Goals? Next Season Starts
NOW
A Guide for Beginner (and Experienced!)
Cyclists, to the Art and Practice of Cycling. Becoming Proficient, Fit, and Happy on your bike.
The Holidays are almost upon us. This is an extremely difficult time for cyclists and other
outdoors athletes. It is also an
extremely important time.
The holiday season should be
one of joyous occasions, reunions, peaceful contemplation, and relaxation. Our society complicates this. For those who attempt athletic
pursuits, this can be a deadly time of year.
We have struggled to attain some level of fitness and expertise. The weather has closed in, and the days
have grown shorter. That’s enough
of a challenge. Now comes the
distractions of the season… Along
with copious amounts of very rich food.
All of which build ot a fever pitch, and then leave us. That’s
right. The holidays end. And worse, the end just as full Winter sets in. We tend to find ourselves facing the
grey and cold, overweight, out of shape, and somewhat depressed. It’s hard to get re-motivated under
those conditions. The typical
response is to just give up, with a vague internal promise that, “I’ll get on the bike when it gets a
bit better outside.” Or, “I’ll do some workout stuff at the
gym…. Maybe.” You know. All the New Year’s Resolution stuff.
What follows is a solution to this
dilemma. We don’t claim that it’s
the only solution, but it works. In fact, if the opportunity is seized, this time just could lead to one of the best years of
your life.
Best of all, this solution will only take you
about an hour to get started.
Ready? Here goes!
The Three Part Solution
First: Set a GOAL!
Second: Make a Plan
Third: Accountability
First: Set a GOAL!
Humans are goal-driven, goal-seeking
creatures. Goals motivate us. We strive best to achieve when we have
a target or strong desire to motivate us. There are all kinds of goals. Some are short term, e.g. “I will say something constructive in this
meeting.” Some are a bit longer
term, such as the intention to get to Bob’s Birthday Party next month. And then there are the big, motivating
ones, involving longer intervals of time.
These are “Big Goals.”
A “Big Goal” is not vague. It’s not
something like, “Someday I’d like
to take a trip to Paris.” No,
no! A “Big Goal” is simply this… A DREAM WITH A DEADLINE!
Pick out something that really excites
you. For cyclists it just might be
riding 100 miles at once. It might
be doing that big charity event.
It might be racking up a Personal
Best in a given event. It has
to be something that turns you on, and gets your juices flowing. In other words, it has to be a DREAM.
But then comes the “Deadline” part. Pick
the date. The event might be an
annual one. So you already know
when it will run. If it’s an
individual accomplishment, set the date yourself. Mark it down on your personal calendar. And then… (here comes the really really hard
part. Are you ready?) …Write the check! That’s
right. Commit to it. And no
commitment is more committed than putting your money down.
The event isn’t set up to take an entry fee
yet? Doesn’t matter. You know
about how much it will be. Write
the check and tumb-tack it to the wall over your desk. Set
the deadline!
Second: Make a Plan
Nothing happens without preparation. Set up your PLAN now. You may not
know exactly what it will take to
actually be ready to achieve your goal.
You may not know just what types
and specifics of training are going to be necessary. But you do know
that you will have to work to achieve your Dream, and that
work will take time. So get out your calendar (or your
calendar App) and schedule the
training time. You do know that your training will require
time. You can do the research, ask
the question, define the specific
actions later, but block off the time now, and start doing something with it immediately.
Third: Accountability
What does it take to hold yourself
accountable? The answer is
simple. Keep a Training Log. This is your record of what you have
done, when you have done it, how much you have done, and the day-to-day effects
and success of the actions. Your Training Log is your accountability
file. It doesn’t lie to you. It lets you know when you have skipped
a precious day of training. It
lets you know when you are doing a lot, so that you know why you are fatigued right now. Your training log is the most valuable tool you could
possibly have if you decide to consult a coach. But it’s most important function is that of holding you to
your day-to-day commitments.
Your Training
Log records your progress. It
is how you implement those intermediate goals, and short term “process goals”
that will ultimately bring you to the realization of your Big Dream.
A training log doesn’t have to be overly
complicated. It has to record the
day, date, and the activity performed.
You can use it to rate each training activity. It is your error log.
It will help you find and diagnose problems with your training. Above all, it keeps you honest and on
track.
That’s it. Do those three things.
Do them now. Then follow
through. There are a lot of
refinements, and we’ll talk about some of them in the future, but implement
those three steps and you will be well on the way to having an absolutely aamazing riding season next year.
Next Week: Coming back from Illness or
Injury
~//~
This series
began with the post on Tuesday, 19 June 2012. It is intended to continue for three years. Each week, we will discuss exercises,
skills, practices, and activities designed to bring the new (or “experienced”)
rider a high level of cycling competence.
We’ll address common problems, and (always)
stress safe practice.
~//~
A Note on Timing: This series uses Mid-June as the
starting point of the “Cyclists Year.”
We do this because this is the time that most folks decide to start
riding. If you are following this
guide, you can “adjust” the timing to fit your personal “first three
years.” Do note that some of the
posts will concern weather and seasonal changes. When that starts to happen, just swap the “months” around to
fit your personal timeline.
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