Sometimes there seems to be little obvious change. Often the breakthroughs can come in waves.
Deliberate training targets many different variables in the body physically and mentally.
Like a plane, it’s not just the structure like wings that are important, but also the engines, the pilot etc. Every element coming together in balance is the goal.
It’s also in a context of many other changing parameters, such as sleep, life stress, weather, motivation.
With this in mind sometimes it can be hard to know if your training is making progress. Sometimes the challenge can be what and how to measure that progress against?
Perhaps it’s consistency, those red/green boxes, sometimes it’s a metric like pace or ftp, sometimes it’s a peer at track you have a friendly competitive challenge with, maybe it’s how you are feeling or that sprint up the stairs that feels easier, a friend making a comment. However, how many of the changes may not be quite as visible or tangible?
You may notice a bit like buses or a child learning to ride a bike, that there seems an age to wait and then suddenly everything happens at once.
Was there no progress before this point of notice?
Or was progress happening but it was difficult to observe?
Like skiing, top of mind for some at the moment, that progress is not always linear. What felt easy one day can be a challenge the next as the environment changes, as you change with fatigue or with confidence. Also like skiiing, maybe the most direct path is not the best one to take. For example investing in some strength or movement focus in order to make progress on running or swim pace.
So as you review your own training and progress, remember to reflect on a wide range of measurements, take confidence that investing in consistency will bring results and try to find enjoyment through out the journey and in the practice of the activities.