By Coach Brendon

Changing seasons means a change in training conditions and goals. It is so easy to slide into winter and out the other side before you realise - you know how easy it is, soon enough it will have been 4 months since you did anything!

Winter is a good time to rethink what your goals are and how your weekly routine can be structured. Take stock of where you are and rethink your goals. Consider what is also practical in winter; it's not necessarily the best time to up the cycle training if a fair amount of it has to be done indoors.

If you have a long term goal in mind, think about what you can do in winter to help move towards that. Put in place a 2-3 month goal, this means it's not too far down the track and you can be motivated by it. I am a great believer in using events as goals. Another great way to keep motivated is to tell a few friends what you're doing and if you are already fit, why not help them get into some exercise - maybe sign up and do something with them. Not only would it help you maintain some fitness, but it might do them a world of good. The bonus is that you will have someone to drag you out when it gets tough in the colder periods of the year.

As far as the selection of events go, a good place to start is an events calendar. For New Zealand events, I use www.enteronline.co.nz as it's easy and has almost all events listed. Some small local events can only be found via your local sports stores or on posters at your local gym, so keep your eyes out for those. You should also check out what is on in Australia and the Pacific region, there are plenty of events and you can have a sunny escape to boot. The Noosa Triathlon and Sports Festival is one great example, don't do triathlons? Well they have a 5km fun run, fun bike rides, 1000m swim, and a great sports expo. For those of you who can't get away, there are also many events closer to home.

There are also plenty of running events on in winter, indeed winter is a great time to gear up for a 10k or ½ Marathon. The Taupo ½ Marathon is very popular these days and being in August gives those who are just getting going plenty of time. For those a bit fitter, there is the Christchurch Marathon and half marathon and there are other major running events in all the main centres over winter.

One of the little tricks that I use with working people in winter, is set up training plans so that there is more flexibility. In particular, with those training for triathlon or cycling, it's a good idea to check the forecast and switch workouts if it helps. For example if you usually have a long bike ride of 120min on a Sunday, but Saturday is a glorious day and the forecast for Sunday is crap, the smart thing to do is switch the ride. That might mean Sunday becomes an easier day, but you will enjoy your training a lot more and enjoyment was (I hope) at least part of the reason you took up your sport.

Another thing to think about is what you need to do to maintain fitness through winter. As a general guide doing about 1/3rd of the maximum training you did in summer will help you hold fitness for a 12 week period. So if you did a ½ Marathon in Summer and took 2hrs, a 40min run every other week will go a long way to maintaining a level where you can quickly get back to your summer level. That's a good rule of thumb to remember, especially if you are having a busy period at work or life gets a bit crazy.

It's also a good idea to invest in some winter clothing, especially for wet workouts - good gear makes a big difference in terms of how much you'll enjoy getting out when it's cold. You don't need to buy everything but a breathable jacket, and polypro/woolen shirts and gloves make a big difference. For those of you cycling, get some booties and a proper cycle jacket, oh and make sure they are bright (blue and black are out) -make em bright yellow and better if they have reflective strips on them. If you have the gear it's also one less excuse to stop you getting out the door.

The other thing that's quite a good option is to hit the indoor workouts. A gym is an obvious choice. There you should be able to run on a treadmill and as an added bonus maybe you will finally do that stretching you know you should do doing!

Most gyms also have indoor bikes and if you ask for a cardio programme geared towards your sport or goal event, they can usually accommodate. However if your main goal is general fitness you can also work on a general strength and conditioning plan, gyms in throughout NZ are generally very good at this. Indeed if you've been training for multisport events you may really benefit from something like this as it will help balance your muscles up and may avoid injuries caused by repetitive activity (like the running action). Of course being shown how to do this stuff properly and progressing it gradually will also help avoid an injury from a new activity like lifting.

I also think that swimming is a great option in winter. I find it strange that swimming pools are empty in winter - they are after all, the same temperature in right throughout the year. Winter is an ideal time to learn to swim also. So if you have the goal of doing an event with a longer swim in it, then get into some swimming.

Right then, what are you waiting for? Get out there… or into the gym!

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