Seeking Imperfect Rides

2020 challenge - embracing cold, windy, rainy bike rides.

By Chris Palmquist

When confronted with an uncomfortable situation, the best athletes are able to “re-frame” how they look at it. Instead of dreading a race day with extremely hot conditions, an athlete might change the narrative for the upcoming day. “Hot days are my superpower!” “Extreme conditions are an opportunity to put more distance on my competitors.” “I love the heat. I love the heat. I love the heat.”

The story that we tell ourselves has a very real effect on how we intrepret our surroundings. Most of us are overly negative in our story-telling to ourselves. What would you think if I told you that it is quite easy to simply swap that negative story with a positive spin? This re-framing will help you feel much better about that day, that race or even an entire season of chaos and disappointments such as 2020.

My 2020 goals have all revolved around lowering stress, increasing health and finding the joy in each day. One of my goals is to keep riding as our Chicagoland weather turns into winter. I’ve been riding through rain, pushing into prairie wind and adding layers to stay warm in the cold. Through my living room window, the day might seem dreary, but as soon as I am pedaling down the road, it becomes beautiful.

I am having fun conquering more weather challenges and redefining what it means to have a “great ride.” My great rides now might be just a few miles. They might be ridden in loops within 7 miles from my house. They might be after dark. They sometimes happen in the rain. Many are solo, some with just a friend or two.

As I ride these imperfect rides, I am focused on the moment. Look at that tree! Feel the wind! Check out that sound. I have taken photos and stopped to ponder. My brain stops spinning, and I feel such gratitude for my health and ability to ride. I have appreciation for every tree and grass and animal that I see along the way.

What story can you swap to find more joy and fitness in this season? How can you re-frame what you are experiencing into an opportunity? Look for the “imperfect rides” and make them your secret weapon in this challenging year.

Pandemic Purpose

My daily, solo sunset rides have been a wonderful way to find peace at the end of each day.

Pandemic Purpose

Chris Palmquist

It has been months since I have blogged – since right before the pandemic was declared. That was when everything about being an endurance athlete and coach changed. As I searched for the answers for my athletes and myself in this new world, I was hesitant to write anything for fear that it would be flippant.

I am still hesitant but as difficult as this year has been, I am seeing successes in my athletes and myself. These successes look much different than the race results of years past but many of them are triumphant and life changing. If we can move each day, we have preserved some control over our destiny in a year where much feels out of our control.

Athletes who are now working from home can now fit in a run or bike instead of having to commute to and from work every day.

Athletes who feel anxiety about an upcoming race can now focus on the joy of the training journey without that pressure.

Getting outside is generally the safest thing that we can do. And nothing is better for our mental health than to move through the outside air under our own power.

Things that are working:

Distance challenges – the GVRAT has an astonishing 19,000+ participants running and walking 1000+ km across Tennessee virtually.

Frequency challenges – Bianchi’s August Riding Challenge - ride your bike every day in August (outside and at least 5 miles) – a fun way to make sure you move each day.

Speed challenges – athletes working on getting their one-mile time down this summer with speed sessions and time trials at the track.

Strava challenges – finding segments and crushing them on Strava.

Nutrition challenges – eating at home allows us to reduce processed foods and substitute healthier options.

Team challenges - our team of five cross country coaches successfully completed the “Calendar Challenge” in April - running together the same number of miles as the day of the month.

Strength challenges – planks, push-ups, pull-ups and other body weight exercises require no gym and make a big difference.

2020 goals must fit into our lives right now. The stress of our daily lives is high – our goals cannot add to that in a negative way. Find a challenge or a goal that fits in and gives you the purpose that you need without adding to the stress.

Keep moving forward

In the end, we love endurance sports for the challenge of the journey, the friends that travel with us and the satisfying feeling of a goal accomplished. A pandemic cannot take any of that away from us. Keep moving forward and we will get to the other side.

Lessons from the Indoor Trainer

It was the third, dark week of February and the wind chills were frigid. We’d been gathering twice a week since early December to ride 90 minutes on Computrainers and the thrill was gone. As I unlocked the studio and turned on the lights, the thermostat read 51 degrees inside. We shivered as we bolted our bikes into place and turned on some music.

