Last day

Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

Sun Tzu

Very interesting and accurate quote

Saw this quote on the Team TBB website, the text is not signed, I wonder who wrote it...

"Great efforts are needed to match great dreams. The girls have worked that out. The guys on the other hand, well they always seem to take a little longer to figure it out. The ‘don't train hard but smart’ brigade of conmen seem to resonate more on the boys. Women on the other hand tend to be able to see straight through that bullshit."

Totally nailed it.

Squad FAQ

It's been one week now that I publicly announced the squad formation and reception has been great. I've received inquires about the squad from more than 30 athletes, and around 10 have sent in complete applications. We're still 2 weeks from the deadline to turn in applications, so keep them coming!

Since I've gotten many questions regarding the squad, I thought I would publish a FAQ. If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at pstriathlon@gmail.com

Professional Triathlon Training Squad
- presented by pstriathlon.com

What is it?
A new-concept professional triathlon squad. Under my direction, this new squad offers both emerging and established elite triathletes a high-level training squad operating mainly in North America

What is its mission?
The mission of the squad is to develop elite triathletes capable of competing successfully at international level. Triathlon is a sport where athletes don’t reach their full potential and race their best until several years after starting to race at the professional level. Therefore, the purpose of this program is to provide a comprehensive, positive and supportive environment that prepares emerging elite triathletes for their highest performance ability in the coming years. Toward that end, the program provides an optimal training environment as well as the guidance necessary to gradually yet progressively develop the skills required for world-class performances in triathlon.

Who is Coach Paulo Sousa?
I am a certified triathlon coach who has the unique ability to combine the science of endurance training with the art of real-world coaching. A student of the sport for close to 15 years, I continue to apply advances in sports science to his training programs. My influences include “Doc” Counsilman, Jan Olbrecht, Tim Noakes, Jack Daniels, Brett Sutton and Joel Filliol.

What are the core values of the squad?
- Commitment to excellence
- Loyalty and honesty
- Long-term approach to high performance
- Stability of methods and technical approaches

What are the basic attributes athletes belonging to the squad need to possess?
- Ability to recognize challenge and adjust mentally and physically to positively face the challenge
- Enjoy competing with yourself and others
- See the benefit of a competitive environment to personal development
- See obstacles as a necessary and useful part of the learning process
- Display initiative, self responsibility and independence in quest for progression
- Ability to prioritize lifestyle to encompass all the work needed to progress
- Acceptance of the different forms and tools that offer feedback
- Ability to turn negative criticism into a positive learning tool
- “Be the best you can be, everyday”

What is the process to join the squad?
Selection for the squad will be composed of two phases:
Phase 1 – Application to join the squad (October 2010).
Phase 2 – Evaluation after attending a trial training camp (January 2011).

Phase 1? What is that?
Applications for Phase 1 of the project are open until October 31st, 2010. Just send an email to pstriathlon@gmail.com with your athletic resume and a statement on your motivation to join the squad. All athletes applying to the squad will receive a reply, stating their acceptance or not into the squad. The athletes selected for Phase 2 will be announced on November 15th.

What if I go through to Phase 2?
Those athletes will attend a two-week training camp in Las Cruces, NM in January 2011. At the camp, the athletes will be evaluated as to their potential to be part of the squad in 2011.

I am already an established athlete, do I have to go through Phase 1?
No. If you’re an already established athlete with excellent results, please contact me directly.

I am not a pro, should I apply?
If you believe you can be a world-class athlete, you should apply.

How will the squad function in 2011?
The training camps will be the center of activity of the squad in 2011. Locations for training camps will not be decided by lifestyle considerations, but on what is the best training environment for the athletes to work. The squad will have a semi-permanent location for 2012 and beyond.

Where and when will the training camps be?
Training camp #1 – Las Cruces, NM – January 15th to January 30th
Training camp #2 – Tucson, AZ– February 19th to March 13th
Training camp #3 – Las Cruces, NM – April 9th to May 8th
Training camp #4 – TBA – June 6th to July 3th
Training camp #5 – TBA – August 8th to September 4th

I can’t join the squad, but I would love to be coached by Paulo, is that still possible?
Yes. The squad will run concurrently with my online coaching practice. Those athletes coached by me will have privileged access to the squad.

I’m an age-grouper and I would love to have a chance to train with the squad, is that possible?
Yes. There will be training camps specifically targeted to age-groupers and running at the same time as the squad camp. The format of these camps will be announced shortly.

Will the elements of the squad have to race the same races?
No. Athletes in the squad will have individual race schedules. Occasionally, it is possible that more than one squad member will be racing the same race , but that will depend on individual goals.

