Perhaps I should start with an apology. I have been quiet of late, posting infrequently and lacking direction on the blog. Life has been busy and unfortunately time management is a weakness of mine. Busy is good, it largely represents the continuing success of my coaching business, more than my training at least. My season wound down with exhaustion following Epic Camp, but while ITU Long Distance Worlds remained on the horizon I felt I should keep training. I couldn’t – the motivation wasn’t there.
The race is done, it’s time to move on. Next year will be busy and I need to prepare. Plans are loose and objectives vague – I roughly know what I want to achieve, but haven’t considered how I’ll get there. Foremost in my mind is some return to form. I’d like to put the mediocrity of this season’s racing behind me. I prioritised work, but the cost to my performance was a disappointment. I want to do better.
It would be naive to think I can simply switch back to racing well, as if I chose not to do my best. Results came from fitness and fitness from training or a lack there of. I have trained less this year than in any of the previous three; a shift in focus allowed me to improve as a cyclist and still wear myself down. There’s an interesting topic for a future post – how I trashed myself on fewer hours. My priority was work, but my problem wasn’t a lack of free time, it was how I used it. Time management again.
Work has worked, the coaching business is a success. I’m pleased with my achievements so far, but there’s more I want to do. Eighteen months ago I returned to the UK with the idea of starting a lifestyle business to support me as an athlete. That idea is over. While racing is fun it doesn’t pay the bills. I want more. I reached a point that can sustain my lifestyle months ago and my thoughts turned to how I can take things further; at its core is the desire to be a great coach and offer great products. Just as I have set myself performance goals as an athlete I am considering them as a coach.
So next year I want to perform better in races and in business, while confessing to time management issues. Which is why it’s time for a clean slate, planning everything from the ground up. Training plans are easy, business development harder, but my biggest challenge will be acting on whatever I plan. There’s much I want to achieve and my success metrics just got a lot more complex than a result sheet or bank balance.
In respect of my original apology – this blog will be focussed on training over the winter months. Expect more interesting and varied content!
