Success Part 1

Success is a tough one because success is defined by the individual but often times we can get caught up and measure success by how others view us and how we compete with others. While competition is great and it is fun and healthy I don't think it should be the main focus, especially if training and racing is not your job.

Here are my top 3 tips for success with your training and racing.

#1 Consistency- This really should be the first 3 tips which is why it is my #1 tip. There is definitely some individuals out there that are gifted.

There is no magic pill or plan that will get you to your goal any faster than consistency will. No matter if you have an online plan or the best coach in the world if you are inconsistent, miss workouts and simply do not put the time in you will always fall short of your true potential and you will have a roller coaster ride in both training and racing and more susceptible to injury and sickness. Being consistent not only in workouts but in sleep habits, nutrition, strength training all play a part in consistency and the rate at which an athletes fitness grows and how successful they become over time. Consistency allows the body to recover faster and stay healthier. We all see people who are very successful and think wow I wish I could be like them, they are so lucky. They are not lucky, they are dedicated and consistent and put in the time. If they are on vacation they still make it a point to get some kind of workout in. They still maintain their consistent eating and sleeping habits. There's no luck about it. They consistently work their asses off for their goals!

#2 Goals- Setting goals makes things real. Did you ever have a project at work that you were assigned and not given the outcome goal for it? That would be a waste of time. Set goals! Setting goals makes things more tangible and gives you a reason to really start working towards that. While just finishing a race is a great goal. It is something we all aspire to do especially in a first time race. I also thing having a more defined goal helps us succeed as well. Most athletes who come to me with goals say I want to be faster, or I want to be stronger. What does that mean? How are you going to define that and measure it. A better goal would be I want to finish a half marathon in two hours. That is a much more granular goal and the focus can become more specific. Also if a workout is missed we are more likely not to let it happen again because we have a specific time goal in mind instead of just finishing.

#3 Nutrition- My rule is you can not out train poor nutrition. You can have put in all the work physically but if your nutritional habits are sub par chances are your going to have issues on race day and you open yourself up to higher chances of injuries, poor recovery, poor sleep.

Great nutrition is not only to be worked on during training but even more important is before and after workouts. Getting quality food in before a workout helps fuel you through that workout. Quality food choices after a workout helps you recover faster and a higher chance of going into the next days workout with energy.

Track your calories on your workouts. How much did you burn? Did you take in enough? What is your sweat rate? How much liquid did you take in? All of these things matter. Don't neglect these.

-It's all about the journey!

#coachray

#mindrightendurance