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If you have done a sport for long enough, you have probably encountered a period of time when you just cannot seem to find the motivation to train. You aren’t injured. You aren’t too busy with life. You just have found yourself in a rut and can’t seem to crawl out of it. I have found myself there, time and time again.

Now, let me preface this by saying that there are some significant reasons you could find yourself in a slump that are medical related. So, it might be worth it to explore those if you find yourself in an unfamiliar slump or one that feels unusually deep and difficult (depression, menopausal, vitamin deficiency, etc.). But, as I noted before, me and the slumpies are long-term frenemies. This time around, and most times, it is a combination of factors. I dedicated training for a particular goal and failed to achieve what I had set out to do. Then work stuff, hormonal fun, little obstacles that kept popping up, and my innate sloth tendencies. And…here I am. So, how do I get out of it?.

1. Find your joy in the sport. Training requires commitment. It takes time and resources. If you are going to devote valuable time and resources to something, it should be for a reason that matters to you. Do you love the peace of a quiet ride with nature surrounding you? The adventure of exploring a new area by bike? The social aspect of “playing bikes” with some of your favorite people? Take some time to focus on enjoying cycling before you shift back into focusing on training. Go out of your way to do things that you enjoy on two wheels.

2. Reestablish a routine. Reestablishing a routine does not mean throwing yourself full-throttle into a training program. In fact, I have found that oftentimes, when I “go big”, I find myself back lounging around. The key for me is consistency and even 15-30 minutes of something every day for a week is enough to slowly make progress. Sometimes I need another week, with a slightly higher goal, before I can start to look at a real training program again. And sometimes, I need to start all over again as I can’t manage even a few days before breaking my goal. As frustrating as it can be, the fact that I will try again is more important than why I needed to. I have done triathlons for 19 years and cycling has been my focus in that for at least a decade. There will be another big race, another achievement, even another season. I am never going to give up completely so a few false-starts getting back up to speed are okay. I am in it for the long haul.

3. Ask for help. If you know me well, you probably know that this is my last resort. I like to be self-sufficient. But everyone needs help sometimes. One of the ways that other people have been able to help me most is accountability. Having someone that is meeting me for a ride (or a run, etc.) gives me that extra push to not make an excuse and bail. It also means that I will benefit from the social aspect of training with a friend. If I am deep in a slump, I am probably not up for jumping into a big group ride. But that friend that is okay with a little slower than usual pace or a little easier mileage/route? That is a lifeline. Sometimes just telling someone else what my goals are for the next week/next month are all I need. Enlisting a professional is also an option. I have a love/hate relationship with coaches but they can definitely be effective in building up momentum and fitness again. They also take some of the pressure off of trying to dig yourself out of something as you just have to focus on doing as you are told (which I am sometimes good at, and sometimes very not good it).

4. Change things up. If the above have not worked (and you are still sure it is not a medical issue), then it is time to try something completely different. Join a group fitness program. Try a new sport. I hear pickleball is big? Anything that is new for you. So, as I sit here writing this, I am going to commit to my fellow Sorellas to do four weeks of consistency. Four weeks of activity, six days a week. Starting with day one (okay, day two). And, I am also going to share with you photos from some of things I have done this slump. Because, while my training has been very rough, I have done some very cool things. I am grateful for having had those opportunities.