The Program
(Event-Specific Programs to be published later)

Program implementation is the crux of achieving goals. This is where the coach will need to be specific about the relationship between the level of training performance and peak race performance. The coach must know the individual athlete's performance goal, exactly what it will take to achieve it, and how to implement the training program. (Please see "The Program" and "Baseline Training".)

If the athlete can accomplish the workout levels outlined in the program for his/her specific goal, and he/she shows improvement in competition, reasonable projections can be made about his/her season peak performance. If ongoing improvements are not seen, there is likely a flaw in the program implementation - the coach must identify the flaw and modify the program to correct the deficiency.

The training program/training numbers progression is built around the individual's goals.The coach must understand the relationship between the training and racing and know how to implement the training program.

The System

The program is a blend of philosophy, psychology, and physiology. But the significance of these three components are rendered moot if there is no system to organize them. Assuming better performance is the primary goal, the solution is to find a program that works. In addition to a philosophy, the program needs an engine to make it go. I call this engine a "system". The system doesn't need to be complicated, it just needs to provide a framework within which a program may implemented.

What has evolved in the United States is a environment of "information overload" with respect to endurance events. The average runner will be bombarded by random bits of information - from magazines, friends, and coaches - all of which can be valuable if placed in the proper context, but harmful if not properly evaluated. My observation is that most runners lack a philosophical home. They tend to bounce from one school of thought to another in search of an easy answer to their performance problem. The result is performance levels that fall below what they may be capable of or having unrealistic expecations in the first place.

My system involves what appears to be a sequential step-by-step approach. From a practical point of view, though, all of the steps occur and re-occur simultaneously. My model includes the following steps: enrollment, assessment, evaluation, goal setting, and training/racing.

• Enrollment involves capturing someone's attention and having them sign up for the program. Usually, the prospect will have a strong psycholigical/sociological perspective on how he or she sees running. Generally, the enrollee will have athletic experience and will be somewhat competitive. However, prospects may run the entire gamut of inexperienced/non-competitive to experienced/competitive. The key is that they recognize and see the value of the program for themselves.
• Assessment - Under Construction.
• Evaluation - Under Construction.
• Goal Setting - Under Construction.
• Training/Racing - Under Construction.

The Training Box

One paradigm for looking at training is a "box" bounded on the four sides by "Motivation," Time," Orthopedic/Health," and "Physiological Capacity" each representing existing individual-specific performance constraints. The model suggests that at a given point in time, any individual will have a certain amount of time available to train, a given motivational level, a point at which he will become injured from training, and a physiological capacity to train. These elements are dynamic - they change constantly. They are also measurable, and correlate to a specific performance level at any point in time.

	Training Time
Motivation	<-Program->	Orthopedic / Health
	Physiological Capacity

A training program is designed to address and "expand" each of the four walls on a progressive and simultaneous basis. All four sides must be "scaled" more or less equally, because if one or more are ignored, they will individually or collectively form the barrier to performance breakthroughs. For example, an athlete may be extremely talented from a physiological point of view, but have no time to train. His performance will be bounded by the Training-Time side of the box. Similarly, an an athlete may be highly motivated but not very talented. He will be limited by his physiological capacity to improve. Or, an athlete may be easily injured. He will be bounded by training downtime or lack of training effectiveness related to health or injuries. It is important to remember that the side of the box may expand or contract in different combinations. Hence, an effective program should bring a balanced approach to training.

Further expanding the model, goals may be represented by a circle around the box not touching any of the corners. A breakthrough can only occur if all four corners of the box are expanded to touch the circle. Hence, the box must be scaled larger to achieve the goal. As can be seen in the diagram, the program must simultaneously address the four "walls" with various specific technical approaches. Because the four sides are interrelated, the program should integrate techniques such that all are complementary to the overall program.

Let's discuss each individually.

Time
It is not so much the element itself, but what shapes and molds it that is of concern to the athlete an coach. The time element may be the most politically sensitive of all the sides, but it is the most essential cornerstone from a purely practical point of view. The bottm line is that a certain amount of "training-specific" time must be available before any program can work. Unfortunately, I have seen many talented athletes forego their training program and goals due to real or perceived time limitations. The most common causes of "time-shortages" are work/career and family/relationships. If time presents itself as a problem on a chronic basis, it is usually wise to scale-back goals to match the available training time rather than battle with the frustration of trying to reach unachievable goals.