Is coach Paulo going to be present at every race?
My presence at races will depend on financial support from the athletes. In the case where there will be several athletes at the same race, it will be very inexpensive for athletes to pitch in and support my travel expenses.

Who else is joining the squad?
Do you want to join the squad for yourself and what you want to accomplish, or for the athletes that will be in the squad? The squad will provide an opportunity to work in a team environment with like-minded individuals, that is the main strength of the squad.

How much will this cost me?
The main cost of belonging to the squad is lodging/food during the training camps.

I want to join the squad, but I want to keep my current coach, is that possible?
No. But you might want to ask yourself if you are working in an environment that will allow you to achieve your goals.

A Call to Action

On my blog and in private conversations I have pointed to the need to form a strong elite training squad based in North America.

Therefore I decided to do something about that and start a very ambitious project. A professional training squad that provides an environment for athletes to gradually, yet progressively, develop the skills required for world-class performances in triathlon. The squad will be open to both ITU and Ironman athletes.

This squad will be based on commitment and sacrifice. My commitment to offer world-class triathlon coaching, and the athletes’ commitment and sacrifice to be the best they can be. It will be based on partnership and commitment to excellence in high performance triathlon.

Words like commitment and sacrifice are nice words, words that you can find in any self-help book. But few of us realize what they really mean because few of us have an idea of what commitment and sacrifice really means. In a society where everything is served to us in a platter, everyone has an increasing difficulty in understanding the real meaning for commitment and sacrifice. And that means that few of us have what it takes.

For those that have what it takes, achieving their goals is the ultimate objective and for that they sacrifice everything else. Among the things they sacrifice is the ego-driven necessity that some athletes have of being in control of every aspect of their lives, which obviously includes their training process. Throughout my years as a coach I have encountered many self-coached athletes that, although with lofty goals and a seemingly unshakeable drive to be the best they can, simply did not have what it takes because of their inability to trust others with their training.

So the question is, do you have what it takes? Well, maybe you don’t. Very few of us have the necessary combination of genetic talent, mental skills and social environment in order to achieve personal excellence in triathlon. But maybe, just maybe you have what it takes. How do you know if you have it? It is quite simple: You go through the process. You put the work in. You commit and you sacrifice. And the product of that commitment and that sacrifice will answer the question.

The squad will operate mainly in North America, with the possibility of having training camps in Europe. The training camps will be the center of activity of the squad. Locations for training camps will not be decided by lifestyle considerations, but on what is the best training environment for the athletes to work. At the training camps, athletes will have 7 days/week, full-time coaching “on deck”.

The core values of the squad are:
- Commitment to excellence
- Loyalty and honesty
- Long-term approach to high performance
- Stability of methods and technical approaches

The basic attributes athletes belonging to the squad need to possess are:
- Ability to recognize challenge and adjust mentally and physically to positively face the challenge
- Enjoy competing with yourself and others
- See the benefit of a competitive environment to personal development
- See obstacles as a necessary and useful part of the learning process
- Display initiative, self responsibility and independence in quest for progression
- Ability to prioritize lifestyle to encompass all the work needed to progress
- Acceptance of the different forms and tools that offer feedback
- Ability to turn negative criticism into a positive learning tool
- Be the best you can be, everyday

Selection for the squad will be composed of two phases:
Phase 1 – Application to join the squad (October 2010).
Phase 2 – Evaluation after attending a trial training camp (January 2011).

Applications for Phase 1 of the project are open until October 31st, 2010. Just send an email to pstriathlon@gmail.com with your CV and a statement on your motivation to join the squad. All athletes applying to the squad will receive a reply, stating their acceptance or not into the squad.

The athletes selected for Phase 2 will be announced on November 15th. Those athletes will attend a two-week training camp in Las Cruces, NM in January 2011. At the camp, the athletes will be evaluated as to their potential to be part of the squad in 2011.

If you have any questions regarding the squad, please don’t hesitate to contact me at pstriathlon@gmail.com .

Yours in Triathlon,

Paulo

Getting the work done (reprint)

Jonnyo “invented” that expression: “Getting the work done”. And slowly but surely, the expression and the attitude behind it was adopted by everyone in the posse. I use the word attitude because there really is an attitude behind “getting the work done”.

