Early winter is the time of the year that I typically begin my business planning process. I need to figure out what camps in I want to have, when I want to have them, who I want to be there, etc. I need to plan all of the swim clinics and smaller seminars for my local gigs; I also need to plan client trips and weekend visits. And then there's always my own training to think about.

Having gone through this process now for several years, I have really learned how important it is to look for six to nine months ahead. This chunk of time usually gets stuck between "too faraway about now" and "too close to include into my two or three year plan." Keeping this time window in mind is critical for endurance training and racing success, as it's at just the right time for you to properly plan.

What do I mean by "plan," you ask? Well, it's pretty simple. While not everyone can train 30 hours a week, we can all do a better job using the time that we have at our disposal. It's no secret that successful endurance racing is built upon a program of endurance-focused training. If you're like 90% of the folks who will compete on race day, you have other obligations outside of training that command your attention. So do what you can during the year, and plan to boost your endurance in a key training block.

Why Now?

We plan now because you can book the time both personally and professionally. With six plus months until the block you are considering, you can start to stack up those sick days...or maybe you can figure something out with your team/staff/etc., so you can get a bunch of half days. If you are the boss of your shop, then maybe you can start to set things up so that you aren't putting out fires 24/7 -- a good biz practice regardless of the time of year. From a family perspective, you can think about what the kids will be up to, what your significant other wants to do (and how you can pay them back, etc.). By starting this process now, you can pretty much plan without too many objections!

When Is The Block?

For IM racers, the block is weeks 10 to 6 until race day. For HIM racers, the block is weeks 8 to 4 until race day. The block should be about a month long. You can break it down several ways:

• 3- or 4-day weekends every week. That gives you a couple of big training days and you can recover during the week.
• 3-day weekend plus a 1/2 day on Wednesday. That will give you a nice weekend block plus a serious mid-week ride to boost your mileage.
• Delayed start days during the week. Think T/Th starting at 10, going until 6. This will give you 4-5 hours on those mornings...tough, but feasible.
• Last option would be a full week off. Sounds great, but most folks can't pull it off without the family and in all honesty, it's too compact on our time line for the full endurance impact!

What Happens During the Block?

Now that I've got you thinking, what to do? This block is your key endurance period. The actual workouts will vary for sure based upon your fitness, your limiters, the race you have chosen, and your race day goals. That said, a basic outline of activities would be:

• 2 x long ride each week (4+ hours).
• 2 x long run each week (1.5-2.25 hours).
• 4-5 swims a week for three of the four weeks.
• One BIG DAY a week where you ride 4+ and run 1.5+. Can be split AM and PM (bike first) and should include one each of your two long rides/runs

In terms of a weekly format, it could look like this:

• M - Swim Long (AM), Bike (PM)
  T - Run (AM), Swim + Core (PM)
  W - BIG DAY - Bike Long (AM), Run Long (PM)
  T - Swim (AM), Run (PM).
  F - Swim Long.
  S - Bike Long (AM), Swim (PM)
  S - Run Long (AM)

So, before your chance to plan passes by, sit down and start sketching things out. No one else is going to do it for you!