If you’re like me you sometimes have trouble sticking to your training plans. Life gets in the way. You get sick, you have to work late, your girlfriend has a huge family with some function you have to go to every few weeks, etc. These things aren’t bad things, they add up to normal life. They can destroy your training plan if you let it though. I have found a few strategies to help keep on track.
Personal Challenges
One way to help stay on track is to create some sort of personal challenge. Give your self something to shoot for and setup a reward at the end of it that you only get if you complete the challenge.
This has to be a significant challenge. This has to be something that you couldn’t just go do at the start of your training. It needs to be something that you will get a lot of personal satisfaction out of completing.
You can challenge your self to ride 5000 miles this year or complete 500,000 feet of climbing like this guy.
Your challenge has to be big but also attainable. Your challenge also has to put you in a position to improve your fitness or ability in some way.
If you complete your challenge then you will be on track with your training and you can have your reward. You will want to have someone else keep track of your reward and make sure it is someone that will not give in to your begging and will only allow you to have it if you earn it.
Your reward could be as big as a vacation you have always wanted to take or some thing like a new mountain bike. What ever it is just has to be motivating enough to keep you wanting it.
Goal Setting
Goal setting can help you stay on track with your training as well as your personal challenge. You just have to know how to do it.
You want to set several goals. You want to set shorter term goals that you can easily accomplish with a little work and dedication.
So lets say your personal challenge is to ride 5000 miles in a year and if you finish it you will give your self a new Specialized S-Works Road Bike. If you don’t complete the challenge you haven’t ridden enough to justify the need for the bike so you don’t get it.
Now break that down into smaller goals. You would need to ride about 96 miles per week to reach 5000 in a year. That’s not that bad at all. So that should be your weekly goal.
Some weeks you wont make it. Other weeks you will go over so it will all work out. The important thing is to keep focused on that 96 miles each week. If you ride a few nights a week and throw in a century every once in awhile or just some long weekend rides you’ll have no trouble reaching your weekly goal
The overall idea here is to find a way to break down you big goal or personal challenge into small steps that you can do every day or every week that will get you there. By doing this it will be easier to stay on track and by keeping your eye on the prize and on completing the challenge you will be more motivated and focused making it easier to reach those goals.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
will 12.10.07 at 2:00 am
Hello
Just one addition: the thing that has helped me succeed on three annual challenges - including the 500,000 feet you mentioned above, was not just breaking it down into bits, (for me it is monthly updates) - but also making it “public” by writing about it in a blog.
Maybe surprisingly - this - for me at least - was the real secret to finding the motivation to achieve challenging goals. Once the public “declaration” is made failure is a less attractive option.
And by sharing it with others - especially close friends and family - I have received endless ongoing encouragement. One doesn’t need a fancy blog or a big readership - just a place to write about it and share with those that are close.
regards
Bradly Fletchall 12.10.07 at 8:39 am
Will-
I really enjoyed looking around your site. I hope to someday make it over there to ride some of those same climbs.
Making your personal challenge public is great advise. I actually wrote Tuesday’s post right after writing Today’s post that is just that. I’m making my personal challenge public.