Welcome back!  I hope that all of you had a fun and relaxing break - and that you're ready to begin your last two months of training before Collegiate Nationals.
 
 

Playtri Collegiate Nationals Prep Camp early registration price of $199 extended to February 14th!

If you're training needs a boost before Nationals (and whose doesn't?), make sure that you and your team are signed up for the Playtri Collegiate Nationals Prep Camp on March 11-13 in Tioga, TX at the Spirit of the West Resort - just north of Dallas and Fort Worth. Don't miss this chance to train with all of Playtri's industry professionals at half the price of our normal camps - lodging and food included in the price!  The camp is scheduled to fit perfectly into your peaking/tapering for Collegiate Nationals, and will provide you with the perfect overload/race specific training that you need before you start your taper for your team's qualifying race, and the Championship.

Our USAT and Playtri certified expert coaches will work you hard, and provide you with essential knowledge on nutrition, training and racing with heart rate, and mental toughness.  Our camps are the best in the industry - come find out why beginners and pros alike pick us first!
 

Remember, we offer team discounts!

Questions?  Email Coach Morgan or visit us at www.playtri.com.  

REGISTER NOW!
 

It's time for a new semester!

This is the time of year that things really heat up for you as collegiate athletes.  The 2011 season is on the verge of starting, and the USAT Collegiate National Championship is just around the corner.  Many of you also have various camps, clinics, and meetings on your team schedule as well.  One of the things I constantly see my athletes struggle with is simply fitting it all in.  Your teams and schools expect a lot from you - consistent performance in training and competition, sufficient time spent in class and studying, tuition, fees, and dues, which generally require part-time jobs (in what spare time?), and involvement in other extracurriculars and campus activities.  Sometimes, it can feel like a bit much.  

Having been in your shoes, I want to share a few simple tips that can help keep your priorities straight, while you continue to pursue triathlon.

1. Schedules you can see.  It's easy to write everything down in a little planner that gets lost, or left somewhere when you especially need it - but if you write your daily/weekly/monthly schedule someplace big where you see it all the time, you'll find that you start getting a lot more done.  And make sure you put everything on it - work hours, class hours, study hours, training, races, meetings, and anything else that needs to get done.  Keep track during the day of everything that needs to go on it, and don't commit to anything until you have it in front of you.

2. Give first priority activities first priority.  I know, sometimes it stinks that work and school have to come before triathlon, but they just do - triathlon requires money for equipment and racing fees, and you can't race on a collegiate level if you aren't a student in good standing, so make sure these two items get priority when you're planning.

3. Plan ahead.  If you know ahead of time when things need to happen, you won't spend time worrying or trying to fit things in at the last minute when there just isn't time.  It may mean planning some early morning workouts, but you'll be glad you did them when your first race rolls around - and you'll be glad you fit them in around school when your first test rolls around.

4. Be flexible.  No matter how well you plan, things are going to go wrong.  Accept that now, and plan to work around it.  If you over-sleep and miss a work out - fit it in later.  If you get stuck in traffic and get home too late to ride outside - get on the trainer.  If you can't be flexible with your planning, it will only frustrate you, so plan now for things to go wrong, so that when they do, you can adjust accordingly.

I think that one of the best parts of having a really great triathlon coach is that they will adjust your training schedule to fit your life schedule - not the other way around.  If it all starts to feel a little too overwhelming, hiring a coach might be a great option - and many companies, like Playtri, offer discounted services to collegiate or "developmental" athletes.  As my athletes have commented - we're not just tri coaches, we're life coaches.  Those coaches who work primarily with age group athletes know the importance of making everything fit.