As the tail end of winter is quickly giving way to an early spring, I’ve been looking back at my training over the past few months. All the long hours inside on a bike by myself, running in the cold and the dark, almost always by myself, with race goals as an abstraction for some future version of myself to worry about. These dark months, through an exceedingly mild winter were still a void of motivation. As I went through the motions in workout after workout I started to wonder if I was just getting too comfortable in a training program?

As the snow melts, the daylight hours grow and the temperatures rise, I find myself turning with the seasons. The workouts are gaining more intensity and I’m starting to enjoy it more. But what about preparing for a winter race? How can I get around this seasonal swing? Or alternatively, is becoming comfortable a good thing?

So, I’m thinking this comes down to several things:

• What motivates you to keeping training?
• What goals do you want to achieve?
• How do the seasons in Central Wisconsin affect training?
• How does the uncertainly of racing in this climate affect motivation?
• How can virtual training groups keep you engaged?
• Is being comfortable in training a bad thing?

Lets break it down, point by point.

Training Motivation

Motivation is a very personal matter, and I’ve found it varies widely between those I’ve discussed the matter with. All I can do here, is talk about what motivates me. Over the years, I’ve been able to isolate common theme; pushing myself further than I have before. Specifically a longer time or further distance. Attempting the same distance in a quicker time, just doesn’t have the same drive for me. Additionally I’m driven by seeing others’ accomplishments. This past weekend was Challenge Miami, watching the pros duke it out in an actual race was immensely encouraging. Strangely enough, this even works for other sports, and even movies / documentaries about sports. Seeing others compete has a sort of vicarious affect. For example, I cycle on my trainer while watching football games. It really doesn’t even mater who’s playing, but the shared experience of exertion and excitement that comes with the event carries through.

Setting Goals

Yet another very personal thing. We’re all at different stages in our journey, but for me having a race goal, or a new distance challenge goal is what keeps me moving. Nothing, absolutely nothing else motivates like signing up for a race you think you might not be able to complete. When I signed up for my first 70.3 I hadn’t swam or biked in years, like 10+ years. So, I got on an old bike, rode as hard as I could and found I still wouldn’t make the bike cutoff. Bought a new bike and started riding. Luckily for me a friend was a swim team coach, so I asked for breathing lessons and was in the pool 4 days a week splashing from one side to the other.

The scarier the goal set, the harder you’ll work for it. IF you commit to that goal being an absolute. Once set, there’s not backing down, no moving the goal posts. If you’re in 100%, the closer that event comes, the harder you’ll work.

Wisconsin Winters

How do the seasons affect training. Say you live in Central Wisconsin, and have a huge race coming up in February, in Florida. Average temperatures are 10F in WI and 70F in FL. The sun doesn’t rise until 7AM and sets at 4:30PM, so outside of work hours, it’s dark. I know it’s possible to make this work, I’ve seen it. However digging out the motivation is the trick. Finding that will to push through the night on those runs. To crank the heater and turn off the fan while you’re on the trainer or treadmill, it takes a special kind of dedication.

While I’m not quite training for something that extreme currently, the concept is similar for early or off season races. If you’re traveling to a race, especially to a different climate, can you use that climate change as inspiration?

From my limited personal experience, I find the winters here to be a long drought without racing. Meaning a difficult time to push your limits. It is far easier to just get through the training, rather than enjoy and push yourself through. Interval days slide into easy effort, and while I ensure I’m not skipping workouts, I worry that I’m not getting enough out of them. Going through the motions and in fact triggering the concept for this post.

Training For A Race That May Not Happen

For the past year, race after race after race has been cancelled. While we’re not out of this pandemic yet, the 2021 calendar year is currently packed with events. Most of the early ones are virtual, but there are a large number of hopeful organizers out there trying to put on races. However, finding motivation to continue pushing yourself ever harder become increasingly difficult if you can’t be certain the event will actually happen.

While it is great to continue with your training and do the event yourself anyways, that same fire and drive that competition brings just isn’t there. After doing a solo Ironman last year in place of Ironman Tulsa, I can’t say I’d do the same again this year if it were to be postponed again.

Training Groups and Partners

Training groups, or even a couple like minded friends can also make an enormous difference. Having someone pick up your spirits, even virtually and from a distance, really helps to get that workout in. On those days where you’re just not feeling it, seeing others in these little groups hitting there goals will get you moving.

I’ve recently been fortunate to connect with a group of like minded former classmates to form a motivational group. Discussing daily what you are up to, helps to create a comradery and shared experience, which reinforces making good decisions.

Meeting my local triathlon training crew was one of the best things to ever happen to me. This group has become like family and some have become some of my closest friends and training partners. We constantly push and support each other in every new crazy adventure. During the winter months and the time the pool was closed, training became a completely isolated activity, and the motivation to really push yourself, when there isn’t someone right there pushing with you, really dries up.

What’s Wrong With Being Comfortable?

Finally, is there anything wrong with getting comfortable in training? So much of long distance racing is building a foundation, a base level of fitness. Could the goal be to just maintain that? Having a great foundational base, allows for the ability to more easily live a healthy and active lifestyle. So to me, perhaps it all comes down to this.

What is it that you are truly doing this for?

Is it to try and win races, or push yourself to new personal bests.

or

Are you trying to live a healthy, active lifestyle?

That’s a personal matter for anyone, and for me, I keep finding myself on both sides, but as the years keep sliding by, I’m becoming more interested in just living a healthy life.