Tales in Triathlon
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George Papadakos - Tales in Triathlon
Happy New Year!!! I wish you all a rich and prosperous 2015, and one that is filled with everything your dreams are made of.
The one thing I dislike about the beginning of a new year are all the magazine ads you see at every single grocery counter. You know the ones saying "get these abs in 30 days", "melt away tummy fat", "new you in just 30 days". It is what I call a crock of you know what. There is only one thing that will get you what you want and its called "HARD WORK".
I quite often hear "I wish I could swim like that", or "I wish I was 30 pounds lighter" and so on and so on. Those god-like creatures that you see gracing magazines, TV screens, triathlon podiums and beaches everywhere have simply done one thing, worked hard for it.
But besides working hard for your goals you also need to know where you are going, before you can get there. By creating a plan that is tailored to what you want to achieve fitness wise, will help keep you on track when the novelty of the new year has passed, and motivation is no longer around to help get you out of bed in the morning.
A great way of adding a little inspiration to your daily routine, and to give your training some meaning is to sign up for a race of any sort. There are so many races to choose from nowadays, whether it be a 5 km run or a marathon.
Tough Mudders and Spartan races are extreme and challenging, not only physically but mentally as well. When I first decided to get into triathlon I choose the 70.3 mile distance to give me a large goal to push me through my perceived limitations.
You doesn't have to have a race at the end of it. If your goal is to honestly lose weight and get that six pack, build muscle, lose those love handles (I don't love mine), then get planning.
Take a look at your week and pencil in work, kids, kids extracurricular activities, engagements and family time. Whatever is left, is YOU time. I personally like to train before the sun comes up as it gives me a charge for the rest of the day, and it's not usually a time that my family cares that I'm leaving.
Make training a priority, and make sure your family knows that as well. Having a schedule of planned workouts keeps you committed and the family in the loop too. During the summer months when my training gets intense, my weekly schedule goes on the fridge so that wifey knows what I'm doing and when I'll be unavailable.
Seek out people that are fit, or have achieved what you want. They have tips and secrets that are worth thousands of dollars, and will save you time and help you achieve your goals faster.
I swim under the watchful eye of Roman Ramirez a great coach that knows what I need to be successful. I run with accomplished runners, and go out for long hauls on the bike with my man Drew Quarrie.
It's nice to have someone to train with, and they also keep you accountable.
When things go awry, and they always do, don't fret. When a scheduled workout is missed keep to the next days regimen. In my experience I have missed workouts, and then tried to make them up the next day when it was already full with a training load.
This is a recipe for disaster, especially if you're not ready for that amount of work. Worst case scenario you get sick and end up missing a week with a flu or because you're too sore to train.
And probably the best tip that I can give to you, is to always give it your all. Remember your time and money and effort work together so don't waste any of them. Push the workout as hard as you can, and those results will come, along with the satisfaction of getting there.
Until I see you at the start line, train safe and have fun!