2010 review

2011 is nearly a week old and yet I still haven't done any naval gazing back over 2010, in particular the evolution of this blog in which I made my first post back on 1st January 2010...meaning it is now 1 year old!! Hooray!!

Back in that first post my final paragraph read "As for what my hopes and dreams are…well, you’ll have to stay tuned to learn a little more about them as they evolve. Just like this blog!!". Now I can't recall exactly what my hopes and dreams were on that day, but suffice to not everything went to plan and yet some things have turned my life around during the last 12 months, for the better.

This blog has been a part of my life during that time, giving me a platform to broadcast a range of thoughts from trips and travels, to announcements to injury woes and various articles on sports and training topics. The blog and the topics I've covered have evolved, and will continue to do so - the great thing about blogs is that they follow the thoughts and inclinations of the author...me!!!

Since the stats counter was turned on in May, here are the numbers:

Total pageviews - 4,072

Busiest month - Oct, 785 pageviews

Top-5 most popular posts:

How to run (Feb 5, 2010) - 354 Pageviews

Training Like a Triathlete (Sep 20, 2010) - 110 Pageviews

Why HR-based training is out-of-date (Sep 9, 2010) - 99 Pageviews

Six Foot Track Marathon (Mar 15, 2010) - 89 Pageviews

My Achilles Operation (Jun 20, 2010) - 71 Pageviews

15 comments (3 of which were my replies!!)

So to all the people who've visited this blog, thank-you. It's not setting any records for readership, but that wasn't my aim. However, it would be great to get some more comments!!!

Stay tuned for what's ahead. I've got more hopes and dreams for 2011, sporting and otherwise, so it will be a fun year ahead.

New Years resolutions

Happy new year!! As is wont at this time of year, making resolutions for the coming 12 months is a great way to define a path and routine to achieve your goals. To me, resolutions are the new process you aim to create which will (hopefully) lead to your goals, which by definition are different to the process you have been following.

As the truism goes, if you do the same things you'll get the same outcome, so it's (only) by changing something that you'll give yourself the chance of achieving that hard to reach goal. But the problem is that humans are resistant to change...which is the crux of new years resolutions. So let me suggest some things you might consider to be your resolutions.

• Have a plan for where you're going, and how you're going to get there. Have goals.
• Be consistent in training, by removing the little obstacles, excuses, reasons, etc, for not training.
• Train well, according to the training plan / schedule from your coach. Don't cut corners. Don't compromise.
• Be patient. All good things take time, and haste can bring unwanted outcomes.
•  Learn more about the sport you do, and what it demands. Be an educated athlete.
• Get to know yourself, as a person and as an athlete. Refresh your perspective and balance in life and in sport. Be honest. Be humble.
• Do the "one percenter" things in preparation, like post-training nutrition, core strength exercises, (self-)massage, etc.
• Have a passion for the process of training and preparation. See every session as an opportunity to improve and develop.
• Focus on your own square metre, but support your friends with their own goals.
• Take responsibility for your own destiny. Rely on guidance and advice, but own what you actually do.
• Get to training on time, with the necessary equipment, ready to train.
• Do your best. Be your best. All the time. No one can ask for more than that.

I hope you have a great 2011.

Trianing camp - running and triathlons, Anglesea, 29-30 January

We're holding another training camp later this month, this time down in Anglesea on the Victorian coastline and will cater equally for both running and triathlons.

All the details are on our web-sites at http://www.lovetherun.com.au/ and http://www.lovethetri.com.au/ but in brief here they are:

Dates: Saturday 29th to Sunday 30th January (suggest to arrive on Friday night)

Where: Anglesea

Accom: Anglesea YMCA camp
Cost: About $120 (TBC), including meals…except Saturday BBQ.

The camp is being held in conjunction with the Love the Tri and Love the Run camps, so there will be runners and triathletes around.

Numbers are limited to 48.

More information is under the Camp menu option here http://www.lovethetri.com.au/ or http://www.lovetherun.com.au/

Please forward this to anyone you think may be interested in coming along…thanks. Please contact me with any questions.

All the best in training!!

