Keep training through the cold and dark with our top 12 winter motivation tips to maintain consistency and set yourself up for a great triathlon season come spring.
When it’s dark, cold and rainy it can be tempting to roll over and go back to sleep rather than get out there and train but keeping up your triathlon fitness and passion over the winter will mean you’ll hit the next triathlon season in the best possible shape. Here are winter motivation tips to make sure you get your training done until those magical long-daylight days come back around.
Get into a routine
Over winter, it’s more important than ever to have structure. By doing your swim, bike and run sessions on the same day each week – and even the same types of sessions in each time slot – it’s easier to stay in the swing of things.
Over winter, it’s more important than ever to have structure
It might sound dull but getting into the same weekly routine really helps to make training become second nature, even if it’s frosty outside – helping you to maintain that all-important consistency.
Plan each session
Having a plan for each session means having a goal to tick off, helping to motivate you to complete your workouts. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a detailed minute-by-minute structure – just going into the session knowing what you want to get out of it is enough. This is especially helpful for workouts on the indoor trainer, where, without some kind of plan, time seems to slow to a crawl, making it all too easy to climb off.
Focus on your swimming
As triathletes, we’re lucky enough to have three sports to choose from when it comes to training and while running or cycling in the dark aren’t always enticing options, there’s no such issue when it comes to swimming.
Planning a training block with increased swimming complemented by maintenance rides and runs will give you time to focus on your technique in the pool as well as improving overall cardiovascular fitness.
Lay out your kit
Getting kit ready for the next morning’s session is not only saves time, it makes a mental commitment to get your workout done. By preparing the night before, you can also avoid trying to find gear with a slow, sleep-addled mind and ensure you don’t disturb other family members in your search for your favourite pair of running socks or jersey.
Get your pain cave in order
The only thing less tempting than having to sit on the indoor trainer for a bike session is having to get the trainer set up in the first place! If you’ve got the room for it, keeping your bike on the trainer makes everything so much easier and removes another hurdle from getting training done. Add in a poster of Kona or your tri-nemesis for your winter motivation plus a conveniently placed table to prop a phone, tablet or laptop and the minutes will fly by courtesy of YouTube or Zwift.
Cross training
Winter training is usually about maintaining fitness well ahead of any upcoming races, so you can free yourself from the specificity of swim, bike and run and try some other activities.
You might like the idea of feeling the burn in a gym class, trying some cross-country skiing or hitting the local climbing wall for a workout that’ll test your core and put your swimming strength into perspective! Anything that gets you enthused about exercise and burning some calories is fair game as cross training – and far better than doing nothing.
Enter an event
Nothing will provide more winter motivation than the emotional and financial investment in committing to an event. Whether it’s a new distance you’re a little scared of or the search for improvement over last year’s results, getting entered means you simply have to train if you want to reach your goals.
Try a sunrise alarm clock
In summer, light streaming in through the bedroom window helps rouse you naturally – in winter, it’s another story. If you really struggle to get yourself up in the dark, consider investing in a sunrise alarm clock. These typically begin to glow about 30-minutes before your alarm time, gradually growing in brightness to simulate the summer sun and rouse you more naturally from your slumber.
If you don’t want to fork out for a new clock right away, there are several iOS and Android apps the provide similar effects – just search ‘sunrise alarm’ on your favourite app store.
Run on a treadmill
Winter’s not just a time for indoor cycling, but indoor running too. Getting on a treadmill is a great way to maintain running fitness but also has its own unique benefits. The lower impact of a treadmill means high-intensity workouts don’t punish the legs like running on the road while speed control gives you the chance to practise an efficient, high-cadence stride.
You can also simulate gradual inclines, helping to strengthen calves as well as promote a mid/forefoot landing. Finally, a treadmill gives you the chance to hone your mental game – the focus needed to run indoors for extended periods will serve you well on the race course.
Invest in good kit
Having good-quality kit that keeps you warm, dry and visible really makes a difference to the palatability of training over winter. Layering up helps avoid frigid muscles from getting injured while also lessening the chances of catching a cold, which could seriously set your training back. Having a high-performance waterproof in your arsenal also removes a big excuse not to train when the heavens open while a head-torch can be your best friend for winter running.
Weight training
Strength and conditioning sessions aren’t just essential workouts to support your swim, bike and run routines, but also a legitimate way to complete a session while staying indoors! You needn’t join a gym – employing a selection of bodyweight exercises such as single-leg squats, calf raises, side-leg raises, glute bridges, planks and abdominal crunches will help provide all-over strength for swimming, cycling and running. Ensure a good warm-up beforehand and stretch off after to make the most of the session.
Go on a training camp
Yes, this one’s a bit of a cop-out but there’s nothing better to avoid training in the dark and cold than escaping it entirely! A winter training camp gives you the chance to make the most of long training days and sessions that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to do as well as giving yourself a vitamin D boost and a stress-reducing holiday all in one.
The other huge benefit is that having the training camp on the calendar provides great winter motivation to train beforehand so that you make the most of your time in the sun when you get there.
