No point denying it, the festive season is fast approaching - what does this mean for your triathlon training?
Most of us will have wrapped up a successful and productive season of triathlon racing and progression towards the end of September October. Hopefully by now you will have given yourself a week or two of much needed rest and recovery (a whole different blog!!) Unless you have a big winter challenge (or are jetting off to race in warmer weather) it might be time to contemplate how to use the winter months.
Reflection: It's always worthwhile reflecting on the season gone; looking at results, events, successes and areas of improvement. Asking yourself honest questions about what you want for next season may very well come from reflecting. It's always great to celebrate and reward our successes, but what can we work on to make next years performance even better than this year? Let's take an example: Your bike and run times have seen huge improvements in the last few seasons, but swimming has stayed relatively the same. When you reflect back on your training what have you done previously that you could do differently this time? More speed work? Technique focus? More open water skills experience? If you are unsure, maybe an investment in a coach could be the best possible investment in YOU (shameless plug but email me on ali@triswimcoaching.com or on 07760449884 if you need some help here...).
Once you have identified your areas for improvement, the winter is a great time to start the base process for improvement. It's worth mapping out how these improvements can be made to keep yourself accountable. A personalised training plan is great for this!
Targets: I always target Christmas as a race or event and here's the thing right - it's all too easy to switch off in winter and get into the mindset of "New Year, New Me". Forget that - train well NOW, focussing on growing your areas of weakness into strengths and by the time Christmas comes around, you can take your foot off the gas, being smug in the knowledge that when January comes around, you'll already be in great shape to start building towards the challenges you have set yourself for next year.
The power of the group: group training and progression is always a great thing to do with the winter. The power of the group is a relatively untapped but hugely beneficial training aid! Our squad swimmers are always seeing gains from the accountability week in week out of coming to the sessions. Pushing each other in a friendly, supportive and competitive environment can really be a backbone of winter gains.
Winter challenges: it's always a good idea to have a few fun winter events lined up to keep yourself honest and accountable. This could be cold water swims, XC or trail running or even CX biking. Having mini winter goals will be a good thing to have in your calendar. Accountability is the key!
Remember to keep it fun, focussed and on point! Have a great winter and we look forward to seeing you on one of our sessions, courses or 121's very soon!!
