3 Tips for Getting Started with Your Endurance Training

Have a vision for doing a race or event this summer? Wonder how in the heck to get started? If so, you are not alone. Dreaming about an event you’d like to do is something lots of aspiring endurance athletes do. I love to dream. Moving from dreaming to action is the tricky part. After a long, dark, cold winter, staying cozy in bed is lots easier than taking athletic action.

To get motivated, I figured out these three strategies to get me going. Since I love sharing, here they are for you!

3 tips to get you started:

1. Sign up for the event.

Seems obvious, right? Turns out, actually picking an event and then signing up and paying the money to enter the event is ACTION. And this step requires commitment. To get myself to move from dreaming to motion, this is my Number 1 step. It’s powerful.

This year, I’ve signed up for the Tour de Cure Twin Cities, the 62 mile bike route. This Tour de Cure will be Saturday, June 2^nd.  I know from previous years, that I MUST train to be able to complete a 62 mile ride!! That in and of itself is very motivating for me.

The other event I’ve signed up for is the YWCA Sprint triathlon. It’s not until August, which still feels far away. That said, I will do a 14 week training plan and the plan will begin on May 6^th. That’s just around the corner. To prep, I know I need to buy a new pair of run shoes and I need to get back in the pool. Already I’m taking action!

2. Backward plan how many weeks you have until the event and organize your training.

This one isn’t always so obvious. Once you pick your event, you need to make sure you have a plan to get fit enough to DO the event! And do the event with a smile on your face, since enjoying the event makes it even more fun! I am a big fan of backward planning and of having fun.

Because I have diabetes, I like to build in extra time to my training, since I need to have time to experiment with nutrition and keeping my blood sugars in range. The Tour de Cure bike ride is June 2^nd and my sprint triathlon is August 12^th. I will do a 16 week training plan for the bike ride and a 14 week training plan for the triathlon. That means as of February 18^th I’ve been in training! You better believe I have been on my bike trainer 3 to 5 days a week doing drills and logging hours in the saddle!

Backward planning 100% moves me out of dreaming into action!! May it do the same for you!

3. Start scheduling your training sessions every Sunday for the coming week.

A few years ago, I discovered that planning my training sessions on Sunday evening for the coming week, made a huge difference in my ability to stick to my plan. I consider my training sessions to be appointments with my well-being. They are dates I create with myself. Once I started doing this, I reflected that I value the appointments I made with others, why not value myself as much as I value others. That insight caused me to take myself seriously. And lo and behold, I became an even better athlete, and I started having even more fun!

Now it’s YOUR turn!!!

Go sign up for your event and here in the comments, tell me and all of us, what your event will be! That way, by publicly stating it, you will have me and the community to support you and hold you accountable!

Then figure out the training plan you will use, and backwards plan for when you will officially start. If the time is now, then figure out which day each week you will schedule your training sessions!

And for sure, pat yourself on the back! You are prioritizing your health and well-being. You are worth it! Way to go!!