I’ve been talking and thinking a lot about training, how my training is going and how I can improve it. I talk a lot about consistency about sessions, my training and highs and lows of weeks. I have big ambitions and how I want to look/ train/ feel when entering races in the future. But I suppose I am a very emotional trainer. When everything is going well, its going well! But when a session is under par or missed it spirals and things go bad! I need to combat this fast, as its really impacting my training and seriously affecting my progression in triathlon.
So why does this happen and what can I do to combat it, and overcome it? Well that’s a good question and to be honest I don’t really know the answer. I could easily blame work, family commitments, weather, etc etc. But in all honesty I’m in the same boat as probably 95% of triathletes out there. My family are amazing and massively supportive (not every triathlete has that) and in all honesty I probably wouldn’t do triathlon if it wasn’t for them! I love the fact that my kids cheer me on and ask if I’m going for a run or bike today, or want to watch me sweating on a trainer and asking can they join in. I even love it when Zoey, my wife screams at me “you can go faster than that” when I on the last mile of the run and blowing out my arse looking to die. The fact my family support my crazy ambitions and take time to follow me on these crazy adventures is amazing. Then Work, well unfortunately we all have to make a living and pay bills, and to put consistent training in week in week out, working 9 till 5 Monday to Friday is probably the easiest way to fit training in. Yeah I work late sometimes, occasional weekends. But let’s face facts, so do a lot of other aspiring triathletes and they are smashing the courses up, where I am falling short!
So If it’s not that what could it be? I’ll go back to being an emotional trainer I mentioned in the first paragraph. It’s really easy to get hung up on trying to better yourself each and every session and I guess that goes back to how I want to perceive myself in the future and what goals I have for the future!
All I can think is after this race in a few week’s time I’m going to take it one session at a time, not be a hero and not thrive for that killer session. Instead I’m going to thrive for that consistent session. There is that word again! I think that is going to haunt me for months and years to yet, haha.
– Mike Catton
Check out last week’s article here:
All his previous articles are stored here
http://www.coachray.nz/category/client-stories/mikes-middle-distance-magic/