Motivation

Lack of motivation will kill a program before it starts.
Topics: "Sports Psychology" Goal setting, payoffs/hot-buttons, competitive spirit, support structure, immediate feedback, tracking and trending.

Orthopedic/Illness

Injuries can stop progress no matter how well-intentioned or disciplined the athlete.
Topics: Massage, stretching, physical therapy, strength training, diet.

Physiological Capacity

The intent of a program is to push the athlete's performance envelope. As mentioned earlier, the training elements are dynamic - they change over time as do individual performance "limits". The idea is to continually push these out to touch the new performance circle. The components of physiological capacity are VO2 capacity/trainability, phenotype/stength-to-weight ratio, biomechanics, and muscle-fiber composition. To the extent that any or all of these can be improved or enhanced, the athlete may improve his times. Training addresses these physiological elements as well as the elements under motivation and injury prevention/health maintenance.

Introduction to Baseline Training
Breakthrough Performances through Optimum Training
By Ric Rojas Boulder, CO
21 November, 2002

The most important characteristic of any program is that it produces results. Generally speaking, results are more meaningful if they are measured against goals. Once the goal is developed, the program is simply the vehicle to accomplish the goal.

The program must be based on sound physiological and psychological principals as opposed to old school mentality. Equally as important, it must ongoingly integrate information about the individual - health, current state of mind toward running, response to training, personal schedule, etc.

The basic premise of my program is that there is an optimal training level for an individual's selected performance goal. This training level can be measured and recorded in numerical terms and can be used to plan, refine, or adjust a current program and to project future performances.

What is the optimum level for an individual? This depends on information in three key categories:

1) Historical training - What have you done in training and in races?
2) Current training - What are you doing now or what have you done recently?
3) "Trainability" - How will you respond to this program?

Your "baseline" is the record of your historical training including miles per week, interval training, cross-training, and race results. Generally speaking, your baseline provides a good indication of what may be appropriate training and performance projections within the short term.

"Baseline Training" allows any runner to train and race an an optimum level by applying the best of his or her past running experience. Unfortunately, almost every "how-to" article on running I've ever read assumes that the reader is a beginner. No matter what the topic - base training, interval training, equipment selection, etc. - the writer offers instructions, tips, or advice on how to get started or how to "do" a running program. The reality is that very few readers/runners are beginners. Most have some experience at training or racing - even if it's just one race - and have a feel of what training and other preparation works based on personal history. The idea of Baselining is to make the best of your experience.

Tracking and documenting your training history is essential in preparing for future races and forms the basis for Baselining If you've had success under a particular regimen, it may be wise to continue using substantially the same program. My approach is, "Why fix it if it's not broken?" On the other hand, if you've failed to reach your performance goals, it may pay to change, update, or modify some or part of the previous program in favor of some new techniques.

If you have "plateaued-out" you will certainly be looking for some technique, secret, or "silver-bullet" to revive your running performance, and may be tempted to "throw the baby out with the bath water" in terms of what has made you successful before. (Runners World would have you believe that you could run a P.R. In a few weeks using one of their "guaranteed" programs. Their claims are highly suspect, at best, since a typical runner is dealing with a myriad of factors - age, basic talent, available training time, injuries, etc. - that need to be accounted for in a training program.) Since you "are who you are" in terms of the specifics of your personal experience, talents, and training history, it is essential to evaluate your past training when designing your current and future programs.

One of the prerequisites of Baselining is good record keeping. Without some detailed information on your past training, it is more difficult to apply baselining techniques. For the purpose of record-keeping, I have developed a list of "data-elements" that are essential for a runner's record. They are all numerical - miles per week (pace, duration, velocity, and heart rate), periodic long run (pace, duration, velocity, and heart rate), intervals - number of reps, distance, pace, and recovery; and "perceived exertion" as measured on a numeric scale. These numbers are essential information for implementing and tracking a program.

