As athletes we are incredibly privileged - we can develop a relationship with our bodies that “non athletes” seldom understand, but it does mean we need to “tune in” every time we train. We can become so in tune that we are able to accurately judge things like pace, speed and elevation. This means we become very good at calculating times and are able to predict exactly how long a training route will take. Our mind is able to keep a sophisticated training log and makes this information available to us on every training route.

Good days and Bad days…
We all have good days and bad days and there are both internal and external reasons for this varying performance. Factors like the weather (heat/rain/wind), too little sleep or just feeling lazy, have a significant effect on how we feel on the day. It is so important to tune in to our bodies and work out exactly why it is we are having a good or bad day.

The HR Zone…
We can become so attuned to our bodies that we can tell how fast we are moving and what HR Zone we are in at any given time. Your HR monitor is an important tool to help you tune into your HR Zone when training. By using the monitor, you can teach yourself to “feel” which zone you are in at any given time and with practice you can even predict your pulse rate without checking the monitor!

Notes for your training journal…
Keeping a journal is an important part of getting in tune with your body. Many times we comment to our training partners on how good (or bad) we felt at a particular part of the training session or race.
On good days, ask yourself questions like:
• Are my feet and legs feeling light?
• Did I have extra power?
• Am I powering up hills?
• How was I breathing?
And on bad days ask questions like:
• Are my quads heavy?
• Are my hamstrings tight?
• Am I struggling just to move?
• Is my breathing heavy?

Notes on these feelings provide important insights into performance and help you to keep in tune. For example, if you have been feeling “heavy” during the last few days of training, something may be wrong with your recovery period. Work out what it is that you need to change in your recovery strategy to get rid of the heavy feeling. Races should also be analysed in the same way – when you feel good, what did you do that made you feel so good? Take these answers back to your journal and incorporate them into your training schedule. This will improve both your training and your performance in races.

When to quit…
Some days when my legs are feeling heavy, my HR monitor does not give me this feedback and puts me in the”normal zone”. As my body continues to struggle with an increased pace, it eventually shows up on the monitor and I know it’s time to quit! Whatever the reason, maybe residual muscle damage, I ride or jog home slowly as I know my body is giving me a clear message that it needs to rest. Pushing through the pain is simply counter-productive.

The radio station…
We all have so much information logged in our amazing brains! But, we have to listen to the body and I find it helps to think of my body as a radio station operating on a particular frequency, I tune into the station every time I train and listen to what is playing!