Great Ocean Walk

During the week before Xmas, Ms A and I took-off from Melbourne down the Great Ocean Rd to the Otways region of Victoria for 4 days of hiking and camping along stretches of the Great Ocean Walk (GOW). It was fantastic, not just leaving the pre-xmas hustle-bustle of Melbourne behind, but also for the beautiful track, amazing coastline, serenity, absence of others and some quality time.

While the GOW is set-out into 8 days of walking from Apollo Bay to near Port Campbell (about 104km in length), we did just 4 stages of it, starting from the Otway lighthouse to Wattle Hill. And although we camped for 3 nights, we managed to do a car shuffle each day which meant we didn't need to carry full packs, which was a relief.

During the walk my brother, his wife and 8-month old baby came along for 1 day walk and night, which was great given their knowledge of the area. The weather was pretty good and the lack of other walkers in the area was welcome relief from what we left behind in Melbourne - it was like another world.

Here's some photos from our trip...

 A board walk down to the beach on the way to Rainbow Falls.

 A big coil of rope washed up on rocks on the beach.

 Rainbow Falls...not a lot of water, but a lot of moss in a range of vivid colours.

 I also managed 40km of running along parts of the GOW - this run along the ridge-top was spectacular.

 Part of the GOW track, which ranged from beaches to sandy tracks, dirt, bush enclosed tunnels, steps and more. A fantastic track.

 A spectacular view along the coastline...just one of endless stunning views.

 Fishing on Johanna Beach...rod, seat, fishing box, thongs and stubby. The fisherman has gone AWOL...

 An echidna digging a burrow. We saw many part burrows but caught this guy mid-way through a dig.

Westwards from Johanna Beach near dusk. Breathtaking.

 Johanna Beach, the view from our campsite...doesn't get much better than that!!

 Running on Melanesia Beach...remote, hard to get to but stunningly beautiful.

 Locals offering of water for GOW walkers...with free view behind the bushes.

 Melanesia Beach.

 Post lunch rest on Melanesia Beach, Ms A and me.

 An ocean channel on a rock shelf, with water gushing in.

 Dusk at Ryan's Den, possibly more stunning than at Johanna Beach.

 View from Moonlight Head towards the Otway lighthouse.

 One of the anchors wedged in the rocks at Wreck Beach, surrounded by stunning rock pools and coastline in the background.

 The rock pools around the anchor.

 The rainforest near Triplet Falls, up in the Otway ranges and just near the Otway Fly.

Triplet Falls surrounded by ferns, mossy trees and more lush rainforest.

The Top 20 Tips on Being the Best

The following is gold-value information, and comes from Wayne Goldsmith who is an Australian sports coach, consultant and one of the smartest sporting brains around. His web-site (from where you can subscribe to his blog) is http://www.sportscoachingbrain.com/ Read the following very carefully!!!


I have been lucky to be involved in high performance sport for the best part of 20 years.

I have been very very fortunate to work with Olympic Gold Medalists, World Champions, World Record Holders, Premiership Title Winners, World Cup Winners…champion athletes, teams and coaches in many different sports and in several different countries.

Quite often, when I do professional speaking or training with corporate or sporting groups, someone in the audience will ask, “What do all the winners have in common” or “From your experience, what things do all the great athletes, teams and coaches do that makes them the best”.

There are indeed some things all the great ones have in common: The Top 20 Tips on Being the Best: 20 years of experience in 500 words!

1. Perseverance: They never give up.

2. Humility: The are confident – but not arrogant – seeking performance not praise.

3. A passion for continuous improvement: They embrace the belief that “success is a moving target” and that they can always get better at what they do.

4. Honesty: They are honest with themselves and other people realising that true progress is not possible without it.

5. They know how to win: They are comfortable chasing victory and thinking about, talking about and pursuing winning.

6. Self-belief: They believe in themselves and the limitless possibilities and potential they possess.

7. The courage to be different: They know that the essential quality of being the best means daring to be different and being unique.

8. No compromises: They drive towards their goals without compromise, without backing down, without surrender.

9. The ability to learn fast and accelerate improvement faster than their opposition: They know that improvement is essential and that improvement comes from learning: to learn faster means to improve faster and win sooner.

10. Passion: They love what they do and do what they love.

11. Hatred of losing: They tolerate losing only for one reason: to learn from it so that they become stronger, more resilient and better in the future.

