Rugged Individualist. Certified USA Triathlon Coach & NASM Personal Trainer, Men's Self Improvement Coach. President of Go Farther Sports. National Ranked Triathlete & 100 Mile Grand Slam Ultrarunner, only the fourth New Yorker to finish four of the oldest and most prestigious 100 mile ultramarathons in the U.S. in only 10 weeks.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Basic Training Programs for 2014

2014 is here!

So where are we in terms of training? A little lethargic from the holidays? The polar vortex ready to make you disappear without a trace? Or at least keep you indoors?

Well, it's actually time to start training for the 2014 season.

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's 4 degrees out there and it's too cold to bike, walk, live, breathe, etc.

Excuses can only get you so far. And I don't tolerate many excuses, and I tolerate NONE when it comes to the weather.

Listen, if you want to make good on your triathlon or running season, the time is NOW to start on your base.

So how to start? And what do I start with?

The first part of building up your base is to start building up your weekly volumes, especially running and swimming. Most people can still run outside in this frigid cold. Oh yeah, you can too!

Again, there are no excuses. Just tell these good runners who do the Arrowhead 135 in the winter that it's too cold to run. You'll get a good laugh in return.

This is normal for one of the coldest ultra races in the world.



The race is in International Falls in Minnesota in January. And they have to carry their own support also. There are no excuses for staying inside. Period.


Athletes in other parts of the country are training outside this winter. Yes, other places might be a bit warmer to train in.

But our weather shouldn't be a disadvantage to us. It can actually be turned into an advantage.

You see, if you can brave the cold inhospitable conditions, you're one tough hombre! You can take just about any punishment. That means that once the spring emerges, you'll already be a force to be reckoned with!


You'll be really kicking some @$$ in your big race, whether it would be triathlon or running.

Starting this Thursday and each Thursday afterwards, I will be scheduling and hosting two or three basic training sessions designed to gear up for a summer triathlon or other "A" race. This will include outside track, or interval sessions on the road if the track is buried in snow, indoor swim sessions (including some basic tips on swim technique), and even some long distance hikes and runs all around the tri-state area.  All this is free. It's not the specific coaching that I normally do to my paid athletes, but it will provide the basics for you to gear up your program toward the summer races.

And who knows? Maybe you'll get some hardware out of it!



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