When things get tough or things don’t go to plan its tough but always look back at the good times to remind you of what you have achieved. Its never plain sailing to success nor is it a straight line. There will be obstacles in the way but it's how you work round them to overcome them.

When things get tough or things don’t go to plan its tough but always look back at the good times to remind you of what you have achieved. Its never plain sailing to success nor is it a straight line. There will be obstacles in the way but it's how you work round them to overcome them.

You are probably thinking this makes no sense with the blog title if you are struggling however it's not always about being the best, its about being better than you were yesterday! Which doesn’t necessary mean a new PB.

Everyone has a PB/Goal that they are after and chase after no matter where they have finished in a race they have raced in. What I love about Triathlons and running is that you just focus on yourself but being better than yesterday is the key.

So of course look back to see how far you have come but also learn from mistakes because experience is so key. Learning from your past training, experiences, mistakes, races and so on is so important. Just because something worked well last time for you, it may not work well this time.

When my swims seem a struggle I look back at how far I have come first. It's easy to remind myself that I was unable to swim in 2012. So that then makes me look at what went wrong in the session; did my technique change, or my food, or my sleep etc, so I look in depth to try and improve for next time.

It's all about learning so you are better than you were the day before. Over the past 10 years my training, diet, mental aspect has changed and I have learnt lessons and adapted my training so that I can be the best I can.

So when assessing to be better than yesterday have a look at all aspects. You may keep getting injured, but things like changing to cross training or Pilates can help you overcome this. Training smarter is key and if you train smart you will reap the benefits and the awards it brings. For example taking an extra day rest can be vital in your performance and over the years you learn that rest is key and even more key when you get older.

So when things don’t go to plan, look at how far you have come. Then assess and see what went wrong and how I can change this. But most of all make sure you enjoy your training.

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Yiannis Christodoulou

NHS Performance analyst from Canterbury

Age group: 40-44
Club: Canterbury Harriers, Ashford Triathlon Club, GB Age group team, Age group 2017 Aquathlon team captain
Coach: My self in running Level 2 coach in running fitness, Craig Coggle Strength coach, John Wood Swimming coach

MY DISCIPLINES
10k trail half marathon swim-run Strength Training marathon
olympic distance triathlon

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