Thought folks would find this a thoughtful piece around the subject:
http://www.xtri.com/coaches_display.aspx?riIDReport=5550&CAT=41&xref=xx
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Hillarious: Caveat Emptor
Can't say I disagree with Mr. Sousa. :)
http://thetriathlonbook.blogspot.com/2009/02/caveat-emptor.html
http://thetriathlonbook.blogspot.com/2009/02/caveat-emptor.html
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A really quick word on race nutrition..
Someone recently said to me:
"All you really need is malto, water and salt to get through a ride"
Well, that's basically true.
I think this person read this: (I lifted it from the source verbatim)
"This is a summary of the use of the 3 limiting agents in endurance exercise.
Sugar (maltodextrin) Salt Water Period.
Everything else is pretty much marketing gimick.
The method I use to mix maltodextrin into my bottles for IM and HIM racing.
You need a measuring cup and a gram scale. The mix is a pure maltodextrin, no others sweeeteners, no taste, and no salts. I add these to the solutions."
Hmm, well, again basically true.
-Malto is carbohydrate which you need for energy, how many carbs you need in the formula is really something you need to gauge based on duration and intensity of the event. Obviously there are general rules here and I don't really need to list them as folks can vary by as much as a couple hundred kcals an hour of exercise.
There are other alternatives to a carb source outside of Malto, (it's really not the end all, be all) it all really depends on how you use (process) the carb. Dextrose is also a commonly used "agent" for carbs.
Without ponitficating on the advantages of one or the other it's worth giving either a try to see how they work for you.
-Salt is, uh, salt... How much you need is a tough one.. A person can have their sweat rate measured and attempt to leverage the data.. As a rule most humans fall into the same spectrum of salt loss, and naturally there are some outliers, folks who retain salt and others who lose alot of salt.
-Water is, duh, water and you need this for hydration.. The salt and water are critical components together because without the salt your ability to absorb water is diminished. Too much salt and an athlete becomes bloaty.
Marketing gimmics?
Well, there is peer reviewed research that supports the other agents added to a sports drink formula.
For me, it truly doesn't matter what extra stuff goes in there, and I guess I'm lucky in that regard. Mostly I need lots of carbs to keep going, a little salt (I'm pretty average in terms of salt loss) and my hydration needs usually (go figure) revolve around the weather.
So, just to clarify I've had extra stuff (beyond the basics listed above) and just haven't noticed a difference.
The big takeaway here has to be that we learn to train and race on the products that will be available at our key event race course, unless there is compelling reason not to.
I'd say if you load up the Tri bike w/four bottles of special formula and you eject a bottle in the course of Ironman then you have limited choices: You either go without the extra bottle or you grab what's on the course.
What would you rather do?
"All you really need is malto, water and salt to get through a ride"
Well, that's basically true.
I think this person read this: (I lifted it from the source verbatim)
"This is a summary of the use of the 3 limiting agents in endurance exercise.
Sugar (maltodextrin) Salt Water Period.
Everything else is pretty much marketing gimick.
The method I use to mix maltodextrin into my bottles for IM and HIM racing.
You need a measuring cup and a gram scale. The mix is a pure maltodextrin, no others sweeeteners, no taste, and no salts. I add these to the solutions."
Hmm, well, again basically true.
-Malto is carbohydrate which you need for energy, how many carbs you need in the formula is really something you need to gauge based on duration and intensity of the event. Obviously there are general rules here and I don't really need to list them as folks can vary by as much as a couple hundred kcals an hour of exercise.
There are other alternatives to a carb source outside of Malto, (it's really not the end all, be all) it all really depends on how you use (process) the carb. Dextrose is also a commonly used "agent" for carbs.
Without ponitficating on the advantages of one or the other it's worth giving either a try to see how they work for you.
-Salt is, uh, salt... How much you need is a tough one.. A person can have their sweat rate measured and attempt to leverage the data.. As a rule most humans fall into the same spectrum of salt loss, and naturally there are some outliers, folks who retain salt and others who lose alot of salt.
