Matt Bottrill's back to training...

Following a very busy two years of hard work, with little time spent away from work and my bike, I’ve spent the last month really recovering, with no riding or exercise. I could tell by the final weeks of the season that my body and mind were both in great need of a rest, and for me, this time out was an absolute necessity, I was very fortunate to have done a really intense training camp for the triathletes we work with over in Kansas City in the US, towards the back end of the year. Working in hot humid conditions you soon start to see the benefits of heat acclimatisation, and also the limits you have when your core temperature starts to rise. I loved every minute of it, and enjoyed seeing the benefits that the athletes took away, the highlight being Tim O Donnall going on to finish 2nd in the IRONMAN World Championships Following a break such as this, is a great to reflect and review what you want to achieve. It’s been a very successful season once again for our coached, and Team Bottrill athletes, and I’ve got so many plans for 2020 trying to push this onto the next level. With regards to my own season, I was really happy – despite fighting injury for the better part of the last two years, my body managed to stay together. The highlight for me was winning the Eddie Soens, along with 2nd in the National Team Time Trial with Brett Harwood and George Evans. 2nd in the National Master Crit Champs 40-45 along with a number of domestic time trial victories.

Managing my work-life balance is also something I’ve worked really hard on, trying to best structure my time around my family and work. As the kids get older you realise how many activities they have going off! It’s great to see them finding their own hobbies outside of school. So, going into this winter I thought I’d share my top 5 tips for managing your first phase of training and building towards your season goals 1- Reflect on your season success and failures - make a list of what went right and what went wrong 2- Plan your goals for the year ahead - so when the winter kicks in, you know why you’re making the sacrifices. I always like to work on three goals throughout the season 3- List any areas you are also weak and need improvement - this could be mental strength or weaknesses around your own body, made up from niggles, or being weak in certain areas. 4- Map out a training plan - working out the hours you can apply, and working out your season goals, which you want to attack in peak form. You’re much more likely to hit the training if it’s written down, and platforms like Training Peaks allow you to plan your training into the future, and analyse the data from each and every session. 5- Be patient build the training gradually - it’s easy to go all-guns-blazing for the first few months only to burn out before the season starts, so make sure you pace yourself.