I clicked the start button and we began to pedal through a long, gradual warm up. Immediately the grumpy comments stopped and we started to tell the stories that had occurred to us since our last ride. Within a minute or two, we were laughing out loud. Somehow that warm up transformed our moods from, “Why, didn’t I stay in bed?” to “We are lucky to be able to ride strongly together today.”

The course that I had written was another tough one. 40 minutes of broken intervals at sub-threshold. “Comfortably uncomfortable.” Too strong for conversation but at each rest interval we continued with the stories and laughter. Today we talked about everything from photography to brain science to river otters. And as we connected socially, we knocked off one interval at a time.

At the beginning of the ride, the upcoming challenge felt very daunting. But as we rode, we got stronger. Because we had each other, we all finished the ride.

This experience is one that repeats itself over and over in the lives of athletes. The lessons here are many:

• The hardest part is showing up - turn off your rational thinking and just go get that workout done

• Workout friends and workout conversations are the best - seek these people and opportunities

• Completing a hard workout makes the rest of the day better

• Riding partners make hard rides possible, especially on a trainer

In a couple of months, spring will arrive here in Illinois, and we will get out on the trails and roads with the strength of this winter work to push against the headwinds. But right now, it is the laughter that will carry us through the long winter.

Gathering Energy

We head to the North Woods to regenerate and celebrate the past year and new decade!

Gathering Energy

Chris Palmquist, December 26, 2019

The holiday weeks are a chance for everyone recover from year of working, training, accomplishing, battling and achieving. Over the years, I have found this time to be critical for mental health and emotional and physical energy. Here are some things that athletes can do to be primed to start 2020 off with energy and enthusiasm.

Family/Friends First

If you are lucky enough to spend extra time with family and friends over the holidays, make those experiences your top priority. Go for a walk with everyone rather than that solo run - it may feel like a sacrifice today, but you won’t regret the opportunity to talk with your teenagers or reconnect with a relative when you look back on this in the future. Slow down and play a game with your kids. Eat the holiday food and enjoy it. Do the things that you don’t have time to do in the thick of a competitive season.

Reflection

Take some time to formally reflect back on 2019 (and the decade). Go through your calendar, training log and notes. Remember the races, the key training sessions, the workout buddies, the successes and the misses. What worked well? What accomplishments make you proudest? Write all of this down in a journal. How does this reflection effect your 2020 goals? Celebrate and learn from the past.

The best athletes and coaches have a strong reflection practice. Now is a good time to start this practice if you have not reflected formally and regularly in the past. Get a journal and start writing your reflections. This can be one of the most powerful tools for endurance athletes.

Effective Goal Setting for 2020

As you may have heard, resolutions usually do not work. They are often grand ideas for self improvement that are simply too lofty to keep for long. Instead, create some 2020 goals that are based on the daily processes that you can control, measure and build on over the year to great success!

Examples of process-oriented goals include:

• I will swim 2 times per week in January

• I will eat 5 servings of vegetables and/or fruit per day when possible

• I will do my easy workouts at a true, easy effort so that I can crush the hard training days

• I will find and commit to some training days with workout buddies

• I will get 7 hours of sleep when possible by setting an alarm to shut down the electronics and get to bed on time

The above goals, are examples of process goals - controllable, achievable and measurable. When met regularly, these processes will add up to success at races and in overall health later in the year.

Recover, Reprioritize, Reflect and Set Good Goals

Use these last days of 2019 and the decade wisely. Recover and reflect deeply. Enjoy family and rest. Set process goals for January. Do these things well and you will have energy and a plan for success in 2020.

My family will be doing the same and wish all of you a Happy New Year! I am so thankful for all of you!

How is Coaching Different?

How is Coaching Different?

Chris Palmquist

December 3, 2019

Many area runners just completed a marathon while raising money for a charity (bravo!). As a perk for their fundraising efforts, the charity provided them with a “coach” during the training process. Each runner had one or two phone conversations with a coach, then the coach assigned each of them one of three possible levels of training plans based on their running experience and fitness. The runners then followed the training plan with little interaction with their coach. The runners believed that they had a coach guiding their training, but I would argue that they did not. Let me explain by defining the different options that athletes have to guide their training and achieve their goals.