-Water is, duh, water and you need this for hydration.. The salt and water are critical components together because without the salt your ability to absorb water is diminished. Too much salt and an athlete becomes bloaty.
Marketing gimmics?
Well, there is peer reviewed research that supports the other agents added to a sports drink formula.
For me, it truly doesn't matter what extra stuff goes in there, and I guess I'm lucky in that regard. Mostly I need lots of carbs to keep going, a little salt (I'm pretty average in terms of salt loss) and my hydration needs usually (go figure) revolve around the weather.
So, just to clarify I've had extra stuff (beyond the basics listed above) and just haven't noticed a difference.
The big takeaway here has to be that we learn to train and race on the products that will be available at our key event race course, unless there is compelling reason not to.
I'd say if you load up the Tri bike w/four bottles of special formula and you eject a bottle in the course of Ironman then you have limited choices: You either go without the extra bottle or you grab what's on the course.
What would you rather do?
Monday, April 27, 2009
A week in workouts... 4/26
All the gory details.
Week of 4/26
Monday-
Bike- Gorge ride, 2hrs 15min; flatted 5mi from car
Swim- 3000y, 750w/up & cool down, then 300,200,100x2 (4.38, 3.02.1.27) 200 pull, (4.45, 3.08, 1.32) McM community pool is rough !
Tuesday-
Bike- Just a touch over 2hrs out in McM, another warm day. (80's), just trying to punch in time and recover.
Run- early evening 50min to Linfield plus 2mi running on track. It was really warm!
Wednesday
Swim-3k=750w/up & cool down, then 300,200,100x2 (4.38, 3.02.1.27) 200 pull, (4.45, 3.08, 1.32) McM community pool is like swimming in the ocean, argh, no lap lanes.
Run- 30min to Linfield and back just going easy
Thursday
Bike- Trainer set
10min w/up 3x15min at 85% of FTP (HalfIM race wattage) 230-240w 10min c/d
Felt comfortable, but not a fun way to ride the trainer.
Friday
Moving into new place, super duper busy all day so workouts had to go out the window.
Run- easy run 30min to Nike campus & back
Saturday
Bike- 60mile Hammer Fest, err.. I mean fast paced ride done in Z4 most of the time.
Swim- late day I struggled through a truncated set about 2500 yards (250free, 250 pull paddles, 50 kick, 200 drills, 300,200,100, 250free, 250 pull paddles, 50 kick, 200 drills)
Sunday
Run- Good solid run w/Bryan & Matt on Wildwood (zoo to Pittock), 1 hour ten min
Swim- just north of 3k yards+
Set= 250free, 250 pull paddles, 50 kick, 200 drills, 3x500 (7.45, 8min flat, 8min flat on 30sec rest), 250free, 250 pull, 50 kick, 200 drills; The fives were a little rough because I shared a lane, but c'est la vie.
Week of 4/26
Monday-
Bike- Gorge ride, 2hrs 15min; flatted 5mi from car
Swim- 3000y, 750w/up & cool down, then 300,200,100x2 (4.38, 3.02.1.27) 200 pull, (4.45, 3.08, 1.32) McM community pool is rough !
Tuesday-
Bike- Just a touch over 2hrs out in McM, another warm day. (80's), just trying to punch in time and recover.
Run- early evening 50min to Linfield plus 2mi running on track. It was really warm!
Wednesday
Swim-3k=750w/up & cool down, then 300,200,100x2 (4.38, 3.02.1.27) 200 pull, (4.45, 3.08, 1.32) McM community pool is like swimming in the ocean, argh, no lap lanes.
Run- 30min to Linfield and back just going easy
Thursday
Bike- Trainer set
10min w/up 3x15min at 85% of FTP (HalfIM race wattage) 230-240w 10min c/d
Felt comfortable, but not a fun way to ride the trainer.
Friday
Moving into new place, super duper busy all day so workouts had to go out the window.
