What you should be doing in Q1: Setting foundational habits
The first quarter of the year (Q1) is an interesting time of year for us triathletes. The stress, travel, and excesses of the holidays are over. But the really hard, specific training for our summer target events is still several months away. It’s easy to do one of two things:
- Slack off. We’ve taken a break, and because we’ve de-trained a bit, it can feel hard to get back into it. We’re not fit or fast, and it can be discouraging. Plus, we still have time. After all, the “real” training doesn’t start for several months, right? What’s another month or two of slacking off really going to hurt? However, the consequence of slacking off this time of year is that our bodies and minds won’t be properly prepared for the hard training and racing that’s coming. We might end up injured, or we’ll have to back off the hard training and will ultimately underperform in our target events.
- Jump into hard training far too early. On the flip side, it can be tempting to start hammering now. You might feel good. Fresh. Rejuvenated. You’ve had a nice break, and you’re excited to get back at it. But beware: the risk of hammering too early is building a deep well of fatigue that won’t allow you to really nail the hard training that’s necessary in Spring and early Summer months. No one can hammer all year long. Your body simply won’t keep responding positively.
There is another path.
We can take advantage of a reduced training load during Q1 to set foundational supporting habits for our lives and overall health, which will help us effectively absorb the hard training that’s coming, and ultimately perform our best at target races.
Consider these questions:
How’s your sleep? Are you getting at least 7-8 hours per night? Are you maintaining a consistent schedule that allows you to wake up refreshed and rejuvenated? Recovery, and especially sleep, is absolutely essential to our training. Our bodies simply won’t adapt if we don’t let them recover.
How’s your nutrition? Are you fueling your training appropriately? Getting enough protein? Eating lots of fruits and vegetables? Are you taking in carbs and protein for recovery after every workout? It’s easier to cook and do meal prep now, when you have more mental and emotional energy due to the reduced training load. If you’re not properly fueling your training now, and these habits aren’t set in stone, you’re going to have problems as you ramp it up.
How’s your strength and mobility? Are you strong enough to accomplish what you want to do this year? Do you have limiters in these areas that you should address before you start really hammering in a few months? Do you need to really commit to PT or pre-hab? You can reduce the risk of injury, and amplify the returns of your future training, by really investing in strength and mobility now.
How’s your training schedule? Do you know when you can train? When it’s best for you to schedule your key workouts? Are you able to be consistent with your training schedule? Is training well integrated into the flow of your life? It’s a lot easier to set your training habits now, when the training is easier, and maybe the sessions aren’t quite as long. Later, when the sessions are harder and fatigue becomes a major factor, you’ll want the schedule and flow to be as automatic as possible.
Now is the perfect time to work on setting good habits, while you have the extra physical, mental, and emotional capacity to really focus on them. If you put in a little work now, these supporting habits can yield huge gains as you ramp it up later in the year. Make this year a breakout year! Shore up your daily habits to maximize the effectiveness of your training.
Josh Southern
Josh is a USAT Level I Certified Coach. He has been a member of RMTC for 7 years, and an Officer for 5. He loves the lifestyle of being a multi-sport athlete, and the process of training for big goals and dreams. He’s a true student of the sport, and has learned a tremendous amount throughout his athletic journey. Josh has a growth mindset, and believes that we are always capable of more than we think. He is passionate about helping others pursue their dreams, get (and stay) active and healthy, and find joy and fulfillment via the multi-sport lifestyle.
Contact Josh to set up a meeting to discuss your goals and dreams, and explore how you can work together to achieve them: jzsouthern@gmail.com or 720-394-0886.