Basic: The Generic Training Plan

There are three general options for organizing one’s training for a seasonal goal.  At the most basic level, many athletes “coach” themselves. Their training may be random - simply running, biking and swimming when and where they wish during each week. Or the self-coached athlete might pick up a magazine, website or book-based training plan and follow it to the best of their ability. The pros of self-coaching include the ability to control your own schedule and the low cost. However, this athlete is less likely to reach his or her full potential. They are more susceptible to lose motivation or to become injured. Using (or not using) a training plan that was never tailored to the athlete’s goals, strengths or weaknesses will drastically limit results. And more importantly, the athlete has no-one overseeing his or her progress with an expert, caring eye. This can lead to burn-out, injury or lack of success.

There are some situations and athletes for whom self-coaching can work well. An athlete with significant prior experience might do well by following a generic or self-built training plan if they know when and how to modify it to avoid injury and experience the correct amount of training stimulus. This requires knowledge and confidence.

Intermediate: Custom Built Training Plan

The intermediate training option is when an athlete hires a coach to create a custom training plan tailored to the athlete’s specific goals, training objectives, strengths, limiters, energy and available training time. In this scenario, the coach and athlete conduct an extensive interview where the coach learns all the above characteristics of the athlete. Then, the coach designs a customized plan for several months of training for this unique athlete. The coach hands over the training plan, then the athlete takes the plan and “runs” with it independently from the coach.

The benefits of a custom training plan are that the athlete gets a unique, tailored plan at a low cost from an expert coach. The disadvantages to this scenario are that once the plan goes to the athlete, the coach will no longer be there to modify the plan, oversee the athlete’s progress, adjust for fatigue/illness/injury, give ongoing advice or to help with answers to all the questions that inevitably come up during training and racing. Even with the disadvantages, custom training plans are a big step up from a generic plan.

At Cloud 10 Multisport, we call these Custom Built Training Plans. Find out more here:  https://www.cloud10multisport.com/custom-built-training-plans

Advanced: Performance Coaching

The best way to train successfully and attain your goals is to hire a personal coach. A good coach will learn everything about you, your goals, restrictions and your abilities. The coach will work with you to set goals and training objectives that will lead to success. Based on frequent communication and analysis of your workout data, the coach will design and prescribe training for you that will fit into your life, push your limits, rest you when needed and progressively work towards building your peak skills and fitness. A good coach will do everything possible to limit burn-out, illness and injury. When your work or family schedule suddenly changes, a coach will modify your training accordingly.

A good coach understands both the art and the physiological science needed to bring out your best. Most importantly, a good coach cares deeply about your achievements – working as your partner every step along the way. At Cloud 10 Multisport, we call this Performance Coaching. More information can be found here: https://www.cloud10multisport.com/coaching

Invest in your passion, reach your goals

The charity runners thought that they had a “coach” guiding them through their marathon preparation. In reality, they were just following a semi-custom training plan – a very different experience from real, one-on-one coaching. Although, they all enjoyed being part of the charitable mission together, they may have had more success in their races if they had a personal coach helping them with the daily questions and challenges that always occur on a training journey.

If you are serious about your goals and want to match your efforts with the proper training, answers and caring that you get from a real coach, make sure that you hire a personal coach. The investment that you make in true coaching will be worthwhile.

Getting a training session started is the hardest part

It’s going to be so cold for those first 10 strokes…

Getting a training session started is the hardest part

By Chris Palmquist

Your alarm goes off. Now is the critical moment. Will you turn it off, roll over and sleep another hour? Or will you stiffly get out of bed, put on workout clothes and head out for that training session?

Your brain is skillful at firehosing messages to sway your resolve

It is dark. This is not normal human behavior. I need sleep. My back aches. I think I might have a sore throat. I don’t really care that much about getting faster. It might be icy. The pool is freezing this week. I have an important meeting later and should rest for it. I haven’t run in 3 months, why start now?

If you work from home like I do many days, you might have the whole day (even evening) to get in that workout. This is not helpful! It is amazing how many things you think you have to do before you head out to train.

You are not alone. I know a few people who are AMAZING at getting in their workouts every morning before dawn without fail. But they are the exception. As for the rest of us, it is hard for any of the following reasons:

• You have important work to do first.

• You hate those first few swim strokes when the water shocks your body with COLD.

• You are coming back from a long layoff and feel uncoordinated and clumsy.

• Your body is sore or stiff and you know that it will be uncomfortable until you get warmed up.

• You don’t really believe in yourself and your ability to achieve your goal.

• Your partner discourages your training.

• You don’t want to leave your dogs home alone. (Guilty)

• You are too hungry. You are too full.

