Training Routines

A dimension I’m looking to add to my blog is some training advice. Now, if you want to the point, personalized training advice, then I am a coach and I suggest you check out my page on that, but if you’re looking for some “lessons from the trenches” so to speak, then this is your place to go. Little things.

So the first thing I wanted to talk about is the importance of establishing routines. I’ve always been on the fence about regimenting myself too much. Every cyclist knows that person who is so highly regimented that one little thing goes wrong and the train comes derailed. I never wanted to be that type, so high strung, so stressed out about little things. But as a reaction to that I had become too unregimented that I couldn’t count on my body, myself, or anything to be a certain way. I had no base line. So one thing I’ve learned is to fine the middle ground and use what works best for you. For instance, I started with one thing every morning. Then added more and more until I was doing everything I needed for the day. But not just getting it done, doing it consistently, on purpose, in a focused way.

Over time it’s grown into a lot more than a few things in the morning. I now have a morning routine that gets me to work and a bedtime routine that helps me get in all those little things you’re supposed to be doing both as an athlete and as an adult, if I was an adult (still not ready to admit it). The tool that has helped me really get on top of it, be more focused about it, is a list. I use a little note pad on my computer desk top, but you could use anything. It’s just a quick check list I can go through each morning and each night. And it’s gotten to the point where I don’t really look at it until I’m done. It’s become part of my day.

The other day I heard a segment on Wisconsin Public Radio that ties into this really well. It was a segment on the science behind habits. An interesting statistic they presented was that about 40% of your day is governed by habit. Meaning about 40% of what you do each day is just a habit that you do without thought. Why are habits so important? Because habits don’t take any thought. There are bad habits and good habits; obviously I’m talking about good habits. In any given day a person only has so many things they can worry about, and each thing you worry about causes stress. When your stress levels get too high, it starts affecting you, and your training. So establishing habits can be powerful.

The guest in the segment talked about the components of a habit and how to form and break habits. A habit according to him is made up of 3 parts; a cue, a routine, and a reward. Something triggers you to start the routine, you complete the routine, and then you are rewarded. If you have these three components, then a habit will start to form. So to build positive habits, you need to have a cue, something to get you started, something easy. They used the example of going for a run. If you don’t want to run, they just try putting on your running shoes and clothes. 9 times out of 10 you’ll, out of habit, go for a run. Anything works like this. And these habits snowball. They only get stronger as you continue to do them.

This relates to my discussion because it’s the key to establishing consistent routines. You need a cue, something to start your morning routine and evening routine. Then you need to practice the routine. But the final key is there needs to be a reward at the end of the routine. For instance my evening routine. I set an alarm so that each day at 9pm and when it goes off I drop everything and start my routine. What’s the reward? When everything is done, I lay down and enjoy a delicious cup of tea that relaxes me. I look forward to it actually on hard training days.

So try this for yourself. Is there something you wish you did every day? Do you wish you did more stretching? Figure out a set of stretches to do, set a cue, and find a reward. You’ll have to work hard at it for the first few weeks but it’s easy after that.

Now there is one downside to all this routine stuff. If you allow the routine to rule your day, then you will risk becoming too rigid in your daily life. One of the keys to keeping a level head is being able to handle different situation and not losing your cool if you’re not able to do things how you want to. This is a tough one. One option is to remove the cue. If you remove the cue then you’re less likely to engage in the habit that instance. But this is the first step to breaking the habit, so I try to avoid that. The method I prefer is to use experience and keep an idea of what the bare minimums might be. For instance getting ready for a race. What is the bare minimum it takes to get ready for a race? Helmet, shoes, bike, clothes, sign up, and show up to the line on time. If you’ve got that you don’t have to worry too much. So keeping that in mind if I find myself in a situation where I can’t do what I want, I always know that as long as I check that list off, I’m minimally prepared.

The key here is to lower stress so make sure you’re focused on keeping stress low.

Thanks for reading.