How to Stay Motivated in the Fall

How do we manage to maintain fitness while giving ourselves a mental break?

By: ALP Coach Patricia Schwager

Fall is right around the corner. The road racing and MTB season is coming to an end, many of my athletes have already completed their last race for 2016 or then they maybe have 1 or 2 races left. The question is now what? Taking an off season break already is a bit early- even though your mind is probably tired and the motivation not as big anymore. But if you slack off with your training now then that will certainly have an impact on what kind of level you kick off your 2017 preparation. So how do we manage to maintain fitness while giving ourselves a mental break?

Time to come up with a plan! That's also why working with a coach year-round is important. Here are a few tips on how to make the most of fall training:

Have a goal:

As always- having a goal is more motivating. Think about a goal, it doesn't need to be a race. It can be an event, challenge or even a competition in a different discipline. In case you are looking for a goal this fall: our ALP Cycles Coaching climbing challenge could be your ideal goal. We created the climbing challenge last year for the first time. The idea behind is mostly because we were looking to create a goal/ challenge for our athletes in the fall time. Follow the link below for more info about the 4 days climbing challenge which takes place at the end of September/ early October: http://www.alpcyclescoaching.com/blog/2015/09/01/alp-cycles-coaching-inaugural-climbing-challenge

Mix your training up with different activities:

Variety is key to keep your motivation level high. Mix your training routine up with different activities like: hiking, MTB-ing, cyclo-cross, strength training, running, yoga etc. This will also help you to already make the transition to cross training which should be part of your winter training.

Work on skills and weaknesses:

Fall time is a great time to work on your skills and weaknesses. There is no stress/ pressure of having to perform in the next race or event and that means you can really focus to work on your skills and weaknesses. The more you work on it the more you will improve.

Ride with your friends:

Having less structure in your training is a great opportunity to ride with a bunch of friends or joining group rides etc.

Fall training should be fun. Make use of the (hopefully) still nice weather and enjoy to spend time outdoors. It is also a good time to reflect on your past season. What went well, what goals did you reach or which goals did you miss? Think also about new goals for next season!

Happy fall training!

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ABOUT PATRICIA SCHWAGER

Patricia Schwager began cycling in 1998, racing as a junior. After racing on the domestic level and completing her Diploma as Pastry Chef, she got her first pro contract in 2006. 2015 will be here 10th year of professional racing. Patricia has a lot of experience racing in the European peloton. In 2013 she started working with Shawn Heidgen (Current ALP Cycles Coach) as her personal coach. In 2014 she changed her focus to racing in the US. Patricia is a 6 time national Swiss champion and has represented her home country, Switzerland, at the World Championships 12 times.

For 2015, Patricia will race for Team Tibco. Along with racing she’s looking to share and pass on her knowledge in her new role as an ALP Cycles Coach. Visit her online at http://patriciaschwager.com

About ALP Cycles Coaching

ALP Cycles Coaching is located in the mountains of Colorado, and is a cycling coaching company with over 25 years of professional sports experience. ALP Cycles Coaching is unique in that we have 4 coaches, Alison Powers, Jennifer Triplett, and Patricia Schwager who each brings her own coaching strengths and personal experiences. We work together to create a training plan that works for each and every person. Visit them online at http://alpcyclescoaching.com

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