Accountability

I'm always on the lookout for material for my weekly blog.  I would be a bit boring if it was just about my training although I do include it as there is an interest out there as to what get's me to the start and finish line if some of my big races.  So I was grateful to a friend the other day that wrote to me looking for some advice and I'm sure we can all relate to his situation.  
A new job involving travel and a house move have meant he hadn't been able to train as normal and after more than a year he's demotivated and not happy at having put on a few pounds.  He follows my blog and knows I use a coach and wanted to know how it worked.  He recognised that not being accountable to anyone made it easy to miss a training session but that then leads to more sessions being missed as it almost becomes "acceptable".  It's not helped while in lockdown and the various restrictions that this presents but he was "wallowing in his puddle" but aware he needed to change his approach.
Accountability can come in different forms and works differently for different people.  For me having a written down training plan with goals within each session keeps me focused.  Knowing that my coach will see my results also makes sure that I give it my best.  Finally I blog about my activities and wouldn't like to have to report back to you that I've failed and not achieved what I'd set out to achieve.  Over the years there has been many opportunities where I could have quit but the thought of writing a blog about it and knowing I'd led down Maggies Cancer Centres who I raise money for, kept me going.  The most recent one was in the Tahoe 200 and when I started the race I was in great shape.  24 miles later I was ready to quit despite 2 years of preparation.  Fortunately my wife was unexpectantly at the check point (nobody was meant to have been there) and was able to talk me round which got me to the next checkpoint and the rest is history.  But at that point I was bust and felt awful with the altitude and the dust I'd been breathing in on the way to the summit.  Being accountable made me press on.
Having team mates to train with, physically or virtually also helps.  This week has had some epic sessions where knowing I was with my team mates made me raise my game.  This mornings 1 hour Zwift session was a great example.  Having done a short hill reps run just before the bike, I really didn't feel in the mood.  Even during the session I was clock watching hoping it would be over but as the finish line came into site we all started sprinting for it and the effort that went into that was incredible.  I could hardly unclip and get myself off the bike at the end but was pleased I had hung on throughout the session.
Being accountable to someone or to a group you train with improves performance - fact.  If you're struggling with your motivation or want to step your game up, either get a coach you can work with or find a club where you know you will be pushed.  Make it part of your life rather than an add on which is easy to drop and most of all enjoy it.