So. What’s next?

This is a question I’ve been asked over the years. A lot.

I mean, most people can’t get their heads around doing an Ironman, a half Ironman, or even a triathlon. Hell I couldn’t once upon a time. But when you’ve done one (or two) and you come to the end of the season, people seem interested to know what the next goal is. Automatically assuming that you’ll have something else to fixate on and fill up all the available time you’ve got now you’re not training as much.

Or they assume that you’ll be pushing yourself on to something even more crazy.

I remember after my first Ironman someone asked me if I’d do another and thought I was crazy when I said yes. “But you’ve done one now – isn’t that enough?”

It often isn’t.

And that’s not to say that we want to do even more crazy things, but that having a goal is something that motivates us. Even if that goal might be to shave a few seconds off your Parkrun PB. Or maybe it’s to focus on strength training to improve your muscular endurance. Or drop a kg or two.

Without a goal, training becomes as and when. Unstructured and, usually, falls by the wayside because “stuff” (or “life” as it’s more commonly known).

So even if you’re not gunning for another Ironman, having something to focus on becomes a way of staying on track.

Because, let’s face it, next season will be here before you know it.

Long term goals are achieved by building on lots of little goals in the mean time. So think about what’s ahead and what stepping stones you might need to put in place to get there.

And sometimes taking a step back from your usual training routine can help too. It can help freshen the mind and the body ahead of next season. That doesn’t mean stopping altogether. Just that having a different focus for a couple of months can reignite your fire, help you rediscover your mojo, or just generally get a mental break from adding some variety to your routine.