Run- easy run 30min to Nike campus & back
Saturday
Bike- 60mile Hammer Fest, err.. I mean fast paced ride done in Z4 most of the time.
Swim- late day I struggled through a truncated set about 2500 yards (250free, 250 pull paddles, 50 kick, 200 drills, 300,200,100, 250free, 250 pull paddles, 50 kick, 200 drills)
Sunday
Run- Good solid run w/Bryan & Matt on Wildwood (zoo to Pittock), 1 hour ten min
Swim- just north of 3k yards+
Set= 250free, 250 pull paddles, 50 kick, 200 drills, 3x500 (7.45, 8min flat, 8min flat on 30sec rest), 250free, 250 pull, 50 kick, 200 drills; The fives were a little rough because I shared a lane, but c'est la vie.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
The Group Workout dynamic..
Hmm, when I lived in Portland I started getting more detached from group runs as a runner, then as a Tri geek I loved the rides (not many group swim or run opportunities then)..
As a runner it was mainly because at the track I had my own program and didn't (still) didn't want to do a random workout that didn't fit into the meso cycle; I wasn't really ever worried about going too hard, as a runner I ran hard all the darn time!
What I was worried about though was running hills... Strange as it may seem when you're running seriously on the track the hills deaden your legs faster then anything.. So group runs that were hilly I avoided like the plague; though a couple of times I showed for some fun.
Once I moved to Seattle a couple of years ago even finding folks to ride with was a chore; sure I had groups I did weekly trainer interval sessions with (actually miss that) but I can count the number of times I rode with groups outdoors.. I didn't make a decision not to ride with folks so much as the option wasn't really there.
Swimming up there gave me plenty of options, but, I stayed away from masters swims in the morning because, while I get fit from the push, inside of two weeks of morning swimming I will have a niggle in my left upper back, just a knotted muscle but annoying. Something about the intensity that early in the morning freaks my bony little back out.
Where am I going with all of this?
Ah, well today I did my first group ride in ages and in Portland no less. It was an absolute hammer fest and while I was semi-prepared to deal with that the approach to the long ride it was much different then how I've approached building my cycling fitness.
Here are the over-arching tenets to my training approach as regards cycling:
-Build endurance:
My strategy with the cycling component of Triathlon is to be able to get off the bike fresh and run hard.
I've had mixed results with a cycling-centric approach and found success & balance in riding 4-5x a week an average of 2hrs a session.
That's still pretty darn hard when you're a working stiff, but it can be done, a person simply has to slice and dice the schedule to find time to to do so.. Again, reference my last post, I follow mod/hard days with easy days.
On easy days I ride how I feel and the wattage is the wattage meaning whatever the computer tells me is fine, I don't need a goal on an easy day other then getting out there for a spin and enjoying it.
-Build race specific speed:
Cycling in triathlon is unlike stand alone time-trials in that they are (usually) much longer than what single sport athletes deal with and as a result the emphasis really should be on endurance, not speed.
But, that said an element of speed is an important in a program where the orientation is performance and that happens to be me.
How do I get there? Wattage based training.
For each distance I race I take my Functional Threshold Power(FTP) and multiply it by an Intensity Factor (IF) to determine race goal wattage.
For example, if I race a Half Ironman distance I will target roughly 85% of FTP, but due to the vagaries of wind, descending and other elements beyond a rider's control in a race "hitting average race wattage" is usually difficult, if not impossible.
Finally, and most importantly, I approach the time-trial portion of a triathlon with the goal of going as fast as possible on the least watts.
This approach has served me really well, most of last summer I had top bike splits at most local races I competed in and rode 5.30 split at IMC on a windy and hilly course.
More importantly, if I use less watts for the same, or in many cases, better speed then another athlete it gives me an advantage when it is time to run..
"Ride for show, Run for dough."
As far as training is concerned, I allocate a small component of my training to sub-race wattage efforts; again for example I will find a course where I can ride steady wattage at (using the example above) 80% of race effort.
Why not faster? See below.