12. Discipline: They know that winners are willing to do whatever it takes to prepare to win and will pay whatever it costs to be the best. What others see as sacrifice, winners see as lifestyle.

13. Self-acceptance: They accept who they are without judgement and are comfortable being themselves in all situations.

14. Consistency: They know that one moment of glory comes from many years of consistently out-planning and out-preparing their opposition.

15. Vision of what could be – not what is: They see where things are going and do whatever it takes to get there first.

16. A clear personal philosophy: They know who they are.

17. A clear set of personal values: They know what they stand for.

18. Action driven i.e. they “do” things: They know that while everyone thinks about being great and talks about being great, greatness comes from actions.

19. The capacity to “re-invent’ themselves: They know that time stands still for no one and that they need to stay relevant to the times and situations they live in.

20. They live excellence: They know – as Aristotle knew – that excellence is not a single moment or competition: it is a habit – a daily commitment to being the best.

The self-sufficient athlete

In these times of global climate change, self-sufficiency is in vogue as a way to long-term sustainability for ourselves and the planet. And although on a very different level, being a self-sufficient athlete is also a way to long-term success because in the real world, it's not always possible to have an entourage accompany you 24/7, so having a degree of self-sufficiency is not just helpful, but essential.

But what does self-sufficiency mean when it comes to endurance sports, how is a benefit and how do you become self-sufficient?

Self-sufficiency is having a competent grasp of all the aspects that contribute to your performance, and knowing how to manage those things at times when circumstances require it. It's not about being self-sufficient for 100% of the time as the role, influence, advice, support and more from coaches and colleagues is a necessary step in the process to being self-sufficient. To an extent, self-sufficiency is up there with taking responsibility for your own performance, and doing it under your own initiative rather than being prompted to.

As a real-life example, when an athlete travels to an event, being self-sufficient means spending time before leaving to ask questions, prepare plans, check equipment, buy supplies and more, so that once at the race the athlete is ready for most things which might arise. It's a lot like preparing for an expedition where you know you'll be cut-off (or at best with limited access) to the support networks which are usually on hand.

Self-sufficiency is important on a day-to-day basis where it is up to the individual athlete to be ready for training, from simple things like having your goggles, spare tubes (and knowing how to change them!!), and training nutrition to non-equipment things like being on time and ready for training, knowing the standard warm-up routine before training (or a race), through to managing how much sleep you have.

As with the expedition analogy, it's not possible to be 100% self-sufficient all the time. You need to return to base to review, re-charge, re-learn and prepare for the next challenge ahead - trying to push-on solo for too long can be a path to destruction. For athletes this will usually mean the support and guidance of a coach and/or support network, from where you develop further, learn more and grow as an athlete.

The periods of self-sufficiency are part of the process of growth, each being a test of what you've learned and a chance of independence. Remember as a kid you longed for freedom and self-sufficiency, well as an athlete you need periods where you break away on your own because, after all, in the heat of competition you're an individual competitor.

Becoming self-sufficient begins with wanting to be self-sufficient. Like a kid, you need to want to be able to break away from the comfort zone from time to time, and to take your own stand...even if you stuff up a couple of times. From those stuff ups you'll quickly learn what you need to know, learn, do, pack, prepare and more for the times you're on your own. In many cases a moral support line will only be a phone call away, but the physical separation is the obvious distinction of your situation.

In the end, self-sufficiency is not something to be afraid of although each person will react and respond differently. Regardless, it is a scenario you can prepare for through planning, practice and trial and error. Once you do master self-sufficiency your horizons will broaden, and your confidence in yourself will soar. You'll be on track to mastering your performance.

Women who TRI seminar

On Thursday the 16th of December 2010, LSD Sports are holding a women’s specific triathlon seminar at MSAC - I'm one of the speakers, talking about running and transitions.

Please see invitation image below which includes more details.

The seminar will have several different topics covered ranging from:

• Correct swimming training
• Choosing a bike and correct bike fits to ensure optimum riding efficiency.
• Proper running training and racing.
• Body maintenance including, physiotherapy, massage, and diet.
• Time management to ensure you have a life as well as training.

