Triathlon2Win

Are you considering booking in your next or even your first triathlon? I can recommend visiting the www.trifinder.co.uk website to find out the latest upcoming triathlon events in your local area. Or visit www.trimapper.com for global events. Here in the UK, I must say we are spoilt for choice. We really are in the middle of the triathlon season with still plenty of triathlons taking place over the next two months. Some of the popular ones are of course already booked out, but there are plenty of the smaller, local events to keep you entertained.

I have no triathlon booked into my calendar at the moment and I’m sitting here asking myself why not? I do have a reasonable excuse, as I’m injured. I sprained my ankle last week playing touch rugby. It was no-one’s fault – well apart from the uneven grass surface at Regents Park. I just happened to be running down the sideline chasing my team mate with the ball when all of a sudden my right foot decided to roll over, causing me to slide and hit the ground in a sorry heap. A visit to A&E the next morning for an Xray highlighted no fracture and only a bad sprain.

I’m certain I’ll be fine in a couple of weeks time, but what other excuses will I have then. No doubt the following statements will be going through my head:

- The race I had my eye on is booked out.
- My training buddy can’t make the same race.
- I haven’t trained for weeks.
- I am not fit enough.
- Summer is over.
- I am going away on holiday instead.

I’m not ready to commit to my next race yet. I’m sticking with my injury excuse for the moment. When I am ready, I know what I have to do to make it happen. Otherwise, procrastination kicks in and before you know it the season is over and another year disappears. The question is how can we break this procrastination cycle and start achieving our goals, like competing in one more triathlon before the year end.

The first is to write it down on paper. This is a key starting process of formulating any plan. Then tell your friends what you want to achieve. From there, everything is pulled together by focusing on the end goal. All of a sudden you will have a triathlon date booked in the calendar. Your motivation will spring back and training will be in full stride and before you know it the triathlon event will happen.

Don’t forgot to put a reward in place after you have achieved the goal. Book in a holiday for a job well done.