What's next?

This is about the time of year when many athletes are close to - or have already - finished their race season and kicking back a little, both physically and mentally, and reflecting on the season past and...the topic of this article...the next season. For some the thought of the next season may hurt their head, but I'm talking more about the strategic planning and direction rather than nitty gritty.

Without wanting to sound too philosophical, your time in sports is akin to a journey where each race season builds fitness and experiences that are cumulating in nature. That is, the fitness you built for the season just past is great background for whatever you want to tackle next. Further, the things you learned over summer in preparation, training and execution of races will help you no end in the future. The strategic planning I'm talking about takes all these things, and more into account, in coming up with an idea for what next to do.

In triathlons, many people see their journey beginning with short, beginner races, then sprint tris and some Olympic Distance events, working up to IM 70.3 and finally Ironman races. Yet again, some other people jump straight into IM races, seemingly without 'paying their dues' in the shorter events!! The thing is, there is no "right" or "wrong" way to decide which events you want to do - some people love sticking with shorter races their whole life - where there are also a myriad of other factors to consider, like family and work.

Nonetheless, if you are interested in taking a strategic approach to your development as a triathlete, now is about the time to be thinking some more about it and loosely putting together some plans. In the same way that you train to train, the work you do over the off season will set you up well for being in the kind of shape you need to be in for the races you're seeking to do next season. Almost regardless of your goal distance events next season, the same principles apply to your training over winter, albeit with some variation to allow for the necessary workload you need to be considering.

Starting with short-course athletes, some of these folks will choose to stay in this realm of competition which is great because it allows them to consolidate their abilities, know already what their strengths and weasknesses are and work to develop each. They have the "luxury" of not needing to do copious amounts of volume, but can focus on some finer aspects of their event, eg, bike skills, speed and power, and so on. They can also consider some off season races to keep some familiarity with racing that is not so important for longer course athletes.

For short-course athletes looking to step up to long-course (IM 70.3) racing, now is the time to be thinking about your progression in training volume and workload to build your base fitness. Thinking again of training to train, the coming months will build cumulative fitness - and fatigue - so you need to approach this carefully and hold your enthusiasm back a little. Hasten slowly. In addition to fitness, you will need to start preparing for other aspects of LC racing - nutrition, equipment, tactics (pacing) and more. LC racing is complex in a different way.

The next group is/are LC athletes stepping up to IM distance events, where the main points are factoring in the extra training volume you'll need to be doing, and learning more about use of pacing in training to prepare you for race day - IM requires it's own mind-set to race to your potential. But even while stepping up the volume, you can and still need to include variety in training pace and effort, to develop all-round fitness but it's just that the emphasis on the amount of each type of training and fitness varies according to your chosen distance. I should also mention that all-round fitness also includes constant focus on core strength work, as constant as brushing your teeth each day!!

The final group of athletes are IM athletes who are looking to be better IM athletes. These folks typically start with a great base of fitness, which provides good scope for planning out a structured program over a number of months, which may not include many races between each IM...although some races are great to do. Consistency and avoiding boredom are the biggest challenges, and most important things for achieving the progression they're after.

A left-field group of athletes are those who choose to step down in distance, which is a different kettle of fish, and requires a re-adjustment of training focus...and a more careful adjustment of their body to higher intensities and the associated risks with that. However, these athletes can often have the most fun as it's kind of like a game of the "older folks trying to mix it with the kids", a bit like Macca going back to ITU racing!!!

So at this time of the year is a great time to think about what is next, and what you need to be thinking of and planning for in order to achieve the goals in the events you're aiming for next season. Enjoy the challenge of it all!!