Values and Operating Principles

Along with your historical record often comes a lot of "baggage" - preconceived notions regarding training and racing. Everyone brings a set of values and working principles to the table, some of which are effective and others of which are detrimental. I have developed a list of "Coaching Values" and associated "Coaching Principles", "Operating Techniques" and "Vocabulary" of terms that provide a foundation and structure for effective training.

Values provide the overall direction and integrity. Principles provide the organizational infrastructure. Techniques provide the "how-to's". All three levels are in philosophical alignment from top to bottom and converge in the end to produce results.

Coaching Values, Principles, Techniques, Vocabulary

Value	Description
Values	Each athlete should receive the maximum value for his/her time & effort invested. Each athlete is here to be the best he/she can be. Each athlete expects and deserves excellent coaching. A program does not have to be perfect to be effective. A program does not have to be perfect to be excellent. Each athlete is treated with the same level of attention, regardless of ability levels.
Principles	The coach creates a favorable training environment. The coach is prepared. The coach is educated and knowledgeable. The coach is a good listener. The coach communicates in clear and understandable terms
Techniques	Planning Documenting Trend Analysis Multiple exertion indicators (perceived exertion, split & race times, heart rate) Immediate feedback. Progressive warmup. Attention to detail. Enhanced training and racing strategies Video Tape Analysis .
Vocabulary	Under Construction

Enhanced Training Paradigms

This table suggests that there may be a better way to communicate training concepts than "Old School" terminology and concepts popular in the media and coaching. The "Enhanced Performance Paradigm" suggests a more progressive view of training.

"Old School"	Deficiencies	Enhanced Performance Paradigm	Discussion
"Sacrifice"	Media commentators use this frequently with respect to Olympic athletes. This Implies that there is some other higher purpose that is being foregone. What is the athlete really sacrificing to train?	Performance-based training. No one is forcing anyone to sacrifice anything. Athletes chose to participate.	Planning and specific goals/payoff structure sets the context for day-to-day training effort.
"Attitude" / "Good/Bad" Attitude	"Attitude" is a highly interpretive word. Politically charged/subject to broad and potentially dangerous interpretation. Manipulative, exclusionary, and demeaning. Closes off discussion and dialogue and critical thinking if the meaning is not clearly communicated and agreed upon.	Specific expectations and behaviors are defined in precise terms and always with respect to the goal. Kinestic (body/mind) Programing for Optimum Performance is employed to achieve the goal.	Based on specific goals and on executing a specific program. No value judgment are offered.
"No Pain no Gain"	Provides no physiological or psychological context for training.	Optimum exertion model based on exercise science, sports psychology, and common sense. Long term health and mental benefits as well as immediate performance goals set the context for any exertion.	Based on communication, education, and understanding (coach to player/player to coach/program).
"Full-Out/All-out"	Indicates lack of preparation/confidence/understanding of physiological principles.	Optimum exertion model.	Perceived exertion (see discussion above) correlated with heart rate profile.
"Discipline"	Not situationally specific.	Optimum program integration.	Defines program components and interaction and what we mean in performance terms. Nothing is lost in translation. Clarity in understanding the program. Shared values and goals. Continuous mental pre-actualization of goals/"seeing" and feeling the payoff.
"Winning/Losing"	Win-lose paradigm by definition leaves mostly "losers".	Create multiple criteria for winning.	The process allows everyone to be a winner.
"Winning/Losing"		Improvement/Actualization	Tracking and displaying progress throughout the year.
"Winning/Losing"		Fitness	Improvements in physical appearance and body language.
"Winning/Losing"		Learning	Convergence of training program with goals. Seeing the program work.
"Winning/Losing"		Sharing/Team Work	Personal stories: racing and training experiences that are beneficial for motivation and modeling.
"Winning/Losing"		Supporting/Team Work	Leveraging team members to support each other in practice and at races.
"Winning/Losing"		Recognition	Public acknowledgments for each team member.
"Winning/Losing"		Self-expression	Encouraging individual styles.
Dedication/devotion	Not situationally specific	Dynamic program execution	Journaling and documentation. Tracking progress. Analyzing effectiveness of programs. Adjusting for shifting situations, refining instructions according to immediate performance goals and demands, refocusing on immediate and long-term goals, improving acuity - seeing goals sharply, sharpening workouts with specific numbers or patterns for race specific situations, studying. Developing critical thinking.
Commitment	Hit and miss. Not situationally specific.	Understanding, owning, and executing the program.	Identifying and honoring the payoff. Actualizing the payoff on a day-to-day basis = seeing and feeling the payoff = Kinesetic Programming. Results oriented - based on techniques that work. Accountability in preparing, documenting, and analyzing training.
Motivation	Hit and miss. Not situationally specific.	Stimulating the right-brain/emotional function.	The payoff must must identify and address the motivational "hot-buttons" of the players: Trophies? Multimedia presentation? Recognition in the presence of peers? College Scholarships? Winning a Letter? Pure Performance? Running the perfect race? State Championship? Other? (Social/political/financial)? Modeling: Physical/Technical - training and racing; Psychological - stories, pictures, and people.
Cheer Leading	Coaches who attempt to "rally the troops" by yelling, last-minute motivational talks, or otherwise psychologically manipulating the athlete are bound to compromise the program and shortchange the athlete. These techniques are symptomatic of poor planning and rely heavily on desperate last minute emotional input and on ambiguous and usually confusing technical instructions.	Coaching	Planning, preparedness well in advance (physical and psychological), program execution, specificity, team ownership and accountability. This requires that the coach "know his stuff". Minimizing risky training techniques and competitive situations - scheduling "winning" workouts and events, avoiding historically troublesome events. Studying. Identifying and developing motivational triggers.

