Patrick John McCrann | Athlete. Author. Coach.

The hardest part about starting a year of training is actually getting started. Sure, you had to sign up for your race, but that’s a long way off. It’s cold outside (even in CA this year!), the roads are quiet, and there a lots of other things that can take up your time. Here are a few ways you can make sure your training is on track for your next A race.

Set Actionable Goals
Most athletes, after a year of racing, want to “get faster,” “be lighter,” “execute better,” etc. These are nice goals, but they aren’t effective. A solid goal has an outcome you can measure. Instead of saying “get lighter,” figure out what your race weight was last year, subtract a reasonable amount, and then set monthly benchmarks to reach that goal.

Tip: Put each of this “actionable items” on a monthly list and keep it handy. This could
be more effective for you than your actual training plan!!!!

Get Some Partners
The hardest part of tri training is that it can be a solo endeavor. The closer you get to your race, the truer this becomes. If you are, like me, pretty anal about your race prep, then use the offseason to find some folks to train with. Do someone else’s workout,  pick a new route,  etc.  It’s very freeing not to be in charge for a change…and I’ve heard it’s a good thing to socialize with others…

Start Researching / Learning
One of the easier ways to sustain your off-season passion is to spend that downtime (at work) doing some reading, researching, etc. Nothing like browsing through some old race reports for the event you are considering to get the fires burning. If you have access to a great resource of information about multisport, you might even learn something! 

Mix Up the Training with some Racing
One of the easiest ways to keep things going is to have interim events planned that keep you going. I am not talking about signing up for another A race earlier in the year, I am just talking about a couple of events to keep your head in the right space and help you chip away at those annual goals.

What else to you do to stay on track???