Joe Friel....GREAT STUFF to remember and use!

I got this e-mail today, and I read and re-read it. There are two parts. The first part is about season goals and is a review of what we all probably know....but don't necessarily remember to do. Read it and check your goals to see if they are SMART. Second is the top ten list from Joe Friel's blog this year. Every one of these should be considered MUST READ!  Over the weekend, I'll write a quick note about each of these and post my annual goals. Have a great weekend! Darin *************************************************************************************************************** Season Goals by Scott Iott Happy New Year athletes and coaches!!  Now that you have reflected on your 2010 season, it is time to move forward to 2011.  The first step is to set season goals and training objectives.  Ideally, you should have 2-4 season goals and 3-5 training objectives.  Season goals are tied to events or races and will drive your training throughout the season.  For example, you may have a goal to complete your first triathlon or finish an Ironman in less than 12 hours.  Each training session should have a purpose related to your season goals.  Training objectives are things that you can accomplish during your actual training.  Examples of training objectives can be to complete 95% of written workouts, reach optimal race weight, or set a new PR on a training route.  Each of your season goals should fit under the criteria of the SMART principle.  They should be Specific, Measurable,Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.  Use this formula when setting season goals: Specific – Season goals should be tied to a specific event.  Generally the event will be your “A” priority race when you will be at peak fitness levels. Measureable – How are you going to know when you’ve reached your goals?  Your goals should be written so that you or your coach can monitor progress. Using a pace or power meter will help give you objective data to help with achievement. Attainable – Set your goals so that right now they are just out of reach.  Setting your goals too high will set you up for failure.  Set them too low and you will not challenge yourself in your training. Realistic –Don’t set a goal that you are not physically or mentally capable of accomplishing.  It’s okay to aim high, but make sure you feel that you are able to realistically reach that level. Timely - Season goals should be achieved in the current season, during your build up to your “A” races, or in the 2011 year.  You may have a 2 or 3 year plan in triathlon, but set your goals based on your needs this season. The goal setting process is an important part to the beginning of your 2011 season.  They will drive your training decisions throughout the year.  Use the SMART formula and set yourself up for success in 2011!!  Happy Training! Scott Iott is a Level I USAT certified triathlon coach. He has helped athletes of all levels to numerous age group wins and podium places. Scott has eight years of multisport experience across a variety of distances. He is dedicated to helping athletes reach their season, race, and training goals. For more information on Season Goals, contact Scott atsiott@trainingbible.com

Top 10 Most Read Posts of 2010 by Joe Friel The following are the 10 blog posts from this site which were the most read in 2010. #1 below never ceases to amaze me as it’s #1 every year and shows no sign of slowing down. Only three posts from 2010 made it to the top 10 of all-time (#4, #7, #10). I still have a long list of topics that interest me waiting in the wings. If you have a topic you’d like me to write about please feel free to post it as a suggestion in the comments section below. I can’t guarantee I’ll write about it, but I may. Thanks for following my blog in 2010. It was viewed 685,265 times and continues to steadily grow. I look forward to seeing what’s ahead in 2011. #1 Cleat Position (January 2007) This was the first blog post I ever wrote and it continues to be the most read of all having been #1 four years in a row. Here I discuss a midsole alternative to the traditional forefoot cleat position for cycling shoes. There have been 143 comments posted to this blog by readers, many of which describe their experience after moving their cleats. There have also been follow-up posts to this blog which you can find by doing a search on “cleat position” on thehome page. #2 Road Bike Posture (September 2009) This is a post from September, 2007. I’ve never figured out why it turned out to be so popular. It discusses hip position in a seated position and shows examples of two riders, one with a position I like and another that’s not quite as nice. #3 Foot Strike in Running (March 2007) Written in March, 2007 this is a perennially popular post making the top five for the fourth consecutive year. It provides pictures of two runners at Ironman Hawaii 2006—one with a relatively flat-foot strike and the other with a heel strike. It briefly discusses the advantages of minimizing an initial heel-first foot strike. #4 Core Strength (March 2010) From March of 2010, this post includes frame captures from two videos of runners on treadmills. I’ve had people say that the top pictures of the female runner are fakes—that she has her shorts pulled down on the left side thus exaggerating her poor postural muscles. That’s not the case. I’ve seen the entire video. Had I shown a right-foot landing you would see a mirror image with that hip sagging just as much. These videos changed much of what I thought I knew about the subject. #5 Estimating TSS (September 2009) Training Stress Score (TSS) is a concept Dr. Andrew Coggan came up with that is at the heart ofWKO+ software, which I and many other coaches and athletes use quite extensively. It’s simply a way of “scoring” the difficulty of a workout based on power (bike), pace/speed (running) or heart rate (any endurance sport). If you don’t use a power meter, GPS/accelerometer speed-distance device or heart rate monitor (e.g., swimming) this post helps you estimate TSS for a workout so you can manually enter it into WKO+. #6 A Quick Guide to Setting Zones (November 2009) As suggested in the title, this post takes you through the step-by-step process of setting up your training zones (heart rate, power, pace) for cycling, running and swimming. #7 Physiological Fitness – Lactate Threshold (March 2010) Posted in March of this year this topic continues to attract readers. And with good reason. If you improve your lactate threshold you will be faster. And it’s highly trainable. #8 Heart Rate and Training (March 2009) This is a quick, personal history of using a heart rate monitor along with how to determine your lactate threshold heart rate. #9 Can Your Socks Make You Faster? (October 2007) I believe it was 2005 when I first saw compression socks being used in a triathlon. Now it’s a common sight. This is perhaps the most notable change in athletic apparel in the decade. But are they beneficial? This post takes a look at that question? I need to return to this topic soon as there has been some recent research on the topic. #10 Physiological Fitness – Aerobic Capacity (March 2010) This was part 1 of a three-part series on “what is fitness.” Part 2 of the series was #7 above. Part 3 had to do witheconomy. This aerobic capacity post describes a term—VO2max—used by every serious athlete but understood by few.