-Approach cycling as a subset of another sport: Triathlon
If you are a long course athlete chances are you workout a couple of times a day. If the first workout wrecks you it has a direct negative impact on the second workout.
This means that when you have a "quality session" on the schedule you'll need to be aware of either the scheduling of the other workout or how the intensity of one or the other workout impacts each other.
Additionally, due to the sheer volume of work we (I) do, a really significant element of intensity isn't important; think of the corollary in the Lydiard athletes (Snell, Halberg, etc.) also given the demands of the events the main emphasis is endurance.
____________________
So, what does this all have to do with the group workout dynamic.
Right. Yes, here we go:
Today I did a 60mi group ride. I came home and downloaded the data and was not shocked to see that I nearly recorded new "best average power" norms for 5min, 10min, 20min, 60min power.
I did, however, record a new best two hour power average.
A couple of things.. I was disturbed by this..
The ride was 3 hours and to be candid I think hitting those numbers should only ever happen in a controlled test or time-trial (in fact all of my best averages come from those kind of testing efforts) not in a group hammer fest.
My other thought was that perhaps those old norms aren't the norms anymore and I need to retest (it's entirely possible)...
All that said, I'm sticking to my philosophical guns on this one: Testing power happens in a controlled manner, training is training, and I like to follow the Bowerman axiom, "there will be no racing during workouts"...
Unfortunately I've found out that I need to control either how often I do these rides and accept that they are race-pace efforts, or just let people ride away..
Today I had a friend who had bonked hard and he really needed a wheel back to the car, I was more than happy to help and save myself for an evening swim set.
Next time? I dunno. I will probably only do group work rides that are super easy from here on out !
As a runner it was mainly because at the track I had my own program and didn't (still) didn't want to do a random workout that didn't fit into the meso cycle; I wasn't really ever worried about going too hard, as a runner I ran hard all the darn time!
What I was worried about though was running hills... Strange as it may seem when you're running seriously on the track the hills deaden your legs faster then anything.. So group runs that were hilly I avoided like the plague; though a couple of times I showed for some fun.
Once I moved to Seattle a couple of years ago even finding folks to ride with was a chore; sure I had groups I did weekly trainer interval sessions with (actually miss that) but I can count the number of times I rode with groups outdoors.. I didn't make a decision not to ride with folks so much as the option wasn't really there.
Swimming up there gave me plenty of options, but, I stayed away from masters swims in the morning because, while I get fit from the push, inside of two weeks of morning swimming I will have a niggle in my left upper back, just a knotted muscle but annoying. Something about the intensity that early in the morning freaks my bony little back out.
Where am I going with all of this?
Ah, well today I did my first group ride in ages and in Portland no less. It was an absolute hammer fest and while I was semi-prepared to deal with that the approach to the long ride it was much different then how I've approached building my cycling fitness.
Here are the over-arching tenets to my training approach as regards cycling:
-Build endurance:
My strategy with the cycling component of Triathlon is to be able to get off the bike fresh and run hard.
I've had mixed results with a cycling-centric approach and found success & balance in riding 4-5x a week an average of 2hrs a session.
That's still pretty darn hard when you're a working stiff, but it can be done, a person simply has to slice and dice the schedule to find time to to do so.. Again, reference my last post, I follow mod/hard days with easy days.
On easy days I ride how I feel and the wattage is the wattage meaning whatever the computer tells me is fine, I don't need a goal on an easy day other then getting out there for a spin and enjoying it.
-Build race specific speed:
Cycling in triathlon is unlike stand alone time-trials in that they are (usually) much longer than what single sport athletes deal with and as a result the emphasis really should be on endurance, not speed.
But, that said an element of speed is an important in a program where the orientation is performance and that happens to be me.
How do I get there? Wattage based training.
For each distance I race I take my Functional Threshold Power(FTP) and multiply it by an Intensity Factor (IF) to determine race goal wattage.
For example, if I race a Half Ironman distance I will target roughly 85% of FTP, but due to the vagaries of wind, descending and other elements beyond a rider's control in a race "hitting average race wattage" is usually difficult, if not impossible.
