Becoming super fit or setting a personal record in your next triathlon requires more than a set of training goals and good intentions. It also requires a mindset and a manageable schedule that gives you the best chance for success.
You already have a busy schedule filled with work and family obligations. Before you pile on more, you have to change how you use your time and strip out all the unnecessary habits that might be bogging you down.
More: How to Balance Your Training Volume
Close the gap between where you are and where you want to go by eliminating beliefs and habits that don't support your goals. We all have them. Stripping them out of your life is necessary. And for most of us, real change is difficult.
Your challenge is to identify and replace them with new ones in order to transform your life and become the person (or athlete) that you've always aspired to be. First, identify the limiting beliefs and habits that you're still carrying around.
More: 3 Rules to Ramp Up Your Training
Here are a few of the most common disempowering habits/beliefs that could be holding you back:
1. The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: If you think you have limits you have them. It won't matter how many hours a week you train or how diligent you are about proper nutrition. If you believe you were destined to be fat and slow then you're right. You can't out run what you think of yourself.
2. Goal Obsession: It can be easy to lose sight of a larger, more important purpose when you become obsessed with a single goal. Perhaps, your goal is to qualify for the World Championships in Kona. Make sure meeting that goal doesn't trump your larger purpose.
For example, if you took up triathlon to be a role model for your children, only to become so consumed with training that you ignore them, then you've defeated your larger purpose.
3. Win at All Costs: Ranking your upcoming races based on priority will help you avoid burnout and falling into the over competitive trap.
Triathlon racing at any distance is mentally and physically demanding. Evaluate your upcoming races and designate some as training days and others for a loftier goal.