• The kitchen floor needs sweeping.

• You are stressed out and just don’t need more stress.

• Fill in blank here ________________

These are valid and important feelings and reasons! It is easy to understand why we procrastinate from starting or skipping workouts entirely.

BUT, we are endurance athletes and we know these truths. If we start the workout…

• We will finish the workout.

• We will feel awesome after we train.

• “Motion is lotion” - our achy joints will often feel better.

• Our stress levels will lower with exercise.

• We will know that we gave ourselves a gift of health and that knowledge will help the whole day be better.

• We will get stronger. We will make progress towards our goals. We will start to believe.

Effective solutions to the workout procrastination problem

Amanda Leibovitz (Certified Mental Performance Consultant at www.epicwellnesswa.com), my good friend and frequent collaborator, is finishing her PhD in Sports Psychology and is working with injured service members, athletes and sports teams. She recommends the following tools to crush your tendency to put off that next workout.

• Use “Whypower” instead of willpower. Know why you want to achieve your goals. Imagine a memory or experience that you will be proud of if you train and accomplish your goals. Know your “WHY.”

• Take action rather than thinking. We are over-thinkers. It is not helpful in this situation. Stop it! Turn your brain “off” (mostly) and just get going.

• Review your your reason why, then state, “I will (get out of bed, dive into the pool, take the first pedal strokes, start my run, etc.) after I count down from five.” Then, say it out loud, “Five, four, three, two, one…GO.” Read the Five Second Rule by Mel Robbins for more.

Counting down from five may seem a little silly. But I can attest, it really works. Find your Whypower, turn down your over-thinking, countdown from five and let me know how it goes.

Let’s GO!

Appropriate Endurance Athlete Holiday Behavior

So much good food. So many fun gatherings!

Appropriate Endurance Athlete Holiday Behavior

Chris Palmquist

For summer-sport endurance athletes, it is time to restore our bodies and enjoy the holidays. How do we get through the next few weeks with our health, 2020 goals and priorities intact? What is appropriate endurance athlete behavior during this very different season? Here are my recommendations for your last few weeks of the decade.

Training “Do’s”

·       Be more unstructured. Unless you are a winter-sport endurance athlete, this is the time of year to enjoy some freedom from structured training. Be active on as many days as you can but follow your heart and enjoy whatever feels best on any given day. This is the time to hike, snowshoe, cross country ski, rock climb, dance, ice skate, group exercise, fat-bike, holiday run or whatever sounds like fun on any given day. Prioritize any chance you get to be active with friends. Heal your body and mind from a long season of training with different motions and new experiences.

·       Get outside. Get some fresh air on your face – it will help your head and your health. Fresh air is still fresh air after dark too, so don’t let daylight hours limit you. Wear reflective, warm clothing and attach some bright, blinking lights, then find a safe place to walk, run or bike with your dog or with friends.

Training “Do Not’s”

·       Don’t perform race-specific workouts. Post-season is your time to transition from peak fitness (and fatigue) back to rested, recovered and ready to rebuild for next year. When you swim, bike or run, your workouts should not resemble your last race in distance or speed. Go easy, go shorter, be “playful.”

·       Don’t train with pain. Now is your chance to heal those lingering aches and pains. If it hurts to run, do not run. Spend a few weeks healing now so that you can run pain-free next year.

Eating “Do’s”

·       Drink enough water each day. Take your body weight in kgs and drink that same number of ounces of water each day. Staying hydrated is critical for staying healthy and feeling good during the holiday season.

·       Eat your vegetables. Vegetables are the most nutrient-rich foods that you can eat. Don’t let a day go by without several servings of vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables.

Eating “Do Not’s”

·       Don’t overeat added sugars. This is hard with treats, drinks and cookies everywhere you turn. Treat yourself occasionally to high quality treats and skip those that are not truly delicious.

·       Don’t overdrink alcohol. Savor one drink while at a party rather than several. Then get back to hydrating with sparkling water for the rest of the evening.

 Lifestyle “Do’s”

·       Sleep. Most of us need 7-8 hours each night to have strong immune systems, support good eating habits and function well as adults.

·       Enjoy social occasions, family and friends. Connect, gather and laugh with the people in your life.

·       Schedule regular restorative periods during busy days. Take a walk each day. Get up from your computer every hour or two. Practice mindfulness, meditation or deep breathing each day (even just 5 minutes can help).

