Restart Training
Did you take some time off from your last race? Maybe it’s been a few weeks or months (or perhaps even longer)?
There comes a time in all triathlete’s life when you contemplate getting back into the sport. Now that you’ve taken the well-deserved time off, you want to ensure you start right. In addition to minimizing the chances of injury, you should include something to make training a little more fun.
Below are some tips on getting started:
- Ease in – allow your body to readjust back into training. In your mind, you are still able to cover the same miles. However, as soon as you take that first step your body will remind you that you are no longer in the same shape. Make sure to listen to your body and only put in what feels comfortable for you. This will vary greatly from individual to individual, so make sure to take it easy in the beginning.
- Buy gear – let’s face it, buying new stuff helps keep our spirits up when training. This could be something small like a T-shirt that you only wear on your long runs or it could be that new Garmin watch to keep track of your improvements. Here are a few ideas to get you in the mood to train – Essential Tri Gear Under $30
- Set goals – During the early phase of your return to triathlon, your training should be towards a specific goal to make it productive and keep you motivated. You could have multiple milestones with one big goal, such as two sprint and one olympic distance race.
- Have a plan – Once you have a goal, it’s time to develop a plan. There are tons of plans out there… just choose one. This could be from a book, the internet or from the new coach you found. No matter what, having a plan helps set expectations and keeps you moving towards your goal.
- Keep track – This can be as simple as pen and paper or an automated system from the internet, such as Training Peaks. Just keep track of your activities to capture your thoughts about the training and if there is anything that needs to be changed.
- More workouts – in addition to your standard swim, bike and run sessions, include workouts that support your performance in the three disciplines. This could be strength training with some light weights or strengthening your core muscles. For me, it’s stretching. During my last 140.6, I realized that I needed to incorporate stretching into the routine.
- Toys – Once you have gathered your equipment, now it’s time to buy some new toys. This can be as simple as replacing equipment that no longer works, buying something better or buying something that you’ve always wanted. No matter what, once you reached a certain milestone in training, it’s good to reward yourself.
- Mindset – As you are putting in the miles, slowly get back in the appropriate mindset by remembering the reasons why you started this journey. It could be to achieve something you didn’t think you could do or to fill that yearning for competition. By getting in the right mindset you will enjoy the sport even more.
