Training Buddies

Part of the competitive mindset is the ‘chase, catch and pass’ approach to workouts and it is really important to train that ability and to learn how to discipline ourselves to achieve that when it is important and appropriate to do. But, it is more important to make sure that the ‘chase, catch, pass’ approach does not overpower or supersede our training goals.

When we train with another person who is faster than us, there are definitely times we can use our mental and physical skills to push through and hang on. Then, there are other times when we need to work with ourselves to increase our own internal confidence that we can hold a pace no matter who is around, in front or behind us.

Training buddies, especially ones that a little faster than our capacity are a huge bonus and incentive in training. At the same time, we always need to preserve and develop our own internal sense of speed, potential and power. If we work too hard each training session to try to catch or hang onto a faster training buddy, we fatigue more rapidly, deliver less quality, and recover more slowly. If we work at hitting our own threshold and watts, then we learn about how fatigue hits us in our own body at our own pace. We deliver more quality. We absorb, adapt and recover more quickly and effectively. We also learn how to dig deep and push into our own potential.

When we work on our own benchmark numbers, we can do still train with a buddy. Instead of doing the whole session with him or her, we can meet at the same location, warm up together and then do the main set individually. After the main set we can regroup and do the cool down together. In this way, we get to work at hitting our own pacing goals, but we also still get the camaraderie of our training buddy.

Perhaps the biggest bonus of doing the main set on our own with our own numbers is that we realize much more about our ability to ‘hang’ onto a pace. We build confidence in our speed, power and endurance. Then, on the day we do a whole session with our faster training buddy, we know we can push hard and reach beyond our pace. This confidence then also inspires curiosity to find out not whether, but how far beyond our current threshold we can push.