 Lifestyle “Do Not’s”

·       Don’t try to be perfect. Perfection is unattainable and unimportant and unenjoyable. If you are a “Go Big or Go Home” person, you may really struggle as you will get frustrated by your lack of consistency during the holidays and just quit all together. Instead, ditch the perfection and try for a more attainable goals such as getting in at least a few minutes of stretching or moving each day.

 Enjoy these next five weeks and the friends, family and gatherings that come with this time of year. Your priority as an endurance athlete preparing for 2020 is to restore your body, mind and energy.

Small Changes

As I pedaled through my first indoor trainer ride of the season this morning, my bike saddle and I were not agreeing. After suffering for a few minutes, I dismounted and checked out the seat’s alignment. It was rotated about two degrees to the right. I straightened it out. Then, because my knees had informed me that it was about 1/3 cm too far back, I moved it that small amount forward and hopped back on the bike.

Two degrees and 1/3 of a centimeter. Very small changes and yet they made all the difference. I was able to ride for 90 minutes and get day #2 of my 2020 preparation back into drive.

My plan to get back into racing fitness will require many, many small steps. This past year, I put training near the bottom of my priority list as I started a new business, pursued some other projects and recovered from my 14-year push to finish Kona as a Legacy Athlete last year. I am currently in the worst shape of my life. It is time to begin the comeback. But if I try to tackle it in large leaps, my body will rebel either physically or emotionally. Instead, I need to take small steps each day towards my 2020 goals. Focusing on consistency. Trusting the process of getting someone into shape that I know so well.

Small changes matter. Heading to bed 10 minutes earlier. Setting an appointment each day to train. Employing friends to meet for workouts. Adding more vegetables throughout the day. Committing to strength training. Remembering mobility work. Including progressive training within all of the energy systems. Believing. I’ve guided this process for hundreds of athletes and seen their successes. Now it is time for me.

As you plan for big 2020 goals, remember that most of the battle is just showing up each day. Build your training plan to be full of small steps and tiny changes. This is where you will find your magic. Let’s go!

Planning for Paris 2024

USAT CEO Rocky Harris and some of our Elite Team USA Paratriathletes at the OPTC last week.

Every visit to the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center is special to me. I have had the privilege to spend many weeks there over the years. Last week’s trip there stands out as extra special. USA Triathlon assembled a working group of four coaches, four athletes, three non-profits and USAT staff to plan for the next Paralympic quad - the four years leading up to the Paris 2024 games.

Deep in thought…considering all options. Photo by Aaron Scheidies

After two and half days, we had evaluated all of our current Tokyo 2020 processes, then thought through everything from youth paratriathlon to creating a national race series. The ideas were impressive and the participation was impassioned and thoughtful. We all left feeling like the meeting was well worth our time and travel. The opportunity to catch up with each other was priceless.

And, it snowed! I didn’t get many pictures, but Pikes Peak was huge and snow-covered during the morning light as I walked into the main building.

Til next year OPTC!

High School Cross Country and the Power of Team

Mud, sweat and forever friendships…high school cross country. Photo by Gry Larsen

Middle school and high school cross country/track were where I started as a coach in the 1990’s. I realized then what an honor it was to be a part of each young athlete’s running journey during this important stage of life. Leaving school coaching to raise a young family was a tough but necessary decision. I missed this age group and their passion and energy. Someday, I hoped to get back to the schools.

My fall schedule opened up this year and there was an opening for an assistant xc boys/girls coach at our local high school. I soon found myself trailing packs of runners from my bike each weekday afternoon and back into the familiar rhythm of Saturday morning meets. After all of my coaching experiences, I wondered if I would still enjoy high school cross country. There are so many reasons that my question was answered with a big yes!

• I get to see the athletes in person each day - something missing from many of my coaching positions.

• I get to work with other coaches who care about this team and each kid on it. Collaboration is what makes coaching fun. Working with others always teaches me new perspectives and skill.

• High school kids are incredible. I know what an honor it is to be a part of their athletic and high school growth and memories. They make me laugh and cry - every day.

Most importantly, cross country is a sport that requires everyone to believe in the mission of the TEAM’s success. Each runner can have individual goals. But when every athlete dedicates their performance to the team and knows that others are doing the same for them, magic happens.