Perceived Exertion

Perceived exertion is a subjective judgment that is translated into a number. I use a perceived level of exertion on a scale of 1 to 10 ("1" being the easiest and "10" being the hardest exertion for any given session). This allows the athlete to evaluate how "hard" he/she worked for a given workout or other segment of time. The underlying theory of "perceived exertion" is that there is an optimum training level for each individual. This exertion level and that that level can be measured and tracked using interval and race time and heart rate.

My program is designed to identify an optimum level and train at at that level. The individual perceived exertion scale is calibrated in order to design goal-specific workouts. For example, a "5" will translate to a predictable workout numbers or race time after some trial and error, and becomes dependable as a measurement of exertion relative to the individual. The initial "subjectivity" of the scale is diminished after some experience in using it. Every session should have a pre-assigned perceived exertion number that correlates to the objectives of the workout. Typically, would would only expect to see a "9" infrequently - maybe four time for an entire 12-week season. Most interval sessions should be in the 7 - 81/2 range. "Anaerobic threshold" runs should be in the 6 to 7 range. Training runs should be in the 4-5 range.

The perceived exertion scale becomes useful in identifying anomalies in training - the athlete may, on occasion, register an "8" effort for a workout that has historically been a "7". In this case, the athlete may be fatigued or have some other psychological or physical distraction that has rendered the session more difficult. This is the time for the coach to question why the discrepancy and to suggest modifications to realign the athlete with the program.

On the other hand, the athlete may register a "7" for a workout that would normally be an "8". This may also be an anomaly - the athlete just had a great day: everything "clicked". In this case, the program is working and probably needs no adjustments. If a negative trend develops - "8" become commonplace for efforts that were historically "7s", some level of intervention may be needed.

The typical causes for a downward trend are: over training, illness, age, or personal distractions otherwise known as "life". Generally, there is some combination of many of the above rather than any one given reason for the trend. Adjustments may include backing off on the training numbers, more rest (temporary or extended), dietary modifications, better warm-up, or ultimately adjusting the program goals. (More on this later - Making the Numbers.)

Adjusting program goals may be necessary if the athlete is chronically missing his/her workout "numbers" for whatever reasons. If the potential underlying causes - illness, injury, time or commitment constraints, Etc. - are identified and resolved and it appears that the athlete is healthy, motivated and generally running well, it could be that the program goals are simply too aggressive.