Finally, and most importantly, I approach the time-trial portion of a triathlon with the goal of going as fast as possible on the least watts.
This approach has served me really well, most of last summer I had top bike splits at most local races I competed in and rode 5.30 split at IMC on a windy and hilly course.
More importantly, if I use less watts for the same, or in many cases, better speed then another athlete it gives me an advantage when it is time to run..
"Ride for show, Run for dough."
As far as training is concerned, I allocate a small component of my training to sub-race wattage efforts; again for example I will find a course where I can ride steady wattage at (using the example above) 80% of race effort.
Why not faster? See below.
-Approach cycling as a subset of another sport: Triathlon
If you are a long course athlete chances are you workout a couple of times a day. If the first workout wrecks you it has a direct negative impact on the second workout.
This means that when you have a "quality session" on the schedule you'll need to be aware of either the scheduling of the other workout or how the intensity of one or the other workout impacts each other.
Additionally, due to the sheer volume of work we (I) do, a really significant element of intensity isn't important; think of the corollary in the Lydiard athletes (Snell, Halberg, etc.) also given the demands of the events the main emphasis is endurance.
____________________
So, what does this all have to do with the group workout dynamic.
Right. Yes, here we go:
Today I did a 60mi group ride. I came home and downloaded the data and was not shocked to see that I nearly recorded new "best average power" norms for 5min, 10min, 20min, 60min power.
I did, however, record a new best two hour power average.
A couple of things.. I was disturbed by this..
The ride was 3 hours and to be candid I think hitting those numbers should only ever happen in a controlled test or time-trial (in fact all of my best averages come from those kind of testing efforts) not in a group hammer fest.
My other thought was that perhaps those old norms aren't the norms anymore and I need to retest (it's entirely possible)...
All that said, I'm sticking to my philosophical guns on this one: Testing power happens in a controlled manner, training is training, and I like to follow the Bowerman axiom, "there will be no racing during workouts"...
Unfortunately I've found out that I need to control either how often I do these rides and accept that they are race-pace efforts, or just let people ride away..
Today I had a friend who had bonked hard and he really needed a wheel back to the car, I was more than happy to help and save myself for an evening swim set.
Next time? I dunno. I will probably only do group work rides that are super easy from here on out !
Monday, April 20, 2009
Figuring out what works and some other stuff
And what doesn't.
It's funny that it has taken me roughly, uh, all six or so seasons to figure what works for me in Triathlon, and surprisingly, when I've tried to make a list about the what works for me in "life" I cannot pin down a solid list (only because I think some things are negotiable)...
It's a good exercise and I really think all of my friends who haven't tried it could benefit, so here's my Tri list:
What works:
1. I need to swim 3000y a session at least 3x a week to be a moderately poor performing triathlete.
To be a better than mediocre triathlon swimmer then we are looking at 3500y 4x a week average.
2. I perform better as a swimmer if I do dryland drills and use strength cords. I've never done it consistently but after a little consistency (recently) and having a good discussion recently about how women can really benefit from strength in the sport it dawned on me that I am in this boat, although, I am not a woman. :)
3. One day hard on the bike has to be followed by an easy day. I improve when there is a strong element of control in my program.
4. Running everyday year round works wonders for me as a triathlete (it did as a runner too).
5. Track works for me but I have to be careful with ratcheting up intensity. If intensity goes up too quick I usually have a niggle that lingers.
What doesn't work:
1. Failing to account for good recovery in terms of: Sleep and eating right.
2. Drinking too much. It leaves me tired, reduces my power measurably on the bike and in the swim and I can't run as long, though from years of hard running I can run pretty much any distance in any condition, I will just suffer to do so.
3. Lack of stability in life schedule: Duh, it makes it hard to plan a workout sked. Currently this a non-issue. I've moved back to Oregon; live near a pool & Nike campus (track, running trails) and have no job. The environment is conducive to plenty of training and not having a job makes it easy to plan sessions.
