Motivation is a big part (the biggest part perhaps) of what we do on our bikes. We are motivated to keep fit, motivated to push ourselves and motivated to race as a chance to see where we stack up against the competition. Motivation is never static and it’ll certainly have its peaks and valleys over the entirety of a long season. For the most part, athletes (especially endurance athletes) are highly intrinsically motivated individuals. Why else would we voluntarily push ourselves so hard? This general willingness to ‘do the work’ is what allows our fitness to build and our confidence to grow.
Motivation to train and motivation to race are independent of one another. Knowing how the two correlate in context to your race schedule is very helpful. Consider how your motivation changes as the season progresses. It should go without saying that motivation to train is always helpful for building fitness while motivation to race is necessary for your best results. If and when you find a situation without any priority races in the near future and generally low motivation to train, it’s likely a good time to take a well-earned break.
If you’ve trained well, raced hard and had an excellent season then you’re likely due for some R&R this fall. It is important to recharge physically and mentally so that you can later kick off your 2012 campaign freshened up, motivated and ready to go. If your season didn’t go as planned or if you encountered some setbacks along the way and you’re still motivated to ‘get it back’ then this fall will be an excellent opportunity to rebuild some fitness while the weather and daylight still allow.
The right fall training can include a number of different options for an even greater number of situations. Consider your motivation and where things stand in the bigger picture. Be sure to talk to Brian or I and we’ll steer you in the right direction so that you’re making the most of your training time and energy. Riding is most fun when we’re doing it for all of the right reasons so let’s be sure that your fall plans are set accordingly.
-Coach Travis