I have always been a student of Jack Daniels and Greg McMillan, two highly respected run coaches. In particular their high emphasis on tempo run training or threshold training, for intervals upwards of 15, maybe 20 minutes long. I loved it, and when looking at a triathletes schedule and limited to possibly 2 to 3 runs a week you got lots of bang for your buck. They were the toughest workouts I could do because of the duration of the interval and the pace, essentially one's 1 hour race pace. But while I was finding it tough to be mentally and physically ready for this level of workout on a regular basis i was also finding that everything i read in terms of training for runners, would always refer to tempo runs up to 60 minutes long. I would stress over this wondering how whimpy I was because  there's no way I could do this 1 hour race pace for an hour on a weekly or bi weekly schedule. The other problem was, what do you do when you have built up to your broken interval hour at tempo pace but race season still wasn't here yet.

Read more: Cool Your Jets

It has been enough years now that I don't get as worried as i used to if long periods start to go by with limited or no specific triathlon training.

Read more: When the Minds Ready the Body Will Go

Before you know it, you have eaten enough for 3 and drank enough for more then that and its going on day 5 or 6 or even 7. I think its tougher mentally then it really is physically.

Read more: It's Only a Week!

Sometimes one needs to see and feel their success before they can acheive success. To often athletes biggest obstacles are themselves, more specifically their minds. "Self Fulfilled Prophecies" , one can often manipulate things in order to cut themselves some slack on the attempt of their upcoming goals. 

Read more: A Focused Mind

Over the last 4 weeks, post marathon I have been using my pre marathon run training time to get back into the gym, even a couple of swims. I have kept running familiar with up to 3 runs a week trying to keep myself mindful of my form work therefore trying to keep them to no faster then 1.5 to 2 minutes slower then my fall marathon. Specifically it has not made me faster, YET!, but I beleive the holistic apporach in the off season provides an increased level of strength physically to take on the more specific training later and maybe more importantly, it allows my mind to relax in terms less structure and the freedom to miss workouts. With the Aerobic Power build up to the Christmas Mile and some indoor meets in the New Year it was time to pick it up a little bit in my workouts, just simply by adding some increased effort intervals, fartlek style. To all of you that think no one else can feel as bad as you do in your first tough workout, everyone feels bad. Trying to not let pace dictate the workout i would check only after the interval. My so called Tempo feeling 3 minute efforts were ending up being my fall marathon pace. Finally though after a decade of working through all this stuff I know this is ok.

I know everyone hates the feeling of "starting over". Enjoying a nice off season, getting a little out of shape, relative to your own in season conditioning, does make for a little discomfort in the early going. I think these "lows" are important though to achieve your "highs". Sometimes its tougher to take when you are beside someone  in January that tries to maintain a high level of performance year round. They may make you feel like you have hit a new all time low that winter, but for those that are looking for a certain peak performance at an event come summer time, I believe your mind and body needs that break.