“Getting the work done" is about trusting what you are doing and focusing all your energy into execution, both in training and racing. The sport of triathlon is full of overthinkers. They overthink everything: nutrition, equipment and of course training. Proof of the existence of these overthinkers is the popularity of triathlon forums, with their endless pages of often pointless discussion. What makes overthinking an issue is that when athletes overthink, they lose focus. Focus on the truly important things: consistency, patience, long-term approach to development. This is a problem for many athletes, but I see it worse when coaches suffer from it. Too many coaches out there overthink their processes and “infect” their athletes with superfluous questioning of every step of the training process. The bottom line is that overthinking is synonym with underachieving.

“Getting the work done” is about consistency. Every athlete has days where it is hard to get out the door for the next workout. Most of the times this is a mental issue that is experienced by athletes at every level. One way of helping the athlete with these issues is to build the schedule around training sessions that do not need a lot of mental energy to accomplish. I like to call them “bread-and-butter” sessions. They are usually short in duration and low-intensity, but are still a very important part of the overall training program. They do not ask much from the athlete in terms of mental commitment and all he/she needs to do is to go out and get the work done.

“Getting the work done” is about expanding your personal boundaries. In order to do that, you have to go to your limit and then past it. You will be in a place where fatigue will cause you to doubt everything you are doing. And you are at that point, the only way is up and for that you need to get the work done.

Finally, “getting the work done” is about commitment to your goals. A lot of people have very lofty goals but hesitate when it is time to do the work that will allow them to accomplish those goals. For the large majority of athletes, what keeps them from achieving their goals is to get the work done.

Now get out there and just… get the work done!

What it takes (reprint)

“What it takes” is an expression everyone likes. The question “Do I have what it takes?” is in the mind of every athlete many times during their athletic career. The question “Do you have what it takes?” is in the mind of any coach whenever he or she starts coaching a new athlete. Yet, the answer to that question is not easy. “What it takes” is very hard to quantify and even hard to show to others. Not a lot of people know what it takes and learning about it is a difficult task, as there are different paths to it.

We all recognize the importance of setting clear, realistic, achievable goals. Most athletes are capable of setting those goals for themselves and with the help of a good, experienced coach, they can have feedback about how realistic and achievable are those goals. But an entirely different question is: Do they have what it takes to achieve those goals? This question is one that is important to athletes of every level.

At both the age-group and elite level, what it takes means commitment and sacrifice. Commitment to put in the right kind of work. Sacrifice of a lot of things that are dear to us in order to put in the right kind of work. Commitment and sacrifice are nice words, words that you can find in any self-help book. Words that maybe get us out the door for the next run. But few of us realize what they really mean because few of us have an idea of what commitment and sacrifice really means. In a society where everything is served to us in a platter, everyone has an increasing difficulty in understanding the real meaning for commitment and sacrifice. And that means that few of us have what it takes.

For those that have what it takes, achieving their goals is the ultimate goal and for that they sacrifice everything else. Among the things they sacrifice is the ego-driven necessity that some athletes have of being in control of every aspect of their lives, which obviously includes their training process. Throughout my years as a coach I have encountered many self-coached athletes that, although with lofty goals and a seemingly unshakeable drive to be the best they can, simply did not have what it takes because of their inability to trust others with their training.

So the question is, do you have what it takes? Well, maybe you don’t. Most sports psychology books talk about accessing your inner potential, about achieving excellence, like it is something that is within reach of every single one of us. In reality, it is something that is accessible to very few of us. Very few of us have the necessary combination of genetic talent, mental skills and social environment in order to achieve personal excellence in triathlon. And there is really nothing wrong with that, since not being able to be a successful athlete is not a character flaw. I have met plenty of very successful people that made for very lousy triathletes.

But maybe, just maybe you have what it takes. How do you know if you have it? It is quite simple: You go through the process. You put the work in. You commit and you sacrifice. And the product of that commitment and that sacrifice will answer the question.

Do you have what it takes?

Sign of the times

Being close to home, I made the trip down south to watch USAT Nationals. And as Brendan Sexton, from Australia, passed Jarrod Shoemaker, the best US athlete, for the win, I saw that as a sign of the times in US triathlon. Not the performances at this race in itself, since this was a race that counted for little for most of the top athletes, but it was kind of an appropriate epilogue for the season.

2010 was a year where US triathletes went either backwards or sideways. Not only in terms of results, which is obvious to anyone, but it seems that the trend is definitely towards worse performances, when we’re less than two years from London 2012. This is undoubtedly a product of the no-structure structure model that was implemented in the last couple of years.

Another worrying trend is the lack of development athletes coming through. I was surprised to see that many of the under-23 athletes are at the same level or worse than when I saw them at the same race last year. The same athletes can’t make the front pack in swimming, the same athletes can’t hold on to their bike pack, the same athletes are visibly overweight and with difficulty is running at a good level.

