The European triathlon season is coming to a close. So what do you do?
It’s not time to shelve your kit completely though… Some of the best training sessions we’ve had have been in the fall. The weather might be wet, but it’s not too cold. The water may be choppy, but it’s actually relatively warm. The best part? All the weekend warriors will have been packed up for weeks so the trails, roads and lanes will be almost all yours for the taking!
Great! But, the mornings are getting later and the evenings are getting darker, so what do you do?
Get the right kit
Having the right kit that keeps your relatively warm and dry is obviously pretty paramount to you wanting to get back outside in the sodden October mornings. And it’s different for everyone. One of our TriPals pretty much wears a t-shirt year round. She’s crazy, but, she’s comfortable! So don’t overspend on the latest marketing hype from every other page in a tri mag. Get what you NEED, not what you WANT and be done with the rest. Some things that have helped us:
- Neoprene shoe covers for the bike – nothing worse than cold toes in the winter!
- Trail running shoes – we do a lot of sessions out on the muddy hills around us. Having that extra bit of grip can be the difference between fun and fu@&ed 😀
- Wind / rain proof – something lightweight you can shove in a backpack so if you are out on a long ride or run, you’re covered for the homeward bound leg
- Headband – ok so not wanting to return to the 80’s and 90’s completely but we found on those bitter cold mornings, something wrapping our ears up and stopping the biting cold winds from piercing your brain was actually pretty helpful- and we had less earache afterwards
- Lights – a simple head torch will keep you going and keep others from crashing into you. Last year at Christmas I also received some flashing laces which were pretty effective at keeping people the heck away from me 😀, though I’m still not sure if that’s because they could see me or didn’t want to be near me!
So now you’re all kitted out (by the way; that’s just stuff that’s helpful…it’s not an extensive list 😀), what about training?
Training with a pal, a TriPal if you will, will help get your backside off the sofa this off season. It’s that extra bit of motivation you need just when the rain is kicking it down!
But… before you set your training plan, have a think about what events you want to do next year. What distance do you want to achieve? Are they hilly or flat? Is it a pool or sea swim? Off road or smooth? These are all the things you need to think about which will help you set your training along on the right path.
Now that your events are selected. Get on with it. It’s pretty much that simple. Remember each week that passes that you don’t train, he harder it’s going to be next spring. So, take the autumn and winter seasons to build up your base. Strengthens your core. Do some drills. Get ready to explode out of the blocks come your first race next spring.
Sounds simple. But what else?
Don’t forget that just because it’s getting a bit cooler and a bit wetter it doesn’t mean that events are over for the year! There are plenty of running and cycling events either solo or duathlons for example, that can keep the mojo alive. For me, one area I want to improve greatly is my running, so, last weekend we partook in a great 10km cross country event. And did surprisingly well! My point? There’s plenty of events out there that don’t cost the earth that can keep you going this winter. If in doubt, find a local park run. It’s free and they couldn’t be more welcoming to all abilities.
So, my brain download summary? There’s lots of opportunity to get out there and enjoy it. So god walk out the door. Don’t turn around now…. Have Fun!