Actually, missing goal program numbers usually becomes apparent very early in the program. If all the other possibilities have been exhausted and the numbers aren't accessible, the program goals should be adjusted. This can be emotionally difficult for the athlete and coach - we are giving something up that we are very much attached to or personally invested in - but once the adjustment is made, both the athlete and coach have more freedom to work.

Optimum Training Exertion

The key to getting results is training at an optimal level. As previuosly noted, a balanced approach may be the most effective in producing results. This means that each of the four sides of the "training box" must be addressed and training capacity expanded to create the conditions for a breakthrough performance.

The question then becomes, "How much running, stretching, strength training, etc. is enough?" I contend that there is a perfect optimum level for each individual at any given point in time. Dozens of my clients have experienced major performance breakthroughs (ie. they have either met or signigicantly exceeded their performance goals) because their training exertion was optimal. However, the coach must know the athlete well enough to write workouts at the optimal training exertion.

"Training exertion" is the numeric system that I use to communicate, plan, and monitor a training program. It is based on the perceived exertion scores as defined above and summarizes individual daily scores to produce an overall ongoing level of exertion.

My basic approach regarding the optimal level of effort required to produce breatkthrough results/achieve goals is that it is much less than might be expected. In my experience, It is certainly less that what many "experts" would have you think is needed to produce personal breakthroughs.

More specifically, the average seasonal "perceived exertion" score needed to produce results is about "5.0" on a scale of "1 to 10". This unspectacular score is primarily due to simple biomechanical and physiological limitations having specifically to do with the nature of running. The most damaging aspect of which is "impact" in combination with "faulty biomechanicis". The greater the sum of these two, the more likely an injury will occur. Similarly, chronically overstressing the various physiological systems including the immune system, the endocrine system, the thyroid system, etc. causes either short-term or long term damage. The more frequent these systems are stressed without recovery, the more likely a debilitating long or short term disease will occur.

For these reasons, most individuals can tolerate only one or two "hard" workouts per week ("7.5 to 8+" efforts) on an extended basis (10-16 weeks). Those who are unfortunate enough to tolerate weekly "8+" efforts for more than 12 weeks will eventually damage or distroy some essential biomechanical, neuromuscular, or bio-chemcial system required for training, or will suffer a significant psychological breakdown related to chronic overtraining.

Here's how the 5.0 "cumulative" score is derived:

Day	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun	Weekly Average
Base (4 Weeks)	0	4	6 AT Run	4	6 AT run	4	6 (Long Run)	4
Transition (4 weeks)	0	5	7 Int	5	7 Int	5	7 (Long Run)	5
Anaerobic (4 weeks)	0	5	8+ Int	5	4	9 Race	6 (Long Run)	5
Daily Average	0	5	7	5	6	6	6	5 Overall Program Average

 

Notes:

• The rest day is scored "0" and included in the averages above. The rest day keeps the P.E averages down to "5"
• "AT" means "Anaerobic Threshold" runs.
• Interval means running above "Lactate Threshold" with intermittent recovery periods. These sessions are generally more difficult than normal training runs.

Overtraining and the Training Exertion Scores

How and why does overtraining occur? The answer is the pursuit of "Chronic Fitness". This is simply scoring consistenly high P.E. scores. Generally, the scores on the "easy" days are too high for most runners. Here are the typical reasons for chronic overtraining/sure performance declines:

• Unrealistic expections
  • That your body can handle more training than it actually can.
  • That you can run faster if you always train harder.
  • Unrealistic goals
• Faulty cause-and-effect logic
  • I am less worthy or cannot be my best if I am not always "giving it my all"
  • I am less attractive or inadequate if I am not chronically in peak form
  • I will run slower if I am not always training hard
• Fear
  • Of falling behind
  • Of "losing"
  • Of "losing it" (body image, dominance over competitors, supremacy, status, love, having to start over again, etc.)
• Lack of confidence in a program that includes weekly rest days and annual extended time off.
• Lack of knowledge of basic recovery concepts and their contribution to training.
• Not heeding past mistakes - pushing hard when lighter training or rest is called for.
• Cultural or Social influences
  • Can't "Slack" because it indicates weakness.
  • Must stay with the group because falling behind is humiliating.

