When training for a triathlon, motivation is key. It’s often one of the hardest parts of preparing for a race and can be the difference between being able to complete your goal or not. Luckily, there are ways you can increase your motivation level and make sure that you’re ready to achieve your goals when it matters most.
Check out these five tips to help you stay motivated while training:
1. Create Goals That Are Specific to You
It’s important to set goals that are specific to you. You might want to do this in a notebook or on your phone. For example, one goal might be “I will train for my next race by logging 50 miles per week.”
You should also track your progress as you work towards these goals so that you can measure how well you are doing and adjust accordingly if things aren’t going as planned! For example, if you decide to follow your first goal but find that x miles per week isn’t enough running, then you can add some other workouts until you reach x miles per week and see how my body feels after those changes.
It’s okay to adjust goals throughout your training, and this is something that a triathlon coach can certainly help you with!
2. Be Consistent
You may have heard the saying, “90% of success is showing up.” With triathlon training, it’s more like 99%. This means that if you’re not consistent with your workouts and goals, your motivation will dwindle. It’s okay to miss a workout once in a while, but if you let one missed workout become two missed workouts or three missed workouts, then that’s a problem.
If you want to stay motivated throughout your entire triathlon training program (which is key!), make sure to keep yourself on track by being consistent with both your diet and exercise routine. Sure it might be difficult at first when everything feels new and different from what you’re used to doing; but once those initial hurdles are overcome it gets easier from there on out!
3. Get Some Workouts Done Early in the Week
It’s a good idea to get some workouts done early in the week. Why? Because one of the biggest benefits of getting a head start on your training is that you feel more motivated for the rest of the week. You don’t feel like you have so much catching up to do, and it doesn’t seem like such an effort to go out for that morning run or swim when there are no other plans for that day.
It’s also important not to schedule your most challenging workouts too close together—especially at first. If you’re going from nothing (or very little) into an intense workout every day, it could be too much stress on your body and mind (not necessarily a bad thing if it inspires change).
4. Focus on What You Can Control and Let Go of What You Can’t
It’s tempting to focus on what you can’t control. The weather, your body, the cost of training. All of these factors can make or break a triathlon training plan. But what if you focused on what you can control? We all have free will, and we all have choices that we make every day that affect how our lives turn out. Your goal should be to focus on those things and let the other stuff go. Your mind and body will thank you in the end!
5. Don’t Forget to Rest
While it’s important to know how much exercise is right for you, setting goals and not forgetting to rest can also help. So, how much rest is enough?
The amount of rest needed varies from person to person. When you’re training hard and pushing your body, it’s a good idea to give yourself some time off (two full days or more) between workouts where you don’t do any activity that could be considered intense exercise. This will allow your body time to recover so you can perform better when it comes time for your next workout or race. You’ll also have more motivation if you allow yourself longer periods of rest in between each phase of training than if you didn’t take any breaks at all.
If you feel like your motivation is slipping during training, it might help to keep these tips in mind. It’s okay if some days are better than others, but try not to let yourself get too discouraged. It’s important to remember that staying on track is the ultimate goal!
Need some extra motivation to stay on track with your triathlon training? Contact me today!
Train Right, Tri Right,
Coach MJ