And a questions and answer session with four Team LSDtriathlon elite age groupers being Kristy Hallett, Natalie Sheffield, Bev Thomas and Rochelle Kursidim.

There will be a goodies bag plus some great lucky door prizes.

This amazing seminar is not to be missed by any female who is considering racing in a triathlon or is looking at becoming serious in their endevours of breaking best times or doing longer distances.

Could you please pass on to all of your contacts and ask them to RSVP to admin@lsdsports.com as seats are strictly limited.

Thanks for your help and support.

 

Movember

Recently I subjected myself to Movember, where during the month of November blokes grow a moustache and get sponsored in support of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and BeyondBlue, two causes with a particular focus on the welfare of men.

During the month I took some photos to accompany an email message to various friends, partly to amuse(??) them and partly to request donations...which they responded amazingly!! By the end of the month $780 of donations had been raised from just my mo. Thanks very much to those people.

So this post is a little catalogue of those email messages plus the photos that went with them. If you don't like seeing a dodgy man with a mo turn away now...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Campbell Maffett [mailto:cmaffett@bigpond.com]
Sent: Monday, 8 November 2010 8:54 PM
Subject: Oh no...Movember

This is a scary and frightening story. I'm turning into a 70's cricketer...a sugar daddy...a po*n star...a dag...a Magnum PI...or any of a number of other caricatures. See I'm doing Movember, despite my better judgement and previous amusement at those folks who think a bit of upper lip hair is a great way to change the world. Because actually it is, in the name of men's health...not the magazine but the issue of men's health...in the name of Beyond Blue and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

It was a moment of weakness - and discussion around my brother's new "flavour saver" - that lead me to commence the fine art of manicuring my face, being careful in the first few days to mark out the desired shape (think Chopper Read style, but me with ears), and watching the strange looks of friends and colleagues who were wondering what was happening on my top lip. But a week into the process and there is now something clearly going on and my fair whiskers are clear to see...not to mention the annoyance of feeling part primitive animal...

But despite my somewhat non-hirsute genes, I've now got more hair on my lip than on top of my head...and there's still 3 weeks of growing to go. I don't know why people do this voluntarily, but perhaps I'll grow fond of it, give my mo a name and keep it...but right now I'm thinking not...although a couple of people think it actually suits me. Maybe I do have a movie career ahead of me...

Nonetheless, I'm doing this in the name of charity and this message is to ask you to vote with your donation about whether I should keep this thing...and maybe suggest a style and/or name for it. So if you like it...donate. And if you don't like it...donate more. I can't offer you any prize other than maybe to grant me the pleasure of cutting this growth off on 1st December...or maybe not.

Also, if you can think of any practical use for a mo please let me know. So far it has proved useful for scratching my hand...by simply rubbing my top lip. I'm yet to catch a cold and see if it catches the snot from a runny nose, but it certainly feels weird when swimming.

I'm not going to post a picture of my mo just yet, only an artists impression so you get the idea of what I'm doing (except my mo isn't black like that). If you really want to see it, then track me down...

BTW...here's a link to make a donation via. http://au.movember.com/mospace/1136826/  Thanks.

Campbell "Chop Chop" Maffett

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Campbell Maffett [mailto:cmaffett@bigpond.com]
Sent: Monday, 15 November 2010 9:24 PM
Subject: RE: Oh no...Movember...update

Hi again,

Well it’s half way through Movember and I’m coming to grips with this increasingly bushy thing on not just my top lip, but down the side of my mouth in a scary way. There’s no mistake it’s a moustache now and has drawn a variety of responses from “That’s the ugliest thing I’ve seen…do we have to put up with that for the whole month??” through to “It actually kind of suits you.”

As for my opinion…I’m still not so keen on it and still feel that I just need a good shave…especially as we headed out the door to a wedding last Friday night. (Sorry for looking like that, Rose & Jeff!!) But I’m going to stick it out for the whole month…if only because I owe it to the kind and generous folks who’ve donated $320 to the cause (Andrew, Mark C, Gretch, Kylie, Mark H, Rhiannon, Peter & David). Thank-you very much.

But rather than listen to me going on about how instead of scratching my chin I now “stroke my mo”, or how breakfast gets caught in it, or the challenge of shaving without cutting part of it off…I’ve attached a photo… OMG!!