Maintaining an average score in the 4, 5, or 6-range over the course of a season gives the athlete enough time to develop slowly and enough time to recover between hard sessions. I will discuss these numbers when I present an actual training program.

Building Blocks

There are a few basic elements that are necessary to implement a training program.

• The first is "honesty". This fundamental building block cuts across the entire spectrum of training and performance. Once it is addressed implementing an effective training program becomes much easier. It requires integrity on both the athlete's and coach's part. The athlete must be honest in documenting and tracking workouts and setting goals and the coach must be honest in terms of feedback and expectations.
• The second is "understanding".
  • This is understanding what motivate each and every athlete on the team and being able to capture and direct the athlete's energy toward performance.
• The third is "accountability" This basically means staying with the program and is communicated vis-à-vis the runners log or journal and through periodic meetings.
• The fourth is "coaching"
  • In terms of recognizing, acknowledging, and addressing emerging training factors. The coach may recognize but not acknowledge problems, or may acknowledge but not address problems. The coach must be able to recognize, acknowledge and address problems as they arise.
• An essential element of coaching is technical expertise. This is the coach's ability to apply his or her knowledge in terms implementing a program and includes exercise physiology, sports psychology, planning, and organization.
• The fifth is "communication". Communication must take place in specific, unambiguous and understandable language. This minimizes or eliminates miscommunication, confusion, and allows the athlete to perform according to plan.
• The sixth is goal setting.
  • Unfortunately, there still seems to be a school of thought that embraces fuzzy and arbitrary approaches such as "give it your all" and "no pain, no gain" instead of giving specific program performance goals.
  • Describing training, motivation, and performance solely in arbitrary, subjective, and open-to-interpretation words such as "aggressive," "fast," "slow," "good attitude," etc., only confuses the issue and renders communication more difficult. In most cases, using these types of words of will only compromise a training program.
  • A glossary to terms used in my Baseline program will be published later.

The Numbers - Communicating Performance Expectations
(More on "the numbers" to be discussed in the 5000 Meter Program)

Objective measurements allow the coach communicate training and performance expectations, make adjustments in the program or goals without being critical or judgmental of the athlete, and eliminate nonproductive, artificial, and arbitrary motivational techniques.

Specifically, each workout and race should have associated numbers written in detail.

• An interval session of 12 x 400 may be written as follows: "3 Sets of 4 x 400 meters: Set 1 - @ 90 seconds with a 200 meter jog in 90 seconds; Set 2 - @ 88 seconds, same rest; Set 3 - @ 86 seconds with same rest".
• A training run might be written as follows: Run 1 hour starting at 70% of your maximum heart rate and gradually increasing to 85%.
• A race would include goal splits at appropriate intervals and competitive strategy such as "even pace," "kicking," and "surging". (However, even these tactical strategies must ultimately be expressed in unambiguous terms.)

In training, an athlete should never start a workout - whether it be a conditioning run, tempo run, or interval session - without specific numbers. For conditioning runs these numbers expressed in terms of duration/distance and effort (as measured in heart rate and perceived exertion). For intervals, numbers are expressed and measured in terms of rep distance, number of reps, times, recovery and effort (again, as measured in heart rate and perceived exertion). These workouts should always be written to support both immediate and long-term goals.

Similarly, an athlete should never be told to "give it their all," "run 'full-out'," or verbal instructions in other ambiguous and arbitrary terms. The athlete should always be thinking in terms of performance as measured in times against the present workout or racing goal.

A program training progression should be designed to achieve goals at a specific time and place. In exercise physiology terms, a progression is based on "gradual adaptation to stress". In laymen's terms, this means that you start "easy" and gradually transition to "harder" workouts. If the transition is made too abruptly, the athlete will either get hurt or sick or become exhausted. The outcome of an aggressive progression is having athletes quit either voluntarily or involuntarily. Such outcomes are often the result of coaching errors. This means that the coach did not acknowledge the athlete's present capacity to train.

The trick is to write a workout program that yields results without getting the athlete sick, injured, or burned out. If you are starting a program an don't have much information, an assessment of the athlete (by performing sub-maximal running tests) and subsequent evaluation of the athlete's present condition is essential before designing a training progression. If you have information, a "Baselining" approach can be used.

