The Triathlon season can be long. And once the sun moves further away, the motivation tends to go with it. Maintaining fitness in all 3 disciplines when the days are shorter is hard. And it’s typically the one that you like the least, that comes to an almost complete stop.
From my experience, the first discipline that is easy to make excuses for over the winter months, is swimming.
These are my top 5 tips - both from a coaching and athlete perspective, to keep you swimming all winter long -
Find a reliable group or swim buddy. Whether it’s a masters swim group, your triathlon training group, or even just a friend, having that consistent reason to get to the pool can be a huge help. Make sure the level of ability suits you.
Get creative with swim workouts. Personally, I love creating my swim workouts myself. Or taking old workouts and adding a touch of spice or my twist on it. If you have done regular swim workouts in the past - you have enough knowledge to make them up yourself. Swap turns with a friend making the workout.. Have fun with it. Even just regularly touching the water is better than nothing.
Hire a coach. If all else fails, a coach will make you accountable and get you to the pool. They can create workouts suited to your schedule and level of ability so you don’t have to think about it. It does require some self motivation to get yourself there - but most of the work is done for you.
Bribe yourself. Really stepping it up here with “treats”, but often, it works. We all like to reward ourselves. Give yourself a weekly goal - the number of times you will get yourself to the pool, distance covered in the week, time cycles you want to achieve. Anything. And “treat yourself” at the end of the week once you achieve your goal. Maybe it’s a nice bottle of wine, or “cheat” meal, or a day off. Make it personal and get it done.
Keep a training log. Once you SEE how consistent you are, you will continue to improve and build confidence so that alone will motivate you to keep going.
Swimming is the hardest discipline to pick up late in the season, and is harder once you are training for all 3. Being swim fit when you start the season is a huge advantage and one you will be thankful you dragged yourself to the pool for. What are you waiting for?