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Planning for Winter Training Success

During the winter months, balancing a daytime job, training, and proper nutrition can be a daunting task. With shorter days, most of your training time will be in the dark or indoors; if you live in a northern climate, your training will also include "cold" as a factor. As a result, your motivation to train and eat properly after a long day at the office can quickly diminish. If your training consists of longer durations, being efficient as you go from your job to your training is critical to ensuring the quality of your evening workout. Do not despair, here are a few tips that will help you keep your winter training on-track, so you'll be ready to go when spring arrives!

1. Set up your training "infrastructure" in advance. This includes putting your bike on the trainer, filling your water bottles, setting out your pre-ride nutrition, setting training zones and intervals on your HR monitor, and gathering your workout clothing together. I like to do this either the night before or the morning of my scheduled, evening workout.

2. Plan your nutrition needs by the week, not the day. On your "rest day" for the week, take 15 minutes and write down a brief menu for all your meals that week and stick it on your refrigerator. I only include dinners on my menu because these are usually the most rushed for me after a long day (and are likely candidates for "nutrition shortcuts"). Then, look for opportunities to prepare an ingredient once, but use it several times during the week (such as, cooking enough brown rice one day so you can add it to several meals during the week). Seeing your dinner plan in the kitchen after your evening workout (which is always the first place I go) reminds you that fuelling your body properly makes your training efforts count.

3. Put your training first. If you find your motivation is low after a busy day at work and your evening workouts are losing quality, plan some of your shorter workouts in the morning. To be successful with a morning workout, however, you'll need to set up your training infrastructure in advance (and you will probably have to get out of bed earlier).

With a little bit of planning, you can achieve consistent and effective winter workouts that are supported by proper nutrition and fun to do!

Martha Handford
"We are better than we know"
-Lance Armstrong-