Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with the hosts of the podcast Coaches on Couches about changing plans, modifying training and how to shift mentally when races are cancelled and training as we know it evaporates.
Before we get started, if you’re stuck at home you can get a FREE HOP Strength Session…
Today we are here with the hosts of the podcast Coaches on Couches. You probably already know them as Coach D and Coach B, but Dale Sanford and Bryant Funston are the co-founders of BPC Performance Coaching. Most endurance athletes are not full-time professional athletes with all day to train, recover and repeat. Most of us are real people with real commitments, and not nearly as much free time as we want or need to train. But these guys specialize in helping time-crunched athletes make the most of the time available outside of family and work obligations so they can still achieve their athletic goals.
Fortunately for us, both of these guys got up early as usual, got off the couch, and carved time out of their busy schedules today to come on the Doc On The Run podcast to talk about changing plans, modifying training and how to shift mentally when races are cancelled and training as we know it evaporates. Coach D and Coach B, welcome to the show!
Coach D and Coach B: (check out the podcast audio to hear what they had to say)
Dr. Segler: Before we get into some questions maybe you could just give us a little bit more detail about your athletic history and why you became so interested in endurance sports.
Coach D and Coach B: (check out the podcast audio to hear what they had to say)
Dr. Segler: One of the reasons I really wanted to have both you guys on the show is because on one of your Coaches on Couches podcast episodes for you were talking about what to do if your goal race is canceled.
Sooner or later, all of us will have to deal with some uncertainty and adversity in making it to the finish line. Right now, obviously there’s a lot of uncertainty for athletes in training…having difficulty just making it to the starting line.
On your podcast you were talking about out the cancellation in the end, isn’t really such a big deal, and it is a relatively rare event. In this case at least we are getting cancellations in advance. I have personally had both an Ironman race and a 50 K canceled because of the wildfires in California. At Ironman Lake Tahoe they literally cancel the event that we are standing on the beach waiting for the start. And after having been in Lake Tahoe for several days that was a brutal cancellation.
But on your podcast you have also talked about how how much more reason for someone to not be able to do a goal race is because they get sick or injured. Overtraining certainly has a much higher probability to disrupting your goal race then another pandemic.
I know you guys have recently had to cancel a runners speed skill workshop, and you have a number of other events on the calendar which might need to be canceled or postponed as well. I’m sure most of the athlete you train also had races canceled, and I’m sure you’ve been helping them through all of the emotion struggles and logistical trouble that come along with that sort of change in plans. I am sure each of you had to deal with a cancellation or last minute event change at some point before all this.
What can you tell us about how you dealt with all of the potential anxiety that had the potential to derail your event?
Coach D and Coach B: (check out the podcast audio to hear what they had to say)
Dr. Segler: Both of you guys are incredible athletes in your own right. And obviously between the two of you and your experience with of all of the athletes you have coached, you have an Incredible collective experience of what works and what does not work with time crunched-athletes.
It seems that if you’re trying to train and endurance athlete with less time available on the calendar there’re two very obvious requirements. 1. They have to train hard. 2. They have to recover hard so as to get the maximum benefit from those hard training efforts. But some time-pressured athletes just think they need to get up earlier or go bed later, to fit everything in.
How important do you think sleep is to that recovery process?
Coach D and Coach B: (check out the podcast audio to hear what they had to say)
Dr. Segler: I think most runners, triathletes, cyclists believe they should sleep more. But there are all of these little things we should probably do more effectively but most of us, just don’t. But sometimes we shift into high gear and we are little more deliberate, and a little more intentional when we are in training.
Do you do anything special with sleep recover faster when you’re in hard training mode?
Coach D and Coach B: (check out the podcast audio to hear what they had to say)
Dr. Segler: Recovery, in its simplest sense, is just a process of rebuilding tissue, after you stimulate a healing process which begins as tissue damage induced by a hard workout. It takes dietary building blocks to rebuild that tissue damage. And that means sound nutrition.
For each of you, what are your nutritional habits when training? And how do you think your diet has changed in the years since you started training fro longer events?
Coach D and Coach B: (check out the podcast audio to hear what they had to say)
Dr. Segler: I have heard lots of different athletes talk about “secret weapons” to help them recover faster. Some people take naps, others get massages. Some have secret smoothie recipes.
Maybe you could each share with our listeners what helps you recover faster, or maybe even decrease your risk of injury when training?
Coach D and Coach B: (check out the podcast audio to hear what they had to say)
Dr. Segler: After racing a lot of people just take time off. They take what seems a casual approach to recovery. They rest, or maybe do something less-structured like go on a “vacation.”
What do you do to recover in the first 24-48 hours after you finish a race?
Coach D and Coach B: (check out the podcast audio to hear what they had to say)
Dr. Segler: I know you’ve both done lots of races, but I’m really curious of all the events you have done what has been most memorable.
What has been your favorite event each of you ever completed, and why?
Coach D and Coach B: (check out the podcast audio to hear what they had to say)
Dr. Segler: Undoubtedly all of the race cancellations from 2020 have caused some chaos in BPC events, your own training and racing schedules.
What is the race you’re currently focused on and how are you staying motivated through all of this uncertainty?
Coach D and Coach B: (check out the podcast audio to hear what they had to say)
Dr. Segler: I was hoping maybe you could share with our audience and discuss the mental side of race preparation for runners and triathletes. The longer the race, the more important it becomes.
What what is the key for you when it comes to mental flexibility and staying focused?
Coach D and Coach B: (check out the podcast audio to hear what they had to say)
Dr. Segler: I know you have many different interesting guests and episodes of your show.
Of all the athletes you’ve talk to you and interviewed on your podcast, who really sticks out as been one of the most interesting characters or who provided the most interesting insights for you, not just as a coach, but for you personally?
Dr. Segler: Okay I’m at a go go ahead and say that I think everybody should check out your show, Coaches on Couches, and all of you listening right now should go follow Coach D and Coach B on social. We’ll have all the links in the show notes episode under the podcast section at DocOnTheRun.com.
I’ve certainly learned a lot today and it’s really been great having you guys off the couch and on the show today!
Coach D, Coach B, thanks so much for taking time out of your schedule to share all of your insights with our listeners today. And if anybody is trying to figure out how they can follow you, connect with you, or reach out to you directly, how can they best find with you?
Stuck at home? Try a FREE HOP Strength Session: https://www.buildpeakcompete.com
Websites:
https://www.buildpeakcompete.com
Coaches on Couches Podcast episode on Cancelled Race Plans: https://www.buildpeakcompete.com/coaches-on-couches/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BHFunston
https://twitter.com/dalesanford
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bpcperformance/
https://www.instagram.com/dalesanford/
https://www.instagram.com/bfunston/
Email: info@buildpeakcompete.com
Facebook: facebook.com/buildpeakcompete
YouTube: YouTube.com/bpcperformance
Pain is the best tool to help an injured runner decide when run. You don’t have to figure out what to write down. We made a simple Pain Journal PDF for you.
To print out your copy of the pain journal, Download here:
If you have a question that you would like answered as a future addition of the Doc On The Run Podcast, send it to me PodcastQuestion@docontherun.com. And then make sure you join me for the next edition of the Doc On The Run Podcast!
«« #303 Martha Runs The World on hip arthritis and running goals | #305 Melody Dowlearn on trail running recovery and ultra injury prevention »» |