SKATE TIP OF THE WEEK

Inline secrets from the world's top skaters and coaches

This week's tip:
 

Set Your Training Goals

By Rachel Carrillo

People often fall into ruts in their exercise routines. They do the same workouts day in, day out.

This kind of repetitive routine usually yields poor results. Athletes who train this way tend to plateau quickly, attaining fitness and skill levels far below their full potential.

To avoid this trap, set goals for yourself, not just for the long term, but for every workout.

Here's how:

1.) Clearly identify your desired outcome.

This means figuring out what you want to accomplish. Do you want to lose 10 pounds? Skate a marathon in under 2 hours? Win the 100-meter sprint at Nationals? Write it down with as much detail as possible.

2.) Make an accurate assessment of your current level of fitness and ability.

To go somewhere, you first have to know where you're at. So do a personal assessment. Figure out what you're good at and what you need to work on.

3.) Break down your goals into manageable steps.

Reaching goals often requires improvement in various aspects of your performance, such as endurance, sprinting and drafting. Make a list of what to work on and how to do it.

4.) Measure your progress.

Regularly evaluate your progress. Decide what's working and what's not. If something isn't working, adjust your workout plan. If the whole thing isn't working, adjust your goals.

5.) Determine your level of success.

Did you reach your goal? If so, congratulate yourself. If not, keep trying!

For a real world example of how the process works, here's how I used it to prepare for an inline marathon:

Identify Goal
My goal was to finish the marathon within a set time.

Self-Assessment
I found myself to be technically strong but lacking when it came to sprints and endurance.

Breakdown
With three months to go before the race, I devised a plan that increased the distance I skated from week to week. To improve my speed, I planned several sprint workouts each week and used weights to build my "skate muscles." I also started a diet to get me into racing trim.

Progress

I monitored my progress in three different ways.

• I went over my written plan every other week. If I found I wasn't meeting my goals, I modified my training routine.
• Once a week, I raced five miles against the clock to make sure that I was getting faster.
• I tracked my heart rate to keep an eye on my overall fitness level and to make sure I wasn't over training.

Success

Hurrah! ... I beat my target time.

And so will you, I bet, if you learn to set your training goals.

April 20, 2007

...

Rachel Carrillo is a personal trainer, skater and triathlete who lives in Redondo Beach, CA. As a teenager, she competed in artistic roller skating on the national level. Later, she switched to speed skating and in 2004 won her division (advanced, 25-29) in the Long Beach Inline Marathon. She works for Vert Fitness in Hermosa Beach. She is also the fitness spokesperson (and a model) for Rollerblade USA. In this role, she extolls the cross-training benefits of skating at large U.S. running marathons.

• Vert Fitness web page

Related reading:

• Skate Tip of the Week Archive.
• Beginners Guide to Outdoor Racing.
• Beginners Guide to Inline Skating.