10 Tips To Being A Successful Triathlete

However, while the accumulation of training hours is part of the journey to being a good triathlete, it is only one piece of success. Having a thriving triathlon career doesn’t depend solely on how rigorous your training is, and neither is it determined by where you place on the podium.

Commitment, discipline, and doing the right things on and off-season are what make a successful triathlete.

Below, we are giving you the ten things that most successful people do. This information is based on what we’ve gathered over our years of coaching and working with our athletes.

How to Be Successful in Triathlon

Most successful triathletes are typically the same people looking to improve themselves in most areas of their life.

Over time, we all realize that what works best for one doesn’t work for everyone. And often, we learn this from trial and error over the years. But below, we’re going to speed up your learning and help you avoid the pitfalls that most triathletes experience in their journey to success.

1. Set Goals and Write Them Down

All successful people set goals, and the most successful ones write them down. Setting challenging but realistic goals is the perfect way to fuel your motivation and keep you on track when going through tough times.

Share your goals with a person you can be accountable to, like your coach, and review them daily or weekly, and revise them when necessary. It’s also crucial to make sure that your family knows about your goals and is willing to support your endeavors and the commitment required to achieve it.

By doing this, you set yourself up for success. Ensure that you give it all you can to get the exact results you desire.

2. Stick with a Workout that Works With Your Schedule.

Just because your friend workouts long on Saturday and takes a day off on Monday, doesn’t mean you also should. Create a workout routine that works with your schedule, and don’t plan your whole life around your workout routine. At Team Enduro, we can create a personalized training program structured specifically for your schedule.

3. Be Flexible

You must always give your best effort to get in all of your training program for the week. However, things can expectedly come up. While this is not an invitation to make up excuses, it is a fact that the pool can unexpectedly close, you’ll get legitimately sick, or something out of your control happens, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Adjust your workout schedule accordingly, and move forward. Flexibility is not an invitation to slack off with your training, but it’s a reminder to be adaptable to stay stress-free when things that are out of your control put your routine in disorder.

4. Prepare the Night Before

If your workout starts early in the day, prepare all the things you need the night before. By doing this, you can avoid being stressed out in the morning, showing up late, or forgetting something at home.

5. Get Enough Sleep!

Getting adequate sleep is crucial for your body’s recovery. But often, sleep is the first thing to get cut in a busy life and training schedule. Avoid staying up to watch TV or Netflix, or staring at your mobile screen at night. After a day’s work, have a good meal, do what you have to do, and get to bed!

6. Do Your Workouts Before Working

When you do your workouts before your day “officially” begins, it’s less likely that you’ll miss out on a workout. Once your day begins, things come up, and you generally end up being too exhausted & less motivated when the day ends.

Prevent this from happening and do what you need to do to avoid “other things” from getting in your way. If you are not a morning person, you can learn to become one, and your efforts will undoubtedly pay off.

7. Fuel Through (& After) Every Workout

Fueling your body through and after every workout is the perfect way to keep up with your race fueling plan. It’s also an excellent way to get the most out of each training session. Moreover, it will speed up your recovery and help you avoid stuffing your face with junk food because you’re famished after your workout.

One common mistake athletes make is not fueling during training because they are trying to “save the calories.” To perform your best during training, you need to fuel your body, so there’s no need to count the calories or cut it.

8. Prehab to Avoid Rehab

Be proactive. Doing a simple strengthening exercise like stretching, foam rolling, and massage can go a long way in preventing injury. However, many triathletes skip this part because they don’t have time for it.

Commit to creating a prehab routine of 2-3 times a week. It doesn’t need to be too long and make sure you can do it anywhere. A prehab routine is essential for everyone, especially for athletes who are over 35 years old and those with a history of injury.

9. Be Patient

It takes time to prepare for a triathlon race appropriately, and we all know that success doesn’t happen overnight. Give yourself sufficient time to prepare for your race to avoid injury, and to allow yourself to improve your energy systems through all phases of training.

10. Don’t Do It Alone

Train with friends or connect with a group or club of people who have the same goals to keep you rolling on the days you lack motivation. Better yet, train with a coach. At Team Enduro, we make it our job to keep you motivated and provide you with a solid training plan that will help you reach your goals. To learn more about the benefits of training with a Team Enduro triathlon coach, read our previous blog entry.

While this list may not be comprehensive, and there is no one way to do things – this information is based on our many years of professionally coaching triathletes. If you have ideas to add, please feel free to comment them below so we can all learn together.

If you want to learn more about our coaching packages, contact us today at 303-456-6969 or wes@team-enduro.com. We will be happy to assist you.