10 Things Successful Triathletes Do

Do you want to know how to become the very best triathlete you can possibly be? Being a successful triathlete can largely be attributed to your commitment and discipline as long as you’re doing the “right things,” that is.

Below, I’m going to save you YEARS of learning and “figuring things out” and tell you exactly what to do.

Over the last 10 years of coaching, we have in fact learned a lot from our athletes. Everything I’m going to share with you is based on what we have seen the most successful people DO over the years.

** Short video at the very bottom **

How to Be Successful in Triathlon

We all know, most triathletes are successful people – you’re probably one of them – and typically they are the same people that are looking to improve themselves in many areas of their life.

Over time, most of us discover what works best for ourselves and what doesn’t work at all. Often this comes from trial and error over years. Below, I’m going to help you speed things up.

Here are 10 things the most successful triathletes we coach do:

#1 – Set Goals and Write Them Down

All successful people have goals. And the MOST SUCCESSFUL people write them down.

Creating challenging, but realistic goals are the perfect way to fuel your motivation and help keep you on track when the going gets tough. Share your goals with others, review them daily (or at least weekly) and revise when necessary. Also, very important, I highly recommend, making sure your family is on board and willing to support your endeavors and the commitment that’s required.

Set yourself up for success by doing this and don’t half ass your goals or your results will be less than what you desire.

#2 – Create a Week of Workouts That WORK WITH Your Schedule

Either you or your coach can and should do this. Just because your friend rides long on Saturday and takes a day off on Monday, doesn’t mean you should. Make sure you set yourself up for success by creating a workout schedule that suits YOU and YOUR LIFE.

#3 – Be Flexible

You should do your best to get in all of your planned workouts on a weekly basis, but things come up! This is not an invitation for excuses, but if the pool is unexpectedly closed or you’re legitimately sick or your something unexpected happens, it’s ok. Adjust your workout schedule and move forward.

Again, the idea of being flexible, is NOT an invitation to be lazy or make excuses. It will however, help keep you sane.

#4 – Prepare the Night Before

If you get up early to workout, get all of your stuff together the night before. This way you can avoid spending the extra time in the morning or showing up at the gym and forgetting something stupid.

#5 – Get to Bed!

Adequate sleep is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of your recovery. And sleep is typically the first thing to get cut when trying to manage a busy life and training schedule.

Avoid, staying up watching TV or dilly dallying around at night. At the end of the day, have your dinner, do what you have to do and GET TO BED!

#6 – Do Your Workouts BEFORE Work

By doing your workouts BEFORE the day “officially” begins, you will be much LESS LIKELY to miss a workout. Once the day begins, things come up, stuff happens and you generally end up being exhausted & less motivated by the end of the day.

Don’t let this happen and do what you have to do to avoid “other things” getting in your way.

Not a morning person? Me either! But you can learn to become one and it will pay off.

#7 – Fuel Through (& After) EVERY Workout

This is the perfect way to per-fect your race fueling plan, but it’s also a good way to get the most out of each training session. Further, it will help you recover faster and avoid stuffing your face with junk food following your workout,… because you’re hangury.

One of the biggest mistakes athletes can make, it NOT fueling during training because they are trying to “save the calories.” There’s no need to “count the calories” consumed while fueling… remember, you need to put fuel in your engine in order to perform at your best. Again, this is NOT the time to cut calories.

#8 – Prehab, to Avoid Rehab

In other words, be proactive. Stretching, foam rolling, massage and simple strengthening exercises can go a long way in avoiding injury. However, many triathletes, “don’t have time for it.”

Commit to yourself, and create a regular routine of 2-3 times a week of “prehabing.” It only has to be for a few minutes and it can be done anywhere. This is important for everyone, especially athletes over 35 and those with a history of injury.

#9 – Be Patient

Proper preparation takes time. Nothing happens over night. Give yourself enough time to prepare for your goal race. This will help you avoid injury and it will allow you to best develop your energy systems through all phases of training.

#10 – Don’t Do It Alone

Train with friends or connect with a group or club of like minded people. Having a network of others with similar goals will help keep you rolling on the days you are lacking motivation. Not to mention, “success” is so much more fun when you can share it with others.

Obviously this list is not comprehensive and there is no 1 way to do things – this is just our opinion based on our experience coaching professionally for the last 10 years.

If there are other things you would like to add, please comment below so we can all learn together.

I hope you found this information useful and if you have any questions feel free to comment below and I’ll be sure to answer you ASAP.