4. Emotional stability: I suppose it's a personal admission but when everything is hunky dory on the home front I can knuckle down and train with more focus and verve. It's linked to job and, well, personal life with a stable mate who is supportive.
5. Over-training. Seems obvious, but it's not for me. It's ride related; for example, I have tendency to "go bananas" when it's nice out and ride a ton as if I'm never going to see a sunny sky in another six months, but that's dumb and I'm used to training in pretty poor weather.
__________________
What have I been up to?
Well, it's been a couple of weeks of training, one of those was so-so and this last week and a half has been good. I got sick in the process of moving and that zapped me but I've been on top of doubles with a rest day (single) here and there and it's been going well since being ill..
Not setting the world on fire, but the consistency is there and I'm seeing little improvements; it is still spring time so the big thing is not be hurt, tick over good gears on the bike, run and swim alot without drilling myself.
And I also recently had a rude awakening around my perceptions, re Short-course racing.
I am not a short-courser.
Well, I know that *anyone* could have told me that but it took finding out that a guy who really got the best of me in a very short race last year I absolutely killed at IMC.
I've always suspected that maybe my lack of 20k/40k TT speed (and inability to swim fast for any distance) was an issue. Now I have proof.
All that said, I still *love* sprints darn it. I think they help me build fitness for the longer stuff, and as long as they are not a focus I think there is value in racing them.
Oh, the mountain bike is still in the shop, waiting on the replacement fork.. That will be fun too.
It's funny that it has taken me roughly, uh, all six or so seasons to figure what works for me in Triathlon, and surprisingly, when I've tried to make a list about the what works for me in "life" I cannot pin down a solid list (only because I think some things are negotiable)...
It's a good exercise and I really think all of my friends who haven't tried it could benefit, so here's my Tri list:
What works:
1. I need to swim 3000y a session at least 3x a week to be a moderately poor performing triathlete.
To be a better than mediocre triathlon swimmer then we are looking at 3500y 4x a week average.
2. I perform better as a swimmer if I do dryland drills and use strength cords. I've never done it consistently but after a little consistency (recently) and having a good discussion recently about how women can really benefit from strength in the sport it dawned on me that I am in this boat, although, I am not a woman. :)
3. One day hard on the bike has to be followed by an easy day. I improve when there is a strong element of control in my program.
4. Running everyday year round works wonders for me as a triathlete (it did as a runner too).
5. Track works for me but I have to be careful with ratcheting up intensity. If intensity goes up too quick I usually have a niggle that lingers.
What doesn't work:
1. Failing to account for good recovery in terms of: Sleep and eating right.
2. Drinking too much. It leaves me tired, reduces my power measurably on the bike and in the swim and I can't run as long, though from years of hard running I can run pretty much any distance in any condition, I will just suffer to do so.
3. Lack of stability in life schedule: Duh, it makes it hard to plan a workout sked. Currently this a non-issue. I've moved back to Oregon; live near a pool & Nike campus (track, running trails) and have no job. The environment is conducive to plenty of training and not having a job makes it easy to plan sessions.
4. Emotional stability: I suppose it's a personal admission but when everything is hunky dory on the home front I can knuckle down and train with more focus and verve. It's linked to job and, well, personal life with a stable mate who is supportive.
5. Over-training. Seems obvious, but it's not for me. It's ride related; for example, I have tendency to "go bananas" when it's nice out and ride a ton as if I'm never going to see a sunny sky in another six months, but that's dumb and I'm used to training in pretty poor weather.
__________________
What have I been up to?
Well, it's been a couple of weeks of training, one of those was so-so and this last week and a half has been good. I got sick in the process of moving and that zapped me but I've been on top of doubles with a rest day (single) here and there and it's been going well since being ill..
Not setting the world on fire, but the consistency is there and I'm seeing little improvements; it is still spring time so the big thing is not be hurt, tick over good gears on the bike, run and swim alot without drilling myself.
And I also recently had a rude awakening around my perceptions, re Short-course racing.
