What are our Worthy Investments?
Whether it be time, money or effort, invest it wisely.
Prioritisation is key here and awareness of your goals. So, a lot of what we have spoken about before comes in to play. That self awareness of what you are trying to achieve allows you to make priorities of where you will invest.
There are a few examples of this, but I’ll inevitably begin with triathlon. In order to reach my goals of achieving a certain level in the sport, it requires me to do a certain amount of training. To make that training possible, it needs to be enjoyable, and almost as easy as you can make it so that there are no additional stresses other than the ones you put yourself under to complete it with the physical effort.
So. What do I mean by this…
If I break it down into time/ money/ effort it’ll look something like this.
TIME
I don’t want to waste time on things that aren’t going to make me improve. So having my coach heavily involved in writing my program is essential. Having a team around me who knows better than I do what I need to be doing ensures that what I am doing is all worth while. Being able to trust that team and being able to reassure me of my thoughts and processes is essential to being efficient.
MONEY
Invest your money to ensure you have the tools for the job. This can be from a good pair of bib shorts and winter gear, maybe even a good rain coat to enable you to ride comfortably outdoors… to a race bike that works well on race day and can be competitive.
Whether it be training or racing, you have to be able to make it as easy as possible for yourself, otherwise you won’t want to do the work necessary, or won’t physically be able to be competitive when it comes to a race… Super shoes? What’s the best bang for your buck… Please refer to previous posts…
EFFORT
Effort. Make the effort when necessary… not when it’s not. Don’t do 6 sessions a week if it’s not going to benefit you. Invest in 3 quality sessions if that is enough!
WHAT ARE MY WORTHY INVESTMENTS?
Time
Actually not on the topic of time I spoke about earlier, but I’ve found that grouping sessions together gives me more time in the day to recover and do other things.
Money
The best investment anyone can make is in a coach. Take a look here for more information, but in short, there is no point having all the gear but no idea.
Swim: A decent wetsuit that fits
Bike: A smart trainer and a good pair of bib shorts (Castelli is my go to brand) - this seems like a lot of money… but it negates the need for all of the winter gear that would be necessary to train all winter outdoors. I think I would be wearing over £1000 worth of kit if I were to be fully winter kitted out and comfortable in the Welsh weather. Click here for more info.
Run: Good Trainers (currently wearing the Nike infinity reacts) Unfortunately this is a reoccurring purchase, but necessary to avoid injuries. Click here for more info.
Effort
Almost all of my training is easy. Keep the effort low for the most part so that you can put in a big effort when it matters. Check out Click here for more info. on effort
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