Beating Back the Winter Blues – How to stay motivated when the temps drop and the days are short

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Beating Back the Winter Blues – How to stay motivated when the temps drop and the days are short

Date: 01/02/2011

Category: Training Tags: motivation

For many athletes, the holiday season is the toughest time of year. The temptations are many and the races are few, and it’s all too easy to roll over in bed on a cold morning instead of heading out the door. We can almost feel our hard-earned fitness leaking away. And the weather isn’t the worst part of it; often the worst culprit is the lack of motivation. Here are a few ways to get back on track.

Take A Break. When you really don’t feel like training, sometimes the best thing to do is to just let it go for a week or two. There’s an old line that goes “you can’t miss me ‘til I go away.” That’s certainly true here. If you take a break now, guilt-free, you’ll come back stronger and more motivated than ever. That’s why they call this the off-season, remember?

Try Something Different. You might find that you’re not really tired of training; you just need a break from your regular routine. Winter is the perfect time to try new ways to stay fit. Take a kickboxing class, try cross-country skiing, or go for a hike. A change in your routine will help you keep a lot of your fitness while recharging your mental batteries.

Be Creative. When the weather is demoralizing, it’s time to find new ways to break a sweat. When snow hits the ground, surprise your neighbors and shovel the whole block or dig out a few cars. Everyone will think you’re a helluva pal, and you’ll get in a total body workout. Or do repeats in an stairwell or underground parking garage ramp.

Appreciate What You’ve Accomplished. Too often we’re so busy getting ready for our next race that we don’t take the time to look back on what we’ve done. Reviewing your own 2010 racing and training highlight reel will leave you wondering what 2011 will have in store for you.

Look Ahead. Thinking of past glory is fun, but planning for the future is better. Map out your race schedule, and think about what you could change to improve on your past performances. Is it time to upgrade your gear? Or should you try a new training technique? Plan on making at least one change in 2011.

Jeff Horowitz

Jeff first fell in love with endurance sport almost a quarter century ago, when he chose the Marine Corps Marathon as his first race. Since then, he's run over 150 marathons, including at least one in every state and on 6 continents, including Antarctica. He's also taken up ultramarathoning and long distance cycling. His swimming is a work in progress; it took him a while to realize that when people said he swims like a runner, it wasn't a compliment. Jeff is the author of "My First 100 Marathons: 2,620 Miles With An Obsessive Runner (Skyhorse Press, 2008) and is the Mid-Atlantic editor of Competitor Magazine, He is a coach and personal trainer, certified by USAT, USATF, RRCA, USA Cycling, and AFAA. He also is a member of the Clif Bar Pace Team, and loves being a brand ambassador for The Nations Tri and the Washington DC Triathlon.

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Cristina
Posts: 5

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Reply #5 on : Fri September 14, 2012, 05:28:21

about our breed of athlete. We are inenste, and we are inenste for a reason. Like someone in a recent post commented, we are inenste because we have full lives and if i am going to take the time to train, I am going to train to be the best me I can be. Having said that, there is not a better group of people to be around. I have raced in multiple tri's and multiple running events, and the tri people are by far the friendliest. Race day at a tri is the most fun I have ever had in any athletic event, including my first marathon.so whats important?:1. know the rules, nothing on this earth frustrates us triathletes than somebody who doesnt know the rules. Riding on the right means, all the way to the right, not the right side of the middle. 2. All the runners on here who say having a fast bike leg will make you finish faster are dead wrong. A fast bike leg means absolutely nothing if you used all your energy to produce a fast bike split. In the end your run will pay for it. Look at the pro's who have these phenom bike splits, and still lose the race because they blew all their energy on the bike. Its all about finding a pace you can hold. Go out on your bike, find a good pace, fast but not mind blowing, and hold it. 3. Bricks, bricks, bricks. Nothing is as vital as stacking your discipline workouts. Bike your distance then run your distance immediately after, its a great race prep. Plus it gives you a chance to feel what its like to come off the bike and still try to run your pace. 4. Have fun!! I have been a part of so many different sports, and none of them have ever been as much fun as a triathlon. It is a huge accomplishment to finish one, and it is a blast doing it!! Enjoy

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Posts: 5

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Louisa
Posts: 5

winter blues
Reply #2 on : Thu January 06, 2011, 20:59:52

How timely!! This is exactly what I need to hear. I was just asking a friend how he stays motivated. Taking time off was getting me antsy and worried. Now I try to catch that desire to run when it flits by and I just go do it. I've managed 13 miles in two weeks.

Lindsey
Posts: 5

Re:
Reply #1 on : Tue January 04, 2011, 16:00:57

This is so fun that y'all have made a blog. Can't wait to hear tri advice from all of you!

Side note: beating back *my* form of winter blues today was made harder by choosing to wear a shirt that has been RIGHT next to my wetsuit for a while!!! I smell like a wetsuit and it's making me ache to go out and race!