Not quite reached your goals in 2018? Or maybe your fitness has shifted towards the end of the year due to injuries, work, life getting in the way. We all go through this at some point or another, so we’ve compiled a list of ways to get you back on track and hit your 2019 goals.
You might have just missed out on your 2018 goals by a few minutes at a sportive, maybe you didn’t quite make a time trial cut off, or your enduro time was back from where you want it to be. You’ve stopped your Garmin and your strava doesn’t quite reflect the work you felt you put in.
It’s easy to let the doom and gloom set in, beat yourself up and get disheartened and disappointed. Well don’t let that happen! You can hit the reset switch and go again with these tactics to get your back on track towards the 2019 goals.
Register for the next best thing:
Pick a new goal. Many studies have shown that we’re far more productive when we’re working towards something. If there’s an end goal it’s much more likely to get you out of the door and back on track. Whether it’s a big summer sportive, or a smaller, short term goal. You need the challenge. And don’t be afraid of signing up to something big! The best way to move on is to replace what you’ve lost.
Pick a race or event that will suit you. Both in the type of course, length of route and time in the diary. Run it past the significant other, and get yourself locked in. It doesn’t have to be a long time away, it could be quite soon!
— TOP REASONS TO JOIN YOUR LOCAL CYCLING CLUB —
Set your goalposts:
This is an important one, setting the goals will keep you on track and moving forward. There are three types of goals you should be working towards. Process, outcome and performance, and a good programme will include all three. This will give you the best possible chance of reaching them. So what does each one mean?
Process:
These are the short term goals that make up the process you’ll undertake to get to where you want to be. Day in, day out, you tick off these goals to keep moving forward. Whether they’re making sure you hit the numbers in a session, or resting properly afterwards, they’re all important. Maybe you evening include more stretching and S&C in your routine. Process goals will be backed up by performance goals to make sure you’re keeping on track. Process don’t necessarily have to be fitness based, you can include technique and drills into your work.
— HOW TO STAY HYDRATED ON THE BIKE —
Performance:
Performance goals evolve around racing. Whether you attack a Strava Segment, look for a power increase, or just race your mates to the top of the hill. Performance goals are the measurement that shows whether the process goals are working. Pick an area you want to improve, and measure it.
Outcome:
Outcome goals are the big day, the event you’ve signed up for, the big 2019 goals. What you wanted to achieve in the first place. By working back from this you’ll be able to determine your process and performance goals. But it’s important to never lose sight of the outcome goal as it will act as the main motivator.
Be Consistent:
There’s no use setting yourself these goals and targets but then forgetting about them on day 3. Or training super hard for 3 weeks, then getting fat for 4. Consistency is the king of improvement. You don’t have to train every day, but you need to make sure you have consistency in your training. Because this will add up to give you the most improvements.
If you’re not consistent it’s easy to fall behind and get frustrated. It’s much better to do 4 sessions every week until the event, than do a few weeks of 7 sessions and a few weeks off. Keep at it, it’ll pay off!
— AVOIDING COMMON TRAINING MISTAKES —
Be Flexible:
Understand that your goals might change. Something could crop up in the office at work, or you might end up getting into the swing of it and being further ahead than you expect. This is ok. You have to understand that your goals may change as you move forward, depending on what life throws at you. By keeping the focus, and allowing for flexibility you’ll avoid any frustrations that may put you off the training.
Also sometimes the sessions will change depending on your daily routine, so make sure you allow for this. Your 11am meeting might be moved to 9, so the turbo could be pushed to 7pm when you’re out of the office. But because you’re tired you only manage half of the time. That’s better than not doing the session! So keep that in mind, be flexible, you’ll thank yourself.
Use the Technology Available:
It’s the 21st century, there are a whole range of different apps and products that can really help what you’re trying to achieve. Even if you just watch a youtube video on technique once a week, or check your Strava to see if you’ve had a sudden increase in mileage, these things will help you move forward.
Power meters are a fantastic way of measuring form and fitness towards your 2019 goals. They’re independent of weather conditions so you’ll know exactly how you’re performing and learn to manage your effort much better. They synchronise really easily through ANT+ and Bluetooth to your devices, and you won’t even notice they’re there.
— WHY YOU SHOULD TRAIN WITH POWER —
Training Peaks, Garmin Connect and Strava are fantastic apps for managing training load. With training peaks being the most elite way of managing training, the others still offer a great insight for you to track your consistency. If numbers make you tick, it’s worth using the apps to measure them!
Get a cycle computer. Whether you use a Garmin Edge, a Giant NeoTrack or a Wahoo, these will offer levels of insight you didn’t have before. Heart rate, pace, routes, fitness levels, aerobic capacity. These can be fantastic to keep you on track through the training, and they can even keep your loved ones notified of where you’re up to!
Don’t Beat Yourself Up:
Possibly one of the most important things to remember when you’re trying to achieve your 2019 goals. Don’t let negative thoughts creep in when you’re planning and training for your event. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way, but a bad session doesn’t define a bad athlete. With good planning, a positive attitude and some sensible training, we’re sure you’ll smash your new goals!