Regards,
Campbell

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Campbell Maffett [mailto:cmaffett@bigpond.com]
Sent: Thursday, 25 November 2010 9:11 PM
Subject: FW: Oh no...Movember...update 2

Hi again,

It’s the 25th November as I write this…and can I say that I’m counting down the days to shaving off the mo. The novelty has passed, but the reactions of people still come…which are amusing!! I annoy myself because I keep catching myself sucking on the straggly hairs, blowing air through it, licking it, stroking it and more…and I just want my top lip and jaw back.

Nonetheless, it has served the purpose of raising funds from some very generous donors, with the total up to $585, so thank-you very much. New donors this week are Kylie, Jeff, Andrea, Pani, Gail, Elizabeth, Ben, Wayne, Barry, Shaun, Paul, Megan and Rosie.

I was hoping to get some props for this week’s photo, something like firearms like Chopper Read would use, but didn’t even rustle up a water pistol. However I did get the city back-drop from my roof terrace as I do my best Chopper impersonation. Next Wednesday 1st December it’s coming off…which will make for some more interesting photos!!

Regards,
Campbell

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Campbell Maffett [mailto:cmaffett@bigpond.com]
Sent: Thursday, 2 December 2010 8:47 PM
Subject: RE: Oh no...Movember...mo-mo is go-go-gone!!!

Hi again,

Hooray!! December has started and summer is here...but the best part is that all the awful mo's around town are coming off, not the least of which is (was) mine. Hallelujah!!!

The mo-go day approached with excitement matching christmas day, and despite my initial intention to hold out until 1st December, in the spirit of the event, I was seriously tempted to sneakily shave it off the night before, on 30th Movember. But some serious talking to from friends put me on a guilt-trip over taking that action, so I stayed the course through until 1st December, which was last night as I write this.

Befitting the whole month, I built up the mo-go shaving event into something way beyond what is actually was - simply a hair cut - for which I used some props and had an official photographer for the first time (thanks Ms. A). There were pre-mo-go photos, mid-mo-go photos and finally, a mo-gone photo...it feels soooo good to be rid of it.

By the end of the month I was amazing and humbled that a total of $780 was donated by various friends for the cause. All for growing a mo. I wonder how much I'd raise if I grew hair (back) on my head...if only that were possible, alas...

Generous donors over the past week included Tony, Ben, Rose, Nuvit, Mark & Danni, who along with previous donors are greatly appreciated by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and Beyond Blue. And you also made it worthwhile for me to go through with this. Thank-you.

So that's it for Movember. I don't think I'll do it again, so save these photos (attached) to remind yourself how beautiful / dodgy / rough / rugged / dangerous / lovable / ugly / I can look with a mo...

Regards,
Campbell

Free to fly (achilles update)

"I don't need to see you again."

During my life I've learned to cope with rejection quite well, perhaps having plenty of experience helps...  Anyway, this time was different because it wasn't rejection at all. It was a mark of success and a milestone to hear those words uttered by my doctor at the end of my appointment today, indicating that my achilles has progressed really well and I'm, well, "...free to fly" (my words!!).

It's been 6 weeks since I saw Karen, and have been diligently following the running program that began back in September with 2 min walk, 30 sec run for 20min, up to doing 60 mins of continual running this week, albeit only 4 times a week. The achilles has been fantastic. In fact, the achilles has been the least of my concerns, which have focused on my weak calf and on-going peroneal tendon soreness...which was the result of the weak calf.

My weak calf has been improving steadily through gym work, drills, exercises, massage and more. Still a little way behind the right calf but improving, especially compared to the withered size it was after getting out of the CAM boot.

The peroneal tendon soreness, however, has been ongoing and is annoying. The thoughts about it have ranged from just tightness in the attached muscle, to nerve issue and otherwise. However today Karen accurately described it as some inflammation around the tendon, not serious but something we need to get on top of - hopefully we can as my dream is to be able to someday wake up without any soreness ANYWHERE!!! I'm hoping this is not too far away.

So to address that she's given me prescription for Solone which is full-on steroid...and also an anti-inflammation drug. She mentioned it may have some side effects, including hyper activity...so if you see me bouncing around over the next week, that's why!!!

