As we launch into Q2 training, whether individually coached or a part of the Squad, there are a few relevant tidbits and highlights that I would like to bring forward to ensure you optimize your evolution and yield from the program.  Aligned with these months, a couple of things are happening that are worthy of note. First, most of us look forward to longer days and warmer weather, so outside training opportunities increase. The other consideration is that training demands tend to creep up, with a ramp in global intensity all mixed in with some potential racing as well. Fatigue creep can be a real consideration over these months, and we want to ensure that any fatigue is a catalyst for adaptations, not suppression of performance.  We also want to avoid injury.  With this in mind, I mapped a special Purple Patch athlete checklist for Q2 training that might prove helpful as you wade into the weeks ahead:

• Embrace big picture training lenses.  A few weeks ago I highlighted the interaction of swim, bike and run intensity in a program. This concept starts to really come into action in the coming weeks:

• Be prepared for a large percentage of total swim hours to be higher intensity.
• Bike sessions deliver greater intensity midweek, with endurance and resilience on the weekend. Remember this as we execute.
• A larger percentage of running should be lower stress and less hard. We lean into the benefits of swimming and riding intervals, and build resilience through continued frequency and lower stress running. You will get faster, and won’t accumulate global fatigue. Don’t just reflect on running when aiming to improve your run. Realize the bike intervals cross pollinate to improve run performance.
• Optimize the Video Training. The bike training sessions in the coming months truly deliver massive growth potential in both the quality of execution of the training sessions, as well as the improvement of technique in a key area of riding. I am busy recording many of the bike sessions currently, with a heavy emphasis on low cadence (rpm) and high torque riding. The Purple Patch special sauce. In these sessions I deliberately dive into technique around standing climbing and proper posture and pedaling while under duress. These reeks of opportunity. I encourage you to not only embrace these central mid-week sessions, but maximize the return by full engagement in the video based sessions. These are the best and most important ones of the year, so if you don’t use these sessions yet, I encourage you to do so.
  
• Balancing inside versus outside for training.  Many folk ask about how to reconcile indoor versus outdoor riding at this time of the year. In general, my thoughts for the time-starved athlete tend to be:
• Midweek sessions inside on the trainer (at least one). Video preferred.
• Weekend rides outdoor if possible.
• Any additional midweek riding beyond the two designated are ideally outside.

• The courage to self-manage. These coming months become imperative for athletes to lay down some perspective and pragmatism when approaching training. The most personalized of programs can still not fully predict athlete readiness (systemic or tissue) for any week of training, especially for time-starved athletes who juggle so many system stressors outside training load. I lean on my athletes to have the courage to embrace a whole bunch of more simple strategies to allow broader evolution. These include a lot of running at a conversational level, extending warm ups if fatigued (even if intervals get reduced), and shifting harder days to become smooth endurance if the body truly isn’t ready. These is no algorithm for this, no number. It is honest decision making. The number one area of training I like athletes shift to easier is running, where the consequences of pushing through are greater, but there remains value in sticking to the duration but keeping it light.

If you layer in these elements then you are setting yourself up for success. Add a constituted focus on sleep, daily hydration and quality eating, then performance evolution should emerge.

Best of luck,

Matt