Swim Bike Run Live

Overcoming A Training Slump

Monday, January 17th, 2011

Let’s be honest. Even when we are at our very best as endurance athletes, we are still completely fallible and can stumble on some of the simplest of obstacles. One of the biggest of those is simply just getting out the door for a run, jumping on the bike trainer or packing the swim bag to head to the pool. Sometimes it comes for me in the middle of December, sometimes in the middle of June, but I know that slumps (emotional and physical) are inevitable. Just like anything else, it is always a good idea to spot it early and deal with it right away.

To be perfectly honest, this post is more intended to be therapy for myself than anything else, but if it helps anyone else out then I’ll be even happier. I’ve been in a major slump lately traithlon-wise. I haven’t ridden on my bike since September and my running shoes and swimsuits are collecting dust. That was okay for a while since I’ve been so busy with job searching, the holidays and wedding planning, but I need to get back into the game for my own mental heath.

• CLEAN YOUR FRIDGE – You can’t up the performance of your training if you are feeding your engine left over christmas cookies and sugar covered cereal. Throw out all the junk and head to the grocery store. Stock up on lots of fruits, veggies and unprocessed foods with lots of nature-made nutrition. I almost cried when I had to throw out a friend’s caramel and chocolate covered pretzels a few weeks ago, but it was easier than having to buy a new belt.

• SET SMALL SPECIFIC GOALS – I could tell myself “I’m going to work out tomorrow” day after day with no success. The easiest way to reach success is to redefine what success is, and make it specific. My chances of getting a workout in will be much higher if I tell myself that “I’ll get a 2k swim in before breakfast tomorrow.” Give your goals a deadline during the day. Sure, things can change, but it helps get you out of the endless procrastination cycle.

• MAKE YOUR PLAN VISIBLE - The easiest way to ignore your training plan is to leave it online or in an Excel spreadsheet on your computer desktop. At the start of every week, print out your training plan and hang it on your refrigerator or the door of your triathlon cave, wherever you’d see it most often. The more you see it, the more likely you’ll actually put that plan into action.

• CONNECT YOUR CALENDARS – Nothing puts a damper in your triathlon training like suddenly realizing that you have work or personal commitment that you can’t reschedule. Sometimes the boss surprises you with a last minute project that has you working late, but in a lot of cases these scenarios can be avoided. Use a shared calendar like Google Calendar to collect all of your  work, training and personal commitments to help you juggle it all without dropping anything.

• REGISTER FOR A RACE – Sometimes the easiest way to give your training a kick-start is to have a big race hanging over your head. You know how bad it is going to hurt if you show up unprepared, so you have no choice to put the time in now. Unless  you are looking at an Ironman or ultra marathon, signing up 10-12 months in advance may not be enough motivation. Pick something as early as possible, but still gives you enough time to be fully prepared to tear it up on race day. That time frame will vary completely based on the fitness level that you are starting from, so trust your own judgement. This weekend I registered for Rev3 Quassy. I couldn’t be more excited to make my return there.

• SLEEP IN YOUR WORKOUT CLOTHES – If you are planning an early morning workout, sometimes just getting the motivation to throw on your workout clothes can be a struggle. I’ve found success with sleeping in my running tights or shorts. When I wake up, all I have to do is thrown on socks and shoes and I’m out the door. Surprisingly, my running shorts and tights make really comfortable pajamas. I’m not sure if sleeping in a speedo or bike shorts would be as comfortable, but maybe that is why I usually save those workouts for the afternoon.

• RENT A MOVIE – I’m not just talking about any movie. Most athletes have one movie that really gets them amped. Maybe it is an old Ironman Hawaii DVD or a race that is saved on your DVR. Use that as a little adrenaline boost to get your butt out the door. Better yet, watch it whilel on the bike trainer or on the treadmill. For me, that movie is and will always be Without Limits. I’m a Cross Country freak at heart.

• PLAN A WORKOUT WITH A FRIEND – If you aren’t paying attention, triathlon can become a very lonely and boring sport. Long training rides by yourself and early morning swims before the world wakes up aren’t uncommon. I love some “alone time” way more than the average bear, but need some social interaction to get me going. That is one of the main reasons why I spend so much time blogging, tweeting and facebooking. It keeps me connected to people that love the same stuff I do. And when you get to hang out in person and enjoy the stuff that I do with those people, even better. I need to get better at planning “workout dates” with some local triathlon friends, especially in the winter.

• BUY NEW GEAR – This one is easy. While this sport is already expensive enough, sometimes a new piece of gear makes all the difference. A new swimsuit, pair of shoes or sunglasses can make you feel like a brand new athlete. Today I’m amped to try out my new carbon Sidi bike shoes that I got from Santa. Sometimes something as cheap as getting some new flavors of nutrition stuff to try is enough to get me excited to work up a sweat. But that doesn’t mean I’m above just sitting on my couch and sucking down some gels for the hell of it. Not that I’ve ever done that before…

So that is my list, but I’m sure there is more. I’m leaving this post open for editing. If you have your own ideas for what helps you get out of a training slump, leave a comment and I’ll add them to this list with your name and a link to your site.

| Posted in Cycling, Life, Training Log, Triathlon | 15 Comments »