Coaching: Phew what a day!

Article from Jody Warrington at Transition Cycle Coaching on the importance of a clear head to ‘enjoy’ for that training session

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Coaching: Phew what a day!

From: Jody Warrington – Transition Cycle Coaching – www.onlinecyclecoaching.com

You’ve had a long stressful day at work, the commute home terrible, the house is a mess, the kids are playing up (again) and the other half is grumpy. But you’ve got to train, it’s that sweet spot session again and you blew up last time you tried it, but you’ve got to train.

You dash upstairs and pull your kit on, “do I really need this” you think, “yes I’ve got to train”.

And so you give an angry wave to the carnage that’s still going on around you and you jump on the bike and start with your session. Then the demons start to creep in “I really should have sorted some of that domestic mess out before I came out here, I know I’ll cut my warm up short and then I can finish early”.

You cut the warm up short and all of a sudden the first interval is upon you, uh oh, that crept up on you quick, you’re angry you’re not ready, you hit the first interval too hard, “why’s that lactate building up so quick” you think.

My heart rate’s not coming up, my power average is going down. Arrrrrrgggghhhhh, then you blow up and you’re done. Now you’re even more angry and you skulk back into the house and start blaming everyone else.

STOP!! LETS GO BACK AND START AGAIN
You’ve had a long stressful day at work, the commute home terrible, the house is a mess, the kids are playing up (again) and the other half is grumpy. But you WANT to train, it’s that sweet spot session again and you really want to nail it.

So you take some time to calm the waters, you play with kids, you do some washing up, you prep the dinner for later. “The other half seems happy tonight” you think as you sit on the end of the bed pulling on your cycling kit.

You give the family a cheery wave as you disappear off to the bike and now you can focus on that session. The head is clear, the focus is on the right now and that next 60mins. You feel good, you feel calm and the blood is starting to pump.

Now the first interval arrives and you build progressively into it, “Oh yes, I feel good today” and the minutes tick by. You visualise the upcoming season, smashing your best mate in the café sprint, nailing that TT PB or taking the win at that road race.

“Wow, I’m in the last minute of the last interval, I’ve nailed that”. You complete the session and stagger back into the house chuffed to bits. You look at your family and are thankful for the support they give you in this strange endeavour.

A small change in your habits and mind set can have a massive affect on your training. Trying to train with a head full of clutter can have a huge impact on your physical performance. Failed or missed sessions will soon mount up, if you’re not careful then all of a sudden your confidence and motivation start to wane. You become more angry and disillusioned and eventually quit the process.

They key to successful training is to fall in love with the process, and for that the training environment needs to be right. You need to enjoy the work, want to be there, be mentally in the moment. So don’t just try and rush in from work and go straight to the bike, take some time to settle yourself, clear that mental mind clutter, and then have the session of your life.

Related Article: The cold and flu mindset 

Jody Warrington – Transition Cycle Coaching – www.onlinecyclecoaching.com

 

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