I am not a short-courser.
Well, I know that *anyone* could have told me that but it took finding out that a guy who really got the best of me in a very short race last year I absolutely killed at IMC.
I've always suspected that maybe my lack of 20k/40k TT speed (and inability to swim fast for any distance) was an issue. Now I have proof.
All that said, I still *love* sprints darn it. I think they help me build fitness for the longer stuff, and as long as they are not a focus I think there is value in racing them.
Oh, the mountain bike is still in the shop, waiting on the replacement fork.. That will be fun too.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Training updates..
Yes, I know I've been pretty bad about getting detailed stuff up here... To be candid I sort of feel like it's boring, and well, the folks that follow things that closely know the routine.
Suffice it to say I've had a solid winter of base and managed to get my hip healed and strong.
The last couple of weeks things have been good, the main focus as usual is getting in the water lots and that's been happening. I'm not sure I've had any performance break through but I think that being able to swim "workout pbs" on the volume I'm doing is something. Not that those times would get anyone except me excited.
Running has been going nicely. I've started the winter lighter then normal and I've stuck to my diet plan from last season because, well, it worked to keep me light. I'm not trying to shed anymore weight, low to mid 140's is about right for training/racing. Also, I've been back at the track for about 5-ish weeks now, and the workouts are promising, meaning without really trying I'm doing the same sort of times I had just before IMC; again I chalk that up to weight.
Cycling as you might surmise is good. Power is where it should be, and maybe a little higher then it was last winter/spring and my weight is down.
If we benchmark progress using watts/kg then I'm doing great.
I can't really change my aerodynamics too much more unless I make some equipment changes, who knows, that could happen. As it is I'm pretty well optimized in races with the exception of the bars, I'm not really willing to change because we're talking about minimal ROI for straight line performance and most of the races I'm interested in are hilly enough that road bars are more beneficial when I climb.
So there you go. I'm being cautious with how hard I'm pushing because having good early fitness is great, having mid and late season fitness is even better.
Suffice it to say I've had a solid winter of base and managed to get my hip healed and strong.
The last couple of weeks things have been good, the main focus as usual is getting in the water lots and that's been happening. I'm not sure I've had any performance break through but I think that being able to swim "workout pbs" on the volume I'm doing is something. Not that those times would get anyone except me excited.
Running has been going nicely. I've started the winter lighter then normal and I've stuck to my diet plan from last season because, well, it worked to keep me light. I'm not trying to shed anymore weight, low to mid 140's is about right for training/racing. Also, I've been back at the track for about 5-ish weeks now, and the workouts are promising, meaning without really trying I'm doing the same sort of times I had just before IMC; again I chalk that up to weight.
Cycling as you might surmise is good. Power is where it should be, and maybe a little higher then it was last winter/spring and my weight is down.
If we benchmark progress using watts/kg then I'm doing great.
I can't really change my aerodynamics too much more unless I make some equipment changes, who knows, that could happen. As it is I'm pretty well optimized in races with the exception of the bars, I'm not really willing to change because we're talking about minimal ROI for straight line performance and most of the races I'm interested in are hilly enough that road bars are more beneficial when I climb.
So there you go. I'm being cautious with how hard I'm pushing because having good early fitness is great, having mid and late season fitness is even better.
Friday, April 3, 2009
This Organizational Development thing, let's demystify it...
Org Dev is a function under the HR umbrella whose primary function is to optimize the performance of an organization vis a vis programs whose aim is to benchmark key performance indicators, metric individual employees against those KPIs and broadly speaking, work with internal stake holders to optimize organizational structure (e.g. the org chart) for higher performance.
That's alot of corporate-y sound words.
Really what we're talking about is a function that at it's essence is about program management.
For example there are a variety of models "OD Practioners" employ to improve performance, one example being "Balanced Scorecard"..
(The jist of Balanced Scorecard incidentally is to benchmark and measure performance at the departmental level in an org because those activities are a leading indicator of near and mid-term success. Balanced Scorecard advocates allege fiscal results are a lag indicator (true) and look to sync those departmental (lead) indicators with the lag indicators.)
