It’s been an interesting week this week. The run sessions have attracted a lot of interest but it’s not turning into bums on seats. Sometimes it is hard not to get demoralised by a low turnout, but then I remember my vision of bringing structured run sessions to the Armadale/Kelmscott area to improve health/fitness and offer an option both for those athletes who are beginners and also more advanced runners so they can support and motivate each other as well as reach their performance goals.  It just means that I have to market them a little differently or make changes to the sessions. I know that I will get there and I am determined to bring my vision to life it’s just going to take time and patience. I need to keep an eye on the overall goal and not get too distracted by the noise.

I see a parallel with my athletes both junior and senior over the past week. It’s very easy to lose sight of the goals with distraction or noise. This may happen in the guise of the injury or sickness. It may happen with being distracted from your long term goal by short term gratification in training.. Or your work or home life may just become too much for you for a time…

Distractions happen! We do get sick and injured, we do want to go out and “test” the legs. Sometimes we have to work 50 hours a week… We are not professional athletes. Sometimes, you need to go with it because it’s unavoidable and sometimes athletes are just looking for an excuse to be distracted 🙂

My advice is always keep one eye on your goal… If you’re easily “distracted” then there is a need to find a way to focus your attention and motivate you towards your goal. Sometimes, it’s just a reminder of what that goal is and why you’re working towards it. It may be that your training needs a tweak, to keep you motivated and possibly include some shorter term goals. You might just need some rest!

So what process should we undertake to deal with the distractions?

If you have a coach you should be working through this together:

Identify your goals – your “WHY”

Assess your progress – Are you where you should be?

Identify any distractions – what is stopping your progress?

Identify options to work around the distraction and get your training on track.

Monitor and reassess.

Communication and awareness is key. If you are not communicating with a coach then you should be working through this process on your own. Distractions aren’t disastrous but not bringing your focus back to your goals periodically can stop your progress towards them… don’t let the distractions make you lose sight of what you’re trying to achieve!

Have a great week!

Peta

Peta from Energise Coaching is a Triathlon Australia Development Coach and an Athletics Australia Intermediate Recreational Running Coach. She offers personalised training programs for triathlon/swimming/running, generic training plans and structured run sessions for all levels and abilities. Contact Peta and ask what she can do for you!