Do you feel like maybe you have hit a slump? Feeling burnout on training? Do any of these sound familiar?

• “I don’t want to wake up early to get my workout in”
• “I’m not recovering like I use to” 
• “I don’t feel like jumping in the pool today”
• “I’m having an “off day” or “bad day” and don’t feel like working out”
• And so on…

You are not alone if you are feeling like this or having any similar feelings with mid-season burnout and staleness. Here are some suggestions to continue with training while recharging your battery both physically and mentally so that you can reach your goals for the season! Most often we just need to mix things up and get outside of our routine.

Shake up Your Swims:

• Swim at a different pool or swim in open water. You can oftentimes do drop-in fees at any pool. If you swim in a 25-yard pool change to a 25-meter or 50-meter pool.
• Swim with a friend or try a master’s swim group. This is a great way to interact with others and the pool and pushes yourself outside your comfort zone.
• Show up to the pool with a focus and a set intention for the swim workout. Maybe it’s to practice technique and form, or flip turns and streamlining. It doesn’t have to be to get faster and shouldn’t be something that puts pressure on yourself.

Mix up Your Bike Rides:

• Swap out your triathlon bike for a road, mountain, or cross bike. Then go out and ride different terrain and change up the scenery. Hills, trails, gravel roads, whatever sounds fun mix it up!
• If you typically ride indoors then take the ride outside and enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and passing scenery.
• Drop in on a group ride or plan a ride with a friend and pick a fun destination. 

Change up Your Run Workouts:

• Take your run to the trails. While trail running, don’t worry about your pace (especially if hilly terrain) and be OK with walking any steep or technical sections.
• Drop in on a running club or run group in your local area.
• Throw in a 5k, 10k, or even half-marathon on the weekend instead of your normal training run. If you had a big volume week of training don’t expect to PR. The goal of a race thrown into training is simply to see what you can do and mix up the training. Think of it as your workout supported and with your closest 100 friends.

Do something different on the weekend:

• Read a book or catch up on your favorite TV series.
• Take a nap.
• Go for coffee instead of an early morning workout and then do your workout after.

If you can’t keep your enjoyment and motivation for training during the season then you really can’t expect the race to go well and expectations may need to be altered. If you are worried that altering your schedule will negatively impact your fitness too much then choose to do any of the alternate workouts during your recovery week. The goal is to shake the burnout and staleness. Then when you ramp up the volume you are excited to be doing so!

Happy training!

–Coach Carly