Seinfeld Knows Sport

by Justin Daerr

When I see reruns from most 1990s sitcoms I wonder how I ever enjoyed watching any of them. Of course, there are exceptions, most notably: Seinfeld. I always loved how Seinfeld managed to pull multiple story lines together in the final scenes of a show, no matter how seemingly unrelated they all appeared to be. My assumption, whether right or wrong, was that the writers of this show must have written their scripts by starting with the conclusion. Putting the entire show together began by knowing where they wanted to end.

Establishing major goals in triathlon is not much different in my eyes. In this case, the final scene lies in the key race. Knowing where you want to be on that day should determine how you build your training as you work backwards to present day.

When athletes and I discuss what training needs to be done to achieve their goals, I often suggest specific workouts that should be accomplished in their final builds (approximately the last 12 weeks leading into a major race). For ironman racing, I break workouts into three types:

1. Workouts that challenge fitness (benchmark sessions)
2. Workouts that build confidence
3. Workouts that teach pacing.

With any workout, you are going to have components of all three, but the primary goal lies in one of those categories.

1. Workouts that challenge fitness (benchmark sessions) - When athletes have set goals for a race, I establish workouts they need to execute in order to accomplish the goals on race day (Swim X, Ride Y, Run Z). These workouts are specific to the demands that will be required of their fitness under race pressure.
   
   
2. Workouts that build confidence - Obviously, any workout that is done successfully will build some confidence, but that may not be the primary goal of the session. I often create confidence-building sessions to explore the unknown. If athletes have never ridden 112 miles, then I think it is beneficial to have them know they can accomplish this task before race day arrives, regardless of the time or effort. Doing these types of workouts might not always be optimal when it comes to building fitness, but they give athletes the confidence they need along their way to achieving their goals.
   
   
3. Workouts that teach pacing - All workouts teach you something about pacing (particularly when you blow up!), but again, that may not be the primary goal of the session. I usually prioritize these types of workouts for the inexperienced, or for athletes who repeatedly show a lack of execution (relative to their fitness). In these types of workouts, the primary goal is to learn how to use their fitness in a way that optimizes their performances on race day.

Always remember to refer back to your goals when developing a plan for your key races and expect to have to make adjustments along the way. By establishing your goals, and working your way backwards in planning for them, you will always know where you want to go.

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