By Dave Williams
Young or old, new or experienced, novice or professional, everyone can benefit from training with a group or team. In the recent past it was the fashion in triathlon to “do your own thing” with the reasoning that you have to do what’s best for you and not get caught up with a group workout. While it is, of course, true that you have to address your personal needs, athletes are now coming full-circle and realizing that group training is the best way to go in all facets of the sport. It can be tough to know what mix fits you best, but that’s where a good coach can help you optimize your potential and the opportunities available to you.
If you’ve ever trained with a team, you know that you often can get into a workout and push yourself to limits and times that you just can’t do on your own. Too many people view this as a bad thing, that you’re training too hard, outside of your zones, etc. But, it’s actually a great thing, and it’s the reason that most of the people training with a group are the same ones tearing it up at the races. Of course, it’s got to be done intelligently and within a framework of an overall plan. Regular workout partners will hold you accountable for getting your workouts in, while making it fun to do so. You’re much less likely to miss that morning workout if you told someone you’d meet him than if you were just planning to roll out of your bed and get into that cold pool by yourself. Plus, the time goes by a lot faster when you have other people around to commiserate with.
Depending on the type of workout group, another potential benefit is having a coach to provide help with your technique, offer advice when you need to adjust a workout, or just to chat with. Coached sessions also allow for an expert to help you figure out where you belong within a group and how much to push yourself. This is true no matter what level athlete you are. For beginners, there’s no better way to learn and master skills than to be with a group of people that you can watch and learn from regularly. On the opposite extreme, almost every top elite or professional triathlete trains with a group at least periodically throughout the year.
OK, all that is well and good, but my favorite part about group training is the friendship and camaraderie that come with waking up early, traveling to races, getting through rough days, and hammering hard workouts with people. This is my 22nd straight season racing triathlon and there’s nothing like running into old training buddies and talking about the time that … Group members plan races together, participate in training weekends, travel together and get to really know each other; everyone has an interesting path that brought them to the sport.
If you haven’t tried it yet, go to a masters swim, a group ride, a training run from a store, etc., and have some fun. This area is one of the best in the nation in terms of finding training partners or groups to train with – take advantage of it!
Find a Group!
Looking for a group to train with? Here are good sources to get you started in your search:
- Contact a local coach.
- Local running stores usually have regular running groups.
- Almost all local bike shops promote group rides.
- There are a lot of groups that train at and leave from local gyms.
- There are many local community teams that you can join. You can usually find ones that fit your skill level and/or find members who can work out at the same times that you do.
- Many groups have started as a small group of co-workers.
# # #
Dave Williams is owner of Triangle Multisport, coaching athletes from beginners to professionals and from a youth team to elite groups since 2000. He has a master’s in exercise physiology and an MBA from UNC. He can be reached at trimultisport@yahoo.com and www.trianglemultisport.com.
