Strategies to Stay Motivated as a Triathlete
“How do I keep motivated when it gets really hard?”
That questions sums up the most common and difficult struggle for every triathlete!
The race itself is hard… Three distinct consecutive races wrapped up in one competition.
The swim brings about a unique set of mentally challenging circumstances as you battle for positioning, deal with choppy, cold waters, try to lock into a strong comfortable pace while dealing with the buildup lactic acid.
If swimming is not your strong suit, you may have to navigate through anxiety as well as the field in front of you.
Transitioning to the bike after a tiring swim is mentally hard as well as you try to get into a rhythm, hydrate, conserve energy, while still cranking on the pedals. Watching other cyclists pass can cause you to question why you participate in triathlons in the first place.
Then comes the run… pushing the pace when you are physically and mentally exhausted, wondering if you will actually even finish the race. Your body getting tense, legs feeling rubbery and dealing with the physical discomfort magnify the challenges to both your body and mind.
Those are just the challenges you need to overcome during a race.
Think of all the challenges when it comes to training:
- Injuries
- Finding the time to train
- Boredom
- Illnesses
- Pushing past discomfort
- The battle of not wanting to train at all
How is it possible to stay MOTIVATED with all these physical and mental challenges?
There are a number of different strategies triathletes utilize to sustain motivation:
- Goal Charts
- Self-Rewards
- Read motivational or inspiring stories about athletes
- Quote books
- Visualizing Success
- Training Partners
- Goal Buddies
The important thing is that you find your motivation and find methods of motivation that are effective for YOU.
Think of motivation as the gas that fuels your car… It doesn’t magically appear. You need to fill your tank in order to get to where you want to go.
If the journey is long and rough, you will need to fill the tank more often.
Without motivation, you will putter around and eventually stall.
Australian Triathlete Grace Musgrove, who has battled some injuries during her career, has a meaningful strategy to sustain her motivation.
MUSGROVE: “I always have short and long term goals written down. If I am ever struggling to get through a certain period of training or if things aren’t going my way, I have those goals to remind me and keep me inspired.”
Motivation is personal.
So, what inspires you? Why do you compete in triathlons?
If you fill your tank on a daily basis, you will be able to sustain motivation over the long haul.
Motivation Tip When Things Get Hard:
Make sure you have a clearly stated goal for this triathlon season and write that goal down somewhere so you can read it when needed.
For daily motivation, summarize that goal with 1-3 key words.
Write those cue words on your swimming paddles, arm, a piece of tape on your bike or anywhere to keep your goals in the forefront of your mind.
Divert your mental energies away from the difficulties you experience and stay focused on what truly matters… Your GOALS!
Triathlete Confidence Workbook Program!
If you are read to improve your mental toughness and perform with ultimate self-confidence in races, “Triathlete Confidence” will do just that.
Dr. Patrick Cohn and Andre Bekker (formerly ranked #1 in age category 50+ for 70.3 distance) share powerful metnal strategies to elp you perfrom your best in races.
“Triathlete Confidence: Mental Toughness Training For Peak Performance in Racing” is a complete workbook program of the TOP eight mental training sessions we teach our triathletes to help them boost racers’ mental game and improve consistency – from how to mentally prepare for races to performing under pressure with mental toughness.