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How to Plan Your 2015 Season...

Sunday, 01 February 2015 00:10

By Susan Kitchen (triathlon.competitor.com)

It’s cold and dreary outside, the holiday festivities are over, and it’s time to get back to work. Welcome to January! Whether your self-discipline fell by the wayside in December or you’re just feeling the winter blahs, you need something to jump-start the triathlete lying dormant deep inside of you.

Let’s start with making a list of your 2015 goals, accomplishments that you believe are 60 percent achievable. This would be a dream goal that you would love to achieve but fear of failure is standing in the way. Now, go ahead, write them down on a 3”x 5” note card or piece of paper and tape this to your bathroom mirror. On my note card, I’ve broken my goals into personal, professional, spiritual, and of course physical/performance.

Whatever your athletic goal is — setting a PR, climbing the age-group ladder, improving your swim, bike or run time, overcoming a fear of open water, or finishing your first triathlon — the best way to achieve it is to plan your 2015 race schedule. Identify a few challenging races that pique your interest and sound fun. This will spur you along, get you out of bed and motivate you to join that masters swim, morning run or weekend group ride. Seeing your goal twice a day as you brush your teeth will also help you keep it in focus....

Define your Distance

Which races to sign up for? First, decide what distance you want to focus on this year. If you’re new to triathlon, start with a sprint distance. If you have an endurance background, then you might enjoy an Olympic-distance triathlon. Perhaps you want to improve in the 70.3 distance?  In that case, start with a few spring duathlons and an Olympic-distance triathlon or two, and by late spring/early summer, you’ll be ready to race your first of several long-distance races. READ MORE