I’m regularly asked about this in relation to cycle training these are some of my thoughts….
As with all things one simple question is always top; ‘Why am I doing this?’
There are many possible answers but primary to these can be summed up with one word ‘goals’. Spend time thinking about these and it helps to make your goals short, medium and long term.
Everyone is different, in my case goals were always competition based. Your goals might also be an event or race, keeping fit, enjoying the countryside, being able to tackle certain terrain or simply setting a few personal best’s. Focus on these and now hopefully you have the answer to the question.
Next, set timescales to achieve your goals, it helps to write them down, refer to them regularly or keep a diary to see how you are doing. Think of this as your ‘road map’ – unless you know where you’re going, you’ll flounder round in circles and never reach your destination.
Be careful though, business guru Zig Ziglar once wrote ‘If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time’. Who do you know like that? Be imaginative, stretch yourself. We’re all capable of more than we think – much more!
Everyone has their own level, not all of us are as naturally gifted as others but being active elevates you above the average couch potato. Life wouldn’t be fun if we could do everything perfect first time, so expect to make mistakes and have failures, learn from these and find a way forward.
Go for it!