At it's heart Organization Development is a defined body of knowledge that's easily learned.
The primary difference between an effective OD function and not is applying the right model to the organization. Conceptually Balanced Scorecard and other models are all the same, but the discrete differences centered around those models are how they apply to small, mid or large organizations.
Naturally, things can be taken a step further; in large outfits such as IBM or Microsoft where individual business units or products really comprise a distinct business from other business units strategic application of discrete OD models could (and are) applied to optimize performance
in those respective business groups.
Pretty simple right?
So, if we could weight the qualities of a tactical and even a strategic resource's success we'd probably be talking about weighting program management expertise followed by smart application of domain knowledge/subject matter expertise.
Why are folks in HR so darn mystified by OD?
I call it the "black box syndrome"...
Folks either have a vague understanding of it or just don't get it period; if they are tasked to provide something for an OD program (an input) that input enters the program and later on the OD group magically produces some result (usually a report) that isn't fully understood either because it's not properly explained (or maybe marketed) by OD or we have a knowledge gap issue on the receiving side of the equation.
Net: stuff goes into the magical OD machine, really smart people with a master's degree in OD do stuff with it, but we don't know what and, poof, incomprehensible babble appears.
(That's from the POV of the HR folks participating in the process)
Solution:
Transparency around process and what the strategic vision and objectives of the OD program are.
Paint broad strokes, get folks in HR on board, some of them may be foot soldiers so-to-speak for the OD cause and having an "I don't know why I'm asking & collecting this data from you (internal stakeholder) but I have to because of XYZ initiative" doesn't do much to engender high levels of participation in a program.
Next up.. I'll explore building world class HR organizations, why we aren't, how we can in small and mid-sized companies.
That's alot of corporate-y sound words.
Really what we're talking about is a function that at it's essence is about program management.
For example there are a variety of models "OD Practioners" employ to improve performance, one example being "Balanced Scorecard"..
(The jist of Balanced Scorecard incidentally is to benchmark and measure performance at the departmental level in an org because those activities are a leading indicator of near and mid-term success. Balanced Scorecard advocates allege fiscal results are a lag indicator (true) and look to sync those departmental (lead) indicators with the lag indicators.)
At it's heart Organization Development is a defined body of knowledge that's easily learned.
The primary difference between an effective OD function and not is applying the right model to the organization. Conceptually Balanced Scorecard and other models are all the same, but the discrete differences centered around those models are how they apply to small, mid or large organizations.
Naturally, things can be taken a step further; in large outfits such as IBM or Microsoft where individual business units or products really comprise a distinct business from other business units strategic application of discrete OD models could (and are) applied to optimize performance
in those respective business groups.
Pretty simple right?
So, if we could weight the qualities of a tactical and even a strategic resource's success we'd probably be talking about weighting program management expertise followed by smart application of domain knowledge/subject matter expertise.
Why are folks in HR so darn mystified by OD?
I call it the "black box syndrome"...
Folks either have a vague understanding of it or just don't get it period; if they are tasked to provide something for an OD program (an input) that input enters the program and later on the OD group magically produces some result (usually a report) that isn't fully understood either because it's not properly explained (or maybe marketed) by OD or we have a knowledge gap issue on the receiving side of the equation.
Net: stuff goes into the magical OD machine, really smart people with a master's degree in OD do stuff with it, but we don't know what and, poof, incomprehensible babble appears.
(That's from the POV of the HR folks participating in the process)
Solution:
Transparency around process and what the strategic vision and objectives of the OD program are.
Paint broad strokes, get folks in HR on board, some of them may be foot soldiers so-to-speak for the OD cause and having an "I don't know why I'm asking & collecting this data from you (internal stakeholder) but I have to because of XYZ initiative" doesn't do much to engender high levels of participation in a program.
Next up.. I'll explore building world class HR organizations, why we aren't, how we can in small and mid-sized companies.
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