Anyway, I hope this knocks that little problem on the head but in the meantime I'll continue along as I am so that by February my fitness might be at a point to start looking at some races, which will be really exciting. It's been a long road but the bumps haven't been anywhere near as bad as they might have been...and I'm certainly not complaining since I can see light ahead whereas many other people will never participate in their chosen activity again.

Did I mention that I'm really loving just being able to run again??

Using Power Meters in Training

Bike power meters (PMs) have been around for a while now and are gradually coming down in price as technology matures and the market evolves, meaning they are accessible to more and more people. Not to be confused with Power Balance Bands, PMs actually do something useful and in all my years of training, racing and now coaching, I rate PMs as the most valuable tool for training and racing that I've ever used.

This article is not aiming to convince you to buy a PM - or which one - but rather to explain how, as a coach, I use PMs and the information they provide for prescribing training, reviewing training (and racing) and planning race strategies for the athletes I coach who have them. Equally, the athletes themselves are able to learn a lot about themselves and how they ride in order to become better athletes. An added bonus of knowing the principles of using PMs is that the same approach applies to running where pace is the equivalent metric to watts.

The starting point for using PMs is actually having a PM, of course, and having some familiarity with using it since your natural inclination when you first use a PM is to view it like a speedo and see how high and how long you can keep your watts up. Remember, use it as a tool and don't be a tool using it!! Once you've got and used a PM, you must buy and read the "bible" book called "Training & Racing with a Power Meter" by Andy Coggan and Hunter Allen...the 2nd edition has a valuable chapter on triathlons. This book explains concepts, terms and more that are essential for effective PM usage.

I've written previously that using a PM to guide training and racing has far replaced HR as a relevant measure of exertion to use for bike training...and similarly using pace during run training. It allows me to prepare periodised training plans where I can guide physical progress via the level of power and nature of sessions scheduled throughout the year. Additionally, a PM provides invaluable feedback in terms of reviewing and evaluating sessions completed, eg, did the athlete execute the session as planned, as well as a means for conducting routine testing to measure progress using a black-and-white measure of watts.

The following are the ways I use PMs in training and racing, which assume the athlete already has some familiarity riding with a PM for a couple of weeks.

Getting Started
The first step is to do a benchmark test, primarily to determine FTP (Functional Threshold Power) and some other metrics. Any testing should be done in a repeatable environment, where the conditions can be replicated the same each time - a velodrome or trainer are often the best options. Perhaps the two most useful testing protocols are either a 20 min TT (Coggan & Hunter) or 2 x 8 min (Carmichael), which can be extrapolated to determine FTP. Alternative testing is a Power Profile test (1min, 4min, 10min) or a MAP step-test although these are not as specific for determining FTP. Whichever approach is used, FTP watts is the outcome number you want (...and analysis of the test session file is also valuable).

Power-Based Sessions
Knowing FTP then allows structured and targeted sessions to be developed. Here's an example of a session for an athlete with FTP of 265w, aimed at VO2 max development:

25min W/U + 5 x 30sec spin efforts
5 x (2min @ 335-345w / 1min easy;)
5min easy spin;
8 x (1min @ 345-355w / 1min easy;)
5min easy spin;
10 x (30sec Hard @ 100rpm / 30sec easy spin)
20-40min W/D

Only two parts of the session had target wattages (5 x 2min and 8 x 1min), which are the key parts of the session. For this athlete it is understood that the warm-up/down and recoveries are done at an easy/moderate pace...however for some athletes wattage guidelines are necessary. The key reps are targeted at 125-130% of FTP (5 x 2min) and 130-135% of FTP (8 x 1min) and since the session is being done on a velodrome it is easy to achieve a steady power level. The 10 x 30sec reps are included without wattage targets to encourage smooth rhythm and technique without the "distraction" of a target, and is a good way to complete what is a very intense session.

For sessions done on a non-flat course, wattage targets are tricky since power fluctuates enormously and the ideal measure of Normalised Power (NP) is (mostly) not available until you download and analyse a session. In these cases average watts is the best alternative, however the athlete needs some experience and understanding to translate this figure into a meaningful and useful measure in this context. This is where analysis and familiarity with wattages by the athlete is a valuable learning out from using a PM.

