Managing energy

August 26

http://www.endurancecorner.com/Alan_Couzens/energy_management

Another great article by Alan Couzens and I certainly coudnt' have covered this topic better.

Having just finished another Epic Camp this article is timely.  At Epic we aim to force the campers to deal with this issue on a hourly basis due to the nature of the camps with competitive elements and super tough sessions day after day.  Every time we reach deep into the well we are asking ourselves how much it will cost later in the day and the week.
 Some people seem to have the knack for pacing through a monster week, others seem surprised when the tank is absolutely empty.
Having 8:15 IM guy Clas Bjorling along on the camp was also a good reminder that if we dig deep enough we can dig a hole so deep we may not come out for the rest of the year or perhaps even longer.  His battles with chronic fatigue/adrenal failure took a few years to work through and now he's super cautious with how he parcels out his energy.
 As a coach I always find one of my main jobs is assessing risk vs. reward when it comes to reaching for more fitness.  Risk assessment - that's my specialty! I know to others I often seem careless or reckless with my own body and training but I'm certainly not.  Yes, I do love to play hard but am always on guard not to obliterate myself.  I often look like I'm near death, but I always know the next day I can crank out some good work
The words I like to use to describe my general approach to training and racing are stimulate and satiate, not annihilate and obliterate.  As my good buddy Gordo often says: "choose wisely"
Cheers,
Scott