What You Should Get Out of Early Season Racing

by Ron Tribendis, D.C.

Now that the 2011 racing season is in full swing, I was thinking about how long the season actually is and how athletes may be planning to race from early April through November. That is a very, very long season.

I tend to approach racing much like baseball.

First, you have spring training where you are simply figuring out what the team is going to look like.
Then you have the portion of the season where everyone is coming into form.
Finally, you have the playoffs, when everything must come together.

You may go through this whole scenario twice if you live in a warmer climate and are able to have two seasons in one calendar year.

In spring training, you have done just that -- training. You have gotten stronger, worked on your weaknesses and laid down the foundation on which to build your season.

So now the racing season is here. What should you hope to get out of early season racing?

Benchmark. Face it, we can’t win or PR every race we enter. As as long as we learn something early in the season, the race was a success. Don’t put too much stock in early results. Look at your numbers and use them to develop benchmarks. Decide what needs more attention for later in the year or an “A” race.
Test different race strategies. See what happens if you crush the bike. At what point do you blow up on the run? Bike very, very easy and run hard. What happens to your overall time? Try something you haven’t tried before and learn from the experience.
Try a new overall strategy. Try new equipment, new nutrition or a new race kit. Get all these details sorted out before your “A” race.

These factors are the little things that play into the success of your “A” race later in the year. I was joking with a friend this weekend and called it “tweakin' for peakin'.” Happy tweakin'!

Ron Tribendis, D.C., is a member of the Endurance Corner coaching network. He has been competing in triathlons for 10 years, qualifying for Kona and the 70.3 World Championships. He has also coached multiple athletes to Kona and Clearwater. He currently lives in Frisco, TX, where he operates a sports medicine chiropractic clinic, North Texas Performance Chiropractic. He is a USAT Level 1 coach and active release (ART) full body certified.