The first lesson of this series is the “get-out-the-door” principle.

The basic idea is that the first key to success is taking action.
As it related to triathlon it means stepping out the door and training consistently.

Exactly what you do is not so important. The main thing is to start. I have seen many people (including myself) get so caught up in exactly what kind of session to do that they end up sitting in front of a computer or lost in their head and forget to go out and train.

CONSISTENCY is the key. Once the routine of getting out and swimming, biking or running becomes second nature, then it is time
to fine-tune the workouts.

Some tricks to boost consistency:

Make it essential:
Commuting: When I was at school I rode my bike 13km to and from school every day. Rain or shine, feel like it or not. If I didn’t ride my bike I didn’t get to school..

Pay for it:
I paid for my swimming coaching by the month. If I missed a session it was my money I was wasting.

This principle also applies to races. If you pay for a race it makes you get out and train because you have committed to it. Races in themselves are good training. Petr Vabrousek, the professional Ironman triathlete, works on the principle of using races as training. He has completed over 100 Ironman triathlons winning 13 of them and placing in the top ten in most of the rest. When asked why he enters so many races he said that he loves racing but doesn’t like training, so he enters as many races as he can to keep in shape!

Schedule it with a coach or group:
My morning swim sessions were at 6am Mon, Wed, Fri. That was the time I had to be there on time or my swim coach would jump on  my back. Same with my school cycling team sessions after school twice a week and my weekly long rides with my training partners. They expected me to be there.

Routine:
Try to do your workouts at the same time. This way you will automatically do your workouts without wasting time trying to figure out when is the best time.

Start Early – The two second rule:
(This tip was sent by Nick Fitzsimmons from Lake Placid, NY)

Go to bed early- so you can consistently get up in the morning.

Probably the cornerstone for me in getting out of bed early is putting my alarm clock at a distance that forces me to get out of bed to turn it off. It may seem silly, but it increased my success rate in actually doing my workout by over 90% especially when I was trying to get into a routine. That two seconds it took me to turn off my alarm clock was enough to get me out of bed and in motion.

So now stop reading and GET OUT THE DOOR!

Click here to get “Seven Secrets to Triathlon Success” and get training tips by email.