The only exception in this analysis is Laura Bennett, an athlete that this year returned to her (high) level. But perhaps not by chance, Mrs. Bennett is one of the few US athletes that doesn’t belong to the USAT culture, as her development as an elite athlete has a lot to do with her personal relationship with her husband Greg.

To sum it up, it seems that the issues that I pointed out on a blog entry from 2008 not only have not been addressed, some have worsened. This is what I wrote back then:
“The model that was implemented at USAT since the Head Coach position was abolished relies heavily on the individual athletes and their respective coaches. This would work well in an environment where there is a very strong coaching community. But let’s face it: In order to be a strong nation in triathlon, qualifying 6 athletes for the Olympics and obtaining at least one medal, there needs to be a pool of 10-15 athletes at world-class level. If we’re expecting that these athletes all have their individual world-class coaches, we’re talking of at least 10 world-class coaches in one nation. The problem with this is that 10 is about half of the world-class triathlon coaches in the World. So clearly, this model will not work, because most of the good athletes in a nation will be working with coaches that simply are not qualified for the job. So even if the talent is there, relying on a model based on the individual athletes just breeds mediocrity.”

I think we are seeing the signs of this mediocrity now.

So what is the solution for this crisis? For as painful as this might be for the American way of thinking, US athletes need to start acting more like successful athletes from other countries. They need to embrace the training methods that make others successful. This only means one thing: a strong squad comprised of professional talented athletes, committed to excellence.

Convenient accountability

Yet another excellent blog post by Wayne Goldsmith:

The Accountability Myth – Why the current Leadership models in High Performance Sport are failing (badly)

My favorite section:
"Accountability is like being pregnant: you either are or you are not.
If you accept a leadership role in a professional team then you are accountable: not half accountable, semi-accountable or fractionally accountable. There is no part-time accountability, no nine day fortnight of accountability with the tenth day off to not be accountable: if you willingly accept a role which includes accountability – then you are accountable.
But, a new accountability has emerged in high performance sport - it’s called Convenient Accountability or Conveccountability for short.
This new accountability – conveccoutability – is the accountability you have when you are not really accountable. It is being accountable only up until when things get a bit ugly, a bit serious (and a bit public), then it becomes an S.E.P. (to quote the late, great Douglas Addams) – a Someone Else’s Problem."

The man is right...

According to the founder of CrossFit, Greg Glassman, "Triathletes are sorely lacking in strength, speed, power, flexibility, accuracy, agility, and coordination."

And... he is right. Because in order to be a proficient triathlete, you really don't need the above abilities in above average quantity. It's called... specificity.

A small step for USAT

http://www.usatriathlon.org/blogs/london_calling/posts/1964-triathlon-trials

Winning

quote

"The challenge for me is simple. I always want to do well, always want to win. I don't need anybody else to establish the challenge for me." - José Mourinho

Part of the deal

A reminder by coach McMillan. Here's a great quote:

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that running [triathlon] is not a straight line of improvement and happy times. It has periods that are dark and troubling. But, and here is the message, you have to live through it. It's part of the deal. You have to buckle down and do the things you need to do to get through it. Sometimes that means taking a break and starting over. Sometimes that means focusing more on the non-running [triathlon] activities and sometimes it just means keeping on keeping on. Whatever your situation, just hang in there. We have so many great stories about how athletes come back from adversity. You can do it too."

I like this guy

I don't know who this guy is, but I like what he writes:

http://traintoplay.com/downloads/GURU-ISM%20AND%20THE%20DECLINE%20OF%20COACHING.pdf


Thanks to Coach Jesus Filliol for the link.

Here it is

"You should do a blog about how most of the good shit you post you get from me" - JF

Dear Hunter Allen

Dear Mr Allen,

I would like to thank you for the personal email you sent me. I was very excited when I saw that you sent me the "March Power Tip."

Unfortunately, I have rather bad news for you. There really isn't such a thing as "Anaerobic Capacity repeatability." There is Anaerobic Power and Anaerobic Capacity. What you call "Anaerobic Capacity repeatability" is really... Anaerobic Capacity. What you termed as "endurance at Anaerobic Capacity" is again... Anaerobic Capacity.

Your strategy to build Anaerobic Capacity is of course debatable, since for example, I would take the opposite route. But I admit that I don't have any evidence pointing to the validity of either approach.

Other than this, I really enjoyed reading your email, so thanks again!