Whether or not the athlete is on course or on schedule, he/she needs continuous feedback and reinforcement. The more that is at stake, the more intense the depth, quality, and quantity of the feedback to the athlete. The ideal technique for providing the feedback is one-on-one contact where eye contact and body language can be read and interpreted.

In addition, the athlete needs "status": "How am I doing against the plan?" Status includes both "directional" and "temporal" components - the first has to do with the specific training regimen and the second has to do with timing, both are directly related to the stated performance goal. Directionality is the ability of the athlete to stay with the specifics of the program. If he can do this, the chances of him reaching his goal improve dramatically. Staying with the program is simply executing the program as written. Temporality is being on schedule. The program should be written to achieve the goal at a specific time. The athlete is can be ahead of, behind, or on schedule. The program may need to be adjusted to ensure that the athlete has the best shot a reaching his goal on the original schedule.

In conclusion, a gradual transition allows the athlete to succeed by staying with the program. However, it is critical that the coach meet the athlete at his or her exact physiologically state and design the training and racing program accordingly. As progress is made, adjustments may ensue.

The Payoff Factor

The goal is the actual physical accomplishment of a planned activity. The "payoff" is the reward associated with the achievement such as awards, public recognition, trophies, scholarships, prize money, or the "feeling of accomplishment". In order to maximize the payoff, you must accomplish the goal, but it is important to understand the distinction between the two. The payoff is a BI-product of achieving the goal, not the goal itself.

The value of the payoff cannot be underestimated. Generally speaking, payoff provides a large part of the incentive to achieve the goal. The rock star gets the money and the fame for writing great music. The politician gets the office and the power for winning the election. The football star gets the money and the glory for making the "pro's".

On a smaller scale, the recreational runner wins his age group in the local road race and dreams of making the Olympic Team. Such rewards provide enough incentive for him to train as if he were a world-class runner.

However, if you begin to pursue the payoff instead of the goal, the integrity of the goal and the training program is compromised. Instead of focusing on the goal, the payoff becomes the target. If this shift occurs, performance is likely to slip.

Vision

It is essential that the players always have a clear line of sight to the goal. The formal technique typically used to develop this view is called "visualization". This collapses the time continuum and enables the players to see themselves achieving the goal in "time-now" and allows them to simulate the actual physical occurrence and physiological conditions, hence preprogramming themselves to experience the activity before it occurs.

This chart illustrates the various components of goal setting.

Goal Setting	Program Execution	Success
Define Goal	-----------Clear Line of Sight---------->	Goal & Payoff
Identify Motivational Hot Buttons	Visualization	Reward Behavior
Planning & Goal Setting Create Vision Goal - specific outcome when and where? Identify payoff criteria Create Clear Line of Sight Create an enabling environment - program, structure, technical expertise.	Kinesetic Programming Kinesetic Convergence Collapse time - virtual experience Invoke neuron activity Handle obstacles Constructive Feedback Produce results Imprint on models	Manifestations Actualization Convergence of preparation with Goal Recognition by others Contribution to others Tangible Externals Trophies Scholarships Awards

The Process

Most sports have built-in intermediate steps that enable an ongoing progression in skills development such as games, practices, and contests. These steps are an essential part of the achievement process. Similarly, the players must believe in the process and see its direct relationship to results.

The Present

However, an existential component will generally evolve in this process that is related to the alternative definitions of winning as seen in the chart above. That is, if the players "lose" in the traditional sense, they must develop an appreciation for the process itself and alternative definitions of "winning". In essence, this means living totally in the present - enjoying the moment for what it is and what it has to offer. The existential winning benefits are fitness, friendship, intellectual stimulation, learning, improvement, etc. all of which contribute to a rich and balanced life.

Performance Psychology and Other Topics
(To be Published)

• Sports Psychology. How to get results by listening and responding.
• Emotional energy. What motivates the athlete? How to identify motivational "hot buttons".
• Exercise Physiology. Optimal physiological effort. How much is enough?
• Political considerations. Minimize political problems by creating perspective.
• Always be "negative"
• Calibrate before each track session.

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