Goal setting

First and foremost, the most important thing at this time of year is to be realistic. Sometimes, even with the best will in the world, you can easily find that you’re a little behind where you’d hope to be in terms of form for your first event. Don’t worry, it’s a long season. It’s far better to realise this now and set your goals accordingly as opposed to biting off more than you can potentially chew.

The great thing is that most events offer a number of different courses and distances, often trimming the amount of climbing or general severity to make it more manageable. If you haven’t been able to get in the amount of miles that you were planning then consider opting for the short or middle distance as opposed to “the leg buckler”.

While it can be tough on your pride to take what appears to be a step down, it’s far more embarrassing weaving all over the place in a state of tiredness and sugar deprivation as your legs say good night sailor. It’s all very well setting a goal of a certain time or wanting to hit a gold, silver or bronze standard but once again be realistic. It’s far better to use your first event to really find out where your form sits, identifying positive areas of progress, rather than going big and and then slipping backwards.