Sincerely,

Paulo

I am shocked! (once again...)

"The principle of core stability has gained wide acceptance in training for the prevention of injury and as a treatment modality for rehabilitation of various musculoskeletal conditions in particular of the lower back. There has been surprisingly little criticism of this approach up to date. This article re-examines the original findings and the principles of core stability/spinal stabilisation approaches and how well they fare within the wider knowledge of motor control, prevention of injury and rehabilitation of neuromuscular and musculoskeletal systems following injury."


Lederman, E., "The myth of core stability." J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2010 Jan;14(1):80-3.

http://www.cpdo.net/myth_of_core_stability.doc

Weird looks

I still get weird looks when I tell people that I don't want my athletes to stretch and that I strongly dislike yoga...

http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/publishahead/Effects_of_Static_Stretching_on_Energy_Cost_and.99440.aspx

Oh no... not again...

Some of you might remember a couple of blogs I wrote in May of 2008 regarding the use of O2 Metabolic Assessment tests and "metabolic efficiency." (if not, go back and read Mythbusters and Chewing the fat).

In this last one, I started out by saying:

"Apparently, the fat utilization myth is alive and well"

Well folks, it seems that almost two years after those blogs, the fat utilization myth is still going strong. More and more "coaches" are getting in the business of acquiring the necessary equipment for this testing and getting in the bandwagon. Of course athletes are getting mislead and some people are making a lot of money under false pretenses, but we all know that the World is not fair and it's "buyer beware" out there.

It is important to remember that using O2 Metabolic Assessment tests to guide your training is a self-fulfilling prophecy. After you do the first test, the usual advice is to train at your “maximum fat burning zone”. Often you also get nutritional advice that in reality increases your % of dietary fat intake. When you repeat the test, you will be hopefully more fit and have a diet with more fat. So the results of the test will show that you’re better at burning fat at absolute intensities. The “obvious” conclusion is that the advice that was given was spot-on and you’re better at burning fat. Coaches using these tests get artificial validation in the eyes of the athletes, that first are impressed by the use of (pseudo-)scientific methods, and later are convinced of the coach's competency by the fulfillment of the initial prophecy.

This subject wouldn't bother me much if it wasn't for the growing trend of having elite athletes involved in this fad. More and more professional athletes are getting in the bandwagon, and "metabolic efficiency" is the latest holy grail in endurance sports. This bothers me because (most) elite athletes have made a commitment to the sport and it pains me to see them being advised by people that either don't know what they're doing, or if they do, they are misleading them on purpose.

Having athletes that are looking to win an Olympic medal or podium in Kona work on their "metabolic efficiency" is simply ludicrous. But champions distinguish themselves from the rest not only because of talent and hard work, but also because they make good decisions. Athletes that show poor judgement by working with incompetent coaches are not good decision-makers, and therefore curtail their chances of ever being champions.

Word of the day: miljø

I got this link from Josef, really good stuff. Here's a quote:

"The thing that blew me away is that it was immediately apparent that he comes from a COMPLETELY different world than we do. He’s right, we aren’t even close. Nowhere near it.
When guys like him talk about training it’s not about getting faster or making some team, it’s about 'winning world cups'."

Nature

As if all the fake research was not bad enough, Nature has now officially jumped the shark with this paper

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v463/n7280/full/nature08723.html

Simply sad.

Sports Science at its best

I'm a little late to the party, but I found really good quotes in this paper:

'While arguments can be made that tradition, resistance to change and even superstition may negatively influence training methods of elite endurance athletes, sports history tells us that athletes are experimental and innovative. Observing the training methods of the world's best endurance athletes represent a more valid picture of “best practice” than we can develop from short-term laboratory studies of untrained or moderately trained subjects. In today’s performance environment, where promising athletes have essentially unlimited time to train, all athletes train a lot and are highly motivated to optimize the training process. Training ideas that sound good but don't work in practice will fade away. Given these conditions, we argue that any consistent pattern of training intensity distribution emerging across sport disciplines is likely to be a result of a successful self organization (evolution) towards a “population optimum.” High performance training is an individualized process for sure, but by population optimum, we mean an approach to training organization that results in most athletes staying healthy, making good progress, and performing well in their most important events.'

And I like this one particularly:

'It may be a hard pill to swallow for some exercise physiologists, but athletes and coaches do not need to know much exercise physiology to train effectively. They do have to be sensitive to how training manipulations impact athlete health, daily training tolerance, and performance, and to make effective adjustments.'

Outstanding

I just read an outstanding blog post!

High Performance Sports Systems – The Non System System