BT Forum

I wanted to echo the go-to or staple workouts, and that they do seem to help with getting workouts in more easily. It also helps to understand what's important for the various disciplines.

I have a couple bike workouts that I do regularly. 2 x 20 is every week. No questions. This one gets in there. A few days later will be higher intensity intervals. Usually this is a week to week rotation of 1 x 20 very hard or 5 x 4 min extremely hard. Sometimes I put in 15 x 1 min instead to get something different (a bit of rut avoidance). (Hell Hath No Fury, The Hunted, A Very Dark Place, Revolver for Sufferfest fans). The other two rides will have some variation with one being the long ride. I rarely miss entirely, but will adjust these more depending on available time and energy, but I make sure to hit the two hard ones hard. Earlier on, I would lessen the other to so that I could nail the higher intensity ones. As I became used to this, I'd increase on the others as I saw fit.

For running, it's been different in that it's been more important to run very often. As in 6-7 days a week. So I make sure to run at least 30 min every day, even if they all end up being at an easy pace. I have two outdoor routes and the treadmill at the gym to get this done, so basically it comes down to hills on one route, flatter on the other, or go inside due to weather. There is a little variation within that, but largely it comes down to those few choices making it easy to decide.

For rut avoidance, I'll use the weekends. Weekdays tend to have a little variety in the workouts themselves, but most everything is based out of my place. On the weekend I'll sometimes drive a few hours away for a bike ride. Wisconsin is right there for me and typically has more interesting terrain than Illinois does. Went up and rode the Rev3 Wisc Dells course a few weeks ago, for example. For long runs, I might go drive somewhere. Could be to a race location (but not race day) like the Hillstriders Half Marathon course. Or maybe to another park area that would be difficult to make during the week. So weekday workouts are things I can usually count on to be convenient, while weekend tends to be a bit more adventurous. Then there is a lot of consistency to get things done more easily, but also enough variety to make it new and interesting. Something to look forward to on a regular basis.

I don't know how "successful" it's made me, but I've fallen into a routine that works very well for me over the past year: simply because of the hours I had to put in at work, for a long time my only chances to run or ride during the week were when it was dark. Until recently, there wasn't a gym at my disposal to take advantage of during lunch, so I was relegated to the treadmill and the trainer pretty much exclusively at night or early morning. Throw in the winter months and that's just about all I was doing, I just don't like running outside when it's below 35F or riding below 45F. What this developed into was a deprave\reward thing though - when I finally get the chance to run or ride outside it's like being shot out of a cannon. It's ecstasy being outside that much for me, I'm smiling from ear to ear. Associationally that has made me love it all the more, and I now routinely still run on the treadmill at least twice a week and ride at night on the trainer even though it's nice out and my work schedule is no longer as limiting. I also like the treadmill/trainer, as I tend to make it very structured (like x intervals at a pace/incline/HR) which produces some very nice results and allows me to know my body very well so I know what I can do on race day.

I still loathe gadgets, but without the numbers staring me in the face I couldn't gauge what I feel like with the reality of my output, which needs yardsticks or it won't improve.

I wouldn't consider myself "successful", but I like to think certain habits have me on my way to getting there. In proper order:

1.  Like was said before....CONSISTENCY

2.  A habit of research/learning/and listening

2.  A habit of dealing with life and learning to adapt to keep consistency

3.  A habit of surrounding myself with supporting people

4.  A habit of asking questions when I don't know

5.  A habit of analyizing data and a desire to improve

LOGGING!

I'm sure there are others, but when I tried to think of specific, repeated actions as opposed to generally strong work-ethic, this is what came to mind.  When I'm done with a workout, I am compelled to get my session logged.  I like seeing the monthly calendar fill up.  I like seeing the bar-graph grow taller in tri-color fashion as the week progresses.  When I question where I'm at in my training or performance, I can compare to past months or years and see (hopefully) progress, differences in volume, etc.  While I know the bar-graphs and written record are superficial, they reinforce my desire to train and the importance of consistency.  I workout, and I log; and after I log, I'm thinking about the next workout.

Great answer...I was really stuck for a response to this thread (other than what Fred said about consistency), but logging is the single true acquired training habit I've picked up that has both helped me and that I don't ever neglect.

There are good habits and bad habits.  Most people have some of each.  Successful people tend to skew toward the good.

I try to prep everything the night before: food, workout clothes, etc.

I make sure i'm getting 7-8 hrs of sleep per night.

I sign up for races BEFORE I think I'm ready for them..