How to Build Endurance with Joy
Monday, June 14, 2010 at 7:37AM 
I'm reading Laird Hamilton's book "A Force of Nature" (Full review coming soon) and there is a great section on how to build endurance. He said he doesn't mess with heart rate, graphs and charts, and all that jazz. He goes by feel instead.
Laird says that if you're not enjoying yourself, you're not doing it right. Make every workout an adventure and push yourself to really feel the thrill of the workout. Now, we've all heard that stuff, so I thought I'd put it to the test on a long bike ride.
I did my regular Sunday morning long bike ride focusing on joy and meeting the challenge with the right amount of effort to keep that joy. I pushed hard enough to get the full experience, but not so hard that it was painful. Instead of targeting a heart rate, I targeted the smile on my face; too easy and the smile would go away as I got bored, too hard and the smile would change into a grimace.
Lo and behold, this effort level was smack in the middle of Zone 2 -- The land of beautiful and bountiful endurance building. It was so dead on, that it has me rethinking some of the workout descriptions for my coaching clients.
Heart rate ranges change from day to day and experienced athletes know how to use perceived effort instead of sticking exactly to numbers. And best yet, the "Keep a smile on your face" method re-enforces that this whole triathlon thing is supposed to be fun.
Give it a try for yourself and let us know how it works!
Reader Comments (2)
great book, I copied the "workout anywhere" chapter and keep in my work bag
For years I trained only by listening to my body, then I turned 40 and my body started to ache all the time. That's when I started to train by heart rate.
I used to start a run and "go hard" until I started to feel out of breath (high level of exersion), then backed off a little. I found that I could sustain that level of effort over long periods of time. When I started to train with a HRM, I found that when my heart rate reached 160-165, I was in that high exersion zone and backed off a little. The HRM just confirmed what I already knew.
Start listening to your body and respond to the clues it is sending you. It's much easier and more enjoyable.
Now to go and enjoy a fish taco!!
Cheers