getting over the winter slump

As athletes in the pacific northwest, winter isn’t always the easiest. August and September are filled with beautiful colors, long nights, and early mornings that perfectly compliment the busy triathlete’s training schedules. As soon as October rolls around, things get a little brisker, and by November you can’t live without having some smart wool socks constantly on your feet. Pumpkin-spice-flavored everything arrives in Trader Joes, but with that comes rain, snow, and darkness. This makes for less than ideal training conditions and if you’re anything like me, it’s so hard to get out on your bike when you know the biting cold is going to eat your toes alive.

For me I have never loved winter training. I always get frustrated when my favorite running trails are closed due to snow, and the days are so short that evening runs are out of the question. Even recovery times seem to slow down with less circulation, and did I mention, constantly cold feet? Logging hours onto a trainer gets old pretty darn quick (within the first two minutes if you share the attention span of 3-month-old puppy like I do). So enough complaining, but you get the gist; winter training can lead to loss of motivation and frustration. This year, I have been determined to find some ways to get around this motivation loss so here’s a few pointers to keep you sane this winter:

1) Focus on your goals. When racing season is so far away it’s hard to want to put in work. If you’re having a hard time getting your butt off the couch in the morning, just think “what is my competition doing? Are they bundling up to go for a chilly run right now?” Keep your eyes on the prize and remember that the tanner, warmer you will be thankful when it’s mid-summer and you have already put in the training hours for a faster season.

2) Focus on strength. Now is the time to be building a base, working on power, and prevent injuries. Take advantage of the time away from racing and work on fixing imbalances and weaknesses. Personally, I’ve been focusing on consistent core strength as well as glute activation and hip stability.

3) Shake it up. Again, focus your energy on something new and exciting while you don’t always need to be thinking about a race on the weekend. Take a couple of days a week to enjoy what you normally don’t have time for during race season. Go to yoga, sign up for that CrossFit class you’ve been thinking about, or go skiing (for real go skiing, that’s the best option.)

4) Relax a little bit. This is something I know I need to be better about. Take time to enjoy the off-season. Put in work, but don’t freak out if you miss a workout because that’s what this time of year is for. Enjoy time with family and friends because relationships are what matter most. Keep a balanced diet, but enjoy yourself at Christmas parties because YOLO.

5) Drink coffee. Ok final piece of advice, coffee is your friend. What brings me a little happiness every morning? Coffee. What warms me up from a cold run without fail? Coffee. What makes the world go ‘round? Probably coffee. What am I sipping on right now? That’s right, coffee. Treat yo-self am I right or am I right?

Hopefully this can help you a little bit this winter, getting over that winter slump and getting into action!