MOTIVATIONAL TIPS
Quick Tips for Female Triathletes to Stay Motivated
You’re a female triathlete and you’ve got so much to do so your triathlon-training schedule can take a back seat as you find empty excuses to put off your training. Some days it’s hard to find the energy to get out of bed to train but what do you do as a female triathlete when motivation wains and you keep missing training sessions?
1. Write out your goals
2. Do a short race to shock the system
3. Find buddies
4. Reward yourself
When it’s pouring rain and you’re bowling along through the wet, there’s satisfaction in knowing you’re out there and the others aren’t. Snell
1. Write out your goals
Oh no, not goal setting. Just because triathlon is your hobby doesn’t mean you shouldn’t set yourself goals. There is thousand of studies to show goal setting works, so it also works for female triathletes.
Step 1. Write out your goals e.g.. Ironman in 6 months time
Step 2. Set a plan – find a training program that fits your daily life. Get a coach and set your master plan on paper
Step 3. Stick the goal and plan up everywhere, in your bathroom, in the kitchen and on your desktop.
Step 4. Tick the box each day. There is nothing like ticking a box to say you’ve completed a workout.
Good places to go for goal setting http://ow.ly/5Je40
2. Do a short race to shock the system.
I often find winter the worst time to muster the motivation to get outside and train when it’s wet and cold. I often enter a short running race and the feeling of a impending race often gets me out of bed. I also find I have a motivation peak following a race. I’m suffering due to my lack of regular training and I’m racing towards a very disappointing time but my head is racing through some great plans of how I can do better and I can’t wait to get out there overcome this short set back.
Watching the world’s best compete fires you up to achieve your own feats of greatness. When it comes to running, participation and spectating go hand in hand. Kara Goucher, American long-distance runner
3. Find a buddy
There is nothing than can match a buddy waiting on the road corner in the morning to get you out of bed. Find a buddy who is also suffering from motivation issues and you’ll find you both do more than you would have done on your own. Make sure if they decide to sleep in that they don’t tell you. I always plan to meet someone and if they don’t turn up I’ll do the training on my own but if they notify me prior then I stay in my cosy bed as well.
4. Reward yourself
If you’re able to tick the box every day then reward yourself, at the end of the week if you’ve done all your training then reward yourself with something that you look forward to. I often go out for a drink after work on Friday night and dinner with my partner. It’s my special reward for a hard week of training.
Other Mental Motivators for Female Triathletes
- Get a coach
- Just start, if you’re struggling to get out the door. Just do 5min and more often than not you’re endorphins will kick in to get you going further
- Go to bed in your training gear, you will feel stupid but you feel like you’ve let yourself down if you take them off without the workout done.
- Always have training gear in your car
- Don’t sit on the sofa when you get home from work, set yourself a slim time line and get changed and back out the door
- Watch a triathlon on TV. I often have a few race videos and put them on when I’m feeling motivation is low
- Finding after work your fatigued – no you’re only mentally fatigued, there is nothing like an evening workout to revitalise that head. Remind yourself that you’re only mentally fatigued as your legs and muscles haven’t really done that much
- Mentally rehearsing your race or your training session can produce endorphins, which will get you out the door and fulfilling your training goal.
- Tell everyone that you’re going out training, when you don’t you’ll feel guilty when you try to come up with empty excuses for not getting off your butt
If you’re going to make it, your desire for your dreams has to be greater than your fear of failure.-Josh Cox.
