Motivation, accountability & Goals 2019

Training
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Ok, I’m coming back from a period of demotivation and general malaise which resulted in a solid 4 weeks off the bike following a few months of reduction in riding time. I also do tend to get pretty demotivated during the winter months when things get dark and it corresponds with increased weight and a reduction in fitness, meaning I spend a lot of time at the start of each year just trying to recover.

I’m trying a few different options to get past that for this year, namely adding more structure to my training, recording and managing my weight, and detailing my corresponding goals and aspirations.

So, in my head things look like this

I Will

Ride my bike, either on the turbo or outdoors a minimum of four times a week
Aim to complete SSB MV 1 with a 90% completion either through completing the workouts or replacing the TSS through substituted outdoor rides
Average a daily calorie intake of 2000 and record it each day
Drink more water
Drink less alcohol, especially during the week and around training times
Aim repeat this for another two 6 week sessions starting Jan 2019

So That

My W/KG will increase compared to the same time last year

And then

I will get a PB during my A race in April.

I have some specific goals and aims, but I don’t know whether it is potentially demotivating to focus on them as they are pass/fail. E.G 75 kg weight by 31/12 and 3.6 w/kg. 72kg weight by 31/03 and 3.8w/kg sub 9hr finish time in my ‘A’ race.

I know that all sounds ‘reasonable’ when written down, but the hard part is going to be sticking to that plan, and sticking to it long enough to generate a habit, and hopefully a winning one? And I would really appreciate some ideas for support and motivation, and to be able to give some back.

So is there any merit in creating a sticky topic where people detail their goals and progress so that we can provide mutually support and accountability, or is there maybe a better way of doing it via the teams (although they never appeared to get much love or activity)

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I created a goal thread not long after the podcast crew discussed their goals for the year. I think the workout thread though is where you can really get your motivation/accountability.

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Its become a habit for me over the past year. Its now at a point where if i have a session that day and i miss it i am angry at myself. Conversely when i get my workout done i feel like i accomplished something at least, even if the rest of my day didnt work out, at least that went well.

Make it a habit too and think of it day by day, workout by workout and interval by interval and try not to think of always raising your FTP or completing a training block. Focus on the small stuff and how great you will feel when you get your work done.

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That’s good advice, thanks. I was thinking a lot about my ramp test in a negative way earlier. I knew the result was going to suck compared to previous ones but made an effort to think of it as just a workout to be completed and the ftp result as just a number to work from (It turned out I’d lost around 7% from my previous figure).

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I always tell myself in an FTP test, i want my number to be accurate above all, and i hope it improved. If its not accurate the workouts are too easy, or worse, too hard.

If you take it one day at a time, and enjoy the small victories, the FTP number takes care of itself.

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thanks, I’ll take a look for that thread as well.