7 Habits of Highly Effective Triathletes

Tonight I was able to hear former Olympian Josh Davis speak for the 2nd time in 2 years. He is an amazing, energetic speaker that will blow you away. He reminded me of the 7 habits he follows everyday and encourages young swimmers across the nation to do the same. I adapted these to relate to us and try to live by them as well. I hope you get something out of them too.

 7 Habits of Highly Effective Triathletes

1.    EFFECTIVE TRAINING
The number one secret is that there are no secrets. With three sports, triathlon requires a lot of training. You have to be willing to do the work necessary to attain your desired level of performance. Spend more tim eon your weakest sports to get the most out of your training time.
2.    CONSISTENT TRAINING
It takes a lot of consistent work, over a long period of time, to meet your genetic potential. If you regularly miss workouts, or if your training is haphazard and spotty, it will take longer to get where you want to go, if you get there at all.
3.    ADEQUATE RECOVERY
For all your hard training, improvements in fitness occur during the recovery periods between training sessions, when your body repairs and rebuilds, not during training itself. Positive physiological adaptations only occur with a correctly timed alternation between stress and recovery.
4.    SETTING GOALS
All successful people, whether they sell used cars or win the Hawaii Ironman, have specific, definable and difficult but realistic goals. Goals provide direction, motivation and a sense of purpose.
5.    COACHING
While’s it’s possible to be an effective triathlete without a coach, a good coach can help you to reach your potential, especially in a complex sport like triathlon that requires simultaneous proficiency in three disciplines.
6.    NUTRITION
Well-rounded nutrition is vital to allowing an athlete’s body to recover and improve with each training block and race.
7.    POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE
If you want to be an effective triathlete, you must have the right attitude. Say to yourself, “I will nail this workout,” rather than, “I want to nail this workout.” It’s easy for negative thoughts to come into your head when things aren’t going according to plan during a race. It’s important to notice those thoughts and immediately refocus thinking.