an unrealistic goal, find out you're behind schedule, then bust your bootay the final week (and maybe get injured) trying to complete your goal.  I sometimes feel like I'm sandbagging on my challenge goal, but when it comes down to it, it was usually enough to get me off my butt and get in the pool, jump on the trainer or throw on the running gear when I didn't feel like training.

O.K., enough.  I vote for MULTISPORT!

I vote "yea" for multisport... 

Amen to that!

Another vote for Multisport!

I've been in three challenges so far this year and my training is feeling somewhat lopsided...it's time to get serious in all three!