You've
finished your big race for the season. You rested, tapered, and
then went all out. A few days later, you start asking
yourself, "What's next?"
If
you're like most endurance athletes, it is difficult to stay well
motivated without a training/racing goal on the horizon.
You may be able to muddle through a handful of months by mixing
up your training and keeping things interesting, but at some
point you'll want to pick a target and start aiming directly at
it.
Pick an
event that fits your life. If you're chasing a
toddler or two around it may not be the best time of life to
attempt an ultra-endurance event like an Ironman. If your
money situation is tight, picking a less costly / closer to home
event will cause less financial stress. If you're coming
back from a serious running injury, a marathon is a high risk
choice.
Pick
something you want to do, not someone else.
We can hang off of someone else's goals for a while, but
ultimately real motivation and passion will come from preparing
for a feat that you want to accomplish.
Pick an
event that suits your strengths. I have this talk with a
few of my athletes every season - if you really dislike the hills
then don't make your main goal of the season a race with lots of
hills (unless you are prepared to change your mentality about
hills). That is called setting yourself up for failure. If you
suffer badly in the heat, pick a race with a high probability of
cooler temps. Set yourself up for success.
Give
yourself enough time to prepare. Dithering around for
four months and then training 'hard' for three is a great way to
fall short of your original goals. Pick your goal and start
today - not tomorrow, not next week.
Pick a
couple interim goals. We advise some less-important
races along the way to your main race, but you can also do solo
time trialing and/or metabolic testing to really quantify your
fitness progression.
Give
yourself a plan. Whether you do your own thing
or work with a coach, get yourself a written plan that provides a
comprehensive overview of the approach you will use. There
are many good approaches and many right ways to prepare - so pick
one and get going. :)