Here's another example of a session, being an IM prep ride:

1:30hr easy
3 x (40min @ IM watts; 20min @ 1/2IM watts)
30-60min easy

In this case there are no specific wattage numbers, however I'm relying on the athlete - in conjunction with discussions we're previously had about suitable targets - to try different wattage levels. While there's a few models to determine suitable target watts for an IM race pace, ultimately these need to be tried out to see how the athlete copes in somewhat of a simulation training ride...which is key role of pre-IM sessions. Each of these rides, combined with post-ride analysis of the power file help to refine their target for optimal racing and pacing strategy, which are used in conjunction with other feedback measures like perceived exertion, HR, speed, and so on.

In summary, a PM allows you to structure almost any kind of session in order to achieve some objectives from it, throughout an entire periodised year of training.

Session Analysis
Once a session is complete comes the exciting part of downloading the files to a computer and analysing what actually happened. Suffice to say, you need to have an interest in this kind of thing to get the most out of the data...although a good coach will translate it into terms even my mum can understand!! While every session provides valuable information, structured sessions with some kind of focus provide the best information. Races provide the best "real life" analysis of how you ride.

In reviewing a power file you're actually looking at what happened during the ride, seeing things that the naked eye would have missed, which turns into feedback and input into structure for future sessions. For example, feedback to the athlete who did the first listed session included observations like this:

• His avg wattage was perfect for each of the reps, exactly in the target range. Also notable was the evenness of wattage within each rep - often reps like these will start with a spike in power and decrease thereafter. Power during the recovery was not important, only during the reps.
• HR was also consistent, following a typical pattern of reaching a stable ceiling in the second rep and reaching the same ceiling in each subsequent rep.
• The most notable thing from this session was his avg cadence, which went like this (2min reps) 96-96-97-93-90, (1min reps) 91-89-92-91-90-85-83-85. This was a notable drop in cadence which was explained as "Yes the common theme between both the 2 min and 1 min reps is as I tired and after the first few reps, I dug in and changed down a gear because I get more power at a lower cadence by pushing the pedals – the last 2 of the 2mins and the last 3 of the 1mins reps reflect this." In this case because the wattage was the target I wasn't too fussed how he generated that, so this explanation was fine.
• Further analysis using WKO+ software allows me to check the Quadrant Analysis scatter graph, highlighting each rep to see the associated distribution. While efficient cycling is generally in Quadrants III and IV, this session had significant distribution in Quadrants I & II which reflect the high force he was putting through his pedals.

Analysis of the second session includes consideration for altitude (hills) since it was on the open road and the wattages jump around a lot more although smoothing helps to even this out. Analysis from this ride includes things like these:

• Average and Normalised Power during the reps, and how much these vary. Ideal pacing has little variation between these two numbers which is far more efficient than wide peaks and troughs.
• Cadence is also reviewed in terms of consistency, particularly late in reps as fatigue builds.
• Similarly, HR trend as the session proceeds is an important measure of how the athlete was generating the power and the stress the body was under.
• Speed analysis is not so important, since the session is based on wattage targets...although speed can be confidence boost for the athlete to see as they ride.
• Quadrant analysis is more valuable in a session like this since it is a simulation effort and provides good "real life" data compared to controlled velodrome sessions.
• A session of this length allows evaluation of TSS for each rep as well as the overall session.

There's more things you can see by studying power graphs, peak power figures and so on...it takes some practice to know what to look for depending on the nature of the session or race. This analysis tells me how well the athletes are completing – and coping with – the sessions, which then feeds into progression in future sessions. It’s all about ensuring each session has an objective and that you’re getting the most from each session. Power analysis over time also helps in evaluating and managing workload and accumulated fatigue, which are great indicators of form.

Summary
This is just an overview of how power training can be used, and there's some real gurus in taking it to another level of detail. Nonetheless, for my coaching purposes a PM provides a fantastic level of insight and understanding into how athletes train and race, and allow me to use that knowledge to tailor their sessions to plan for and achieve the goals they're after. The same things can also be done with/for running using pace instead of watts. Either way, a PM and knowing how to use it is a wonderful tool in any athletes toolkit, and a huge benefit for the quality of service their coach can provide.