Managing the “Seam” – Transitioning from Unstructured to Purposeful Training

By “seam,” I mean the transition period from unfocused, unstructured fitness training (i.e. training for general fitness) to focused, structured fitness training (i.e. training with a purpose for a specific event or events).

I am in the seam right now.

My triathlon season effectively ended with Ironman Louisville on August 26. Since then, I have “bounced” in and out of purposeful training as I switched back and forth between doing and not doing Silverman in November. I finally decided to “pull the plug” on Silverman in early October and immersed myself in general fitness, which means doing what I feel like. For me, this was swimming 1-2x per week, riding my trainer 2-3x per week and running 2-3x per week plus Bikram yoga.

In the last few weeks, I have shifted back to purposeful, structured training, specifically marathon training as I am planning on running the Ocala Marathon on February 3rd. I have gone from running 2-3x per week to running 5 days per week with two of those days being “two-a-days” where I run both in the AM and the PM on the same day.

The seam is a transition period for me along three dimensions:

(1) First and foremost, my legs feel the increase in running volume. They are constantly tired and sore. I alleviate the soreness with Arnica gel (natural homeopathic pain muscle pain reliever), a foam roller (esp. calves, IT band and glutes), yoga and weekly ART. I expect the soreness to dissipate in the next week or so as my body adapts to the increased stress.

(2) Second, I’ve needed to become a little more serious with my training. I still miss a swim workout here or there, but the run workouts have become a priority. The focused training helps me focus the rest of my life as well.

(3) Finally, my metabolism in firing up again as my body is turning back into a calorie sponge. I’m starting feel hungry more frequently between meals and in the middle of the night. My weight has remained relatively stable at the high end of my range (~175 lbs), but I expect it to naturally drop down to ~160 lbs by race day – in spite of increased calorie consumption.

At the end of the day, I’ve had enough of unstructured training and general lack of focus. The structured training gives my workouts a better sense of purpose and meaning, which ultimately helps me stay motivated so that I can hit my <2:40 marathon goal in February.

See you out on the running trails!

Cheers,

David

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David B. Glover
Experiential Writer, Elite Athlete, Coach and Race Director
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine
Personal Web: davidglover.net
Business Web: enduranceworks.net

©2008 David B. Glover