TRY SOMETHING NEW - USE YOUR MULTISPORT TOOLKIT. One cool aspect of multisport is the seemingly endless uses for the athletic tools we have inside our multisport toolkit (
Slowman writes about this theme on the site often). I started triathlon in earnest in 2002 after graduating from college but cannot remember a year that only included competing in triathlons. Every year I looked for ways to incorporate standalone running, cycling and open water swim races into the year. However, truth be told, I never enjoyed pool swimming until two years ago. Two things changed for me: 1) a desire to boost my swim fitness for swimrun races and 2) getting in the water with specific workouts in mind. I have gone from a 1-2x/week swimmer to a 5-6x/week swimmer and am convinced this time spent in the pool, and utilizing a VASA Erg, has been the best bang for my buck in building fitness that translates across all three sports.
FOCUS ON FOOD AND RECOVERY. These were two things I undervalued during my early years in the sport. I will always remember living off cases of Clif Bars as a recent college grad (my uncle was the Twin Cities Marathon Race Director at the time and hooked me up with unopened leftovers). Yup, often times for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
I confess I am still not a poster boy for healthy eating but I do try to focus on cutting out most processed foods. We eat at home as often as possible, made easier as of late with using an Instant Pot. We put a premium on sleep in our house and try to take all we can get. This is usually 6 to 8 hours a night. I put good use to our NormaTec MVP Recovery boots, Trigger Point balls and foam roller and, new to the recovery arsenal this year,
Footbeat mocs, in order to keep the feet happy.