Jeff Symonds’s Winter Training Tips

Jeff Symonds is a multiple Ironman champion and an athlete known by his moniker of “Get Ugly.” Here are his top-five winter training tips that will pave the way for a fruitful race season to follow.

DON’T TAKE WILL POWER FOR GRANTED

Last year, Symonds made a commitment to ride outside regardless of weather conditions. It was a particularly rainy January and he got out every day, putting in some long sessions on ugly days.

“Training went really well, until it didn’t,” explains Symonds. “I found out that I was using a ton of my physical and mental power gutting things out and I ended up burning myself out a bit, losing motivation and catching some illnesses. Be smart and save your hardest work for key races.”

EXPERIMENT

There is an old saying that the week before a race is not the time to try something new. Says Symonds, “This may be true, but the winter is the perfect time for experimenting. Get a bike fit, try some new nutrition, clothing or equipment. Experiment with the structure of your workouts, too.”

JOIN A SPIN CLASS

As a carry-over from the above tip, Symonds readily concedes that his best seasons have come when he has a group to spin with. “Training became fun. I was able to get in awesome sessions, while not dipping too deep into my willpower reserves.”

GET THE FLU SHOT Although getting the shot may be somewhat contentious, Symonds advocates doing everything possible to avoid illness. “Even if it means dialing back a weekend or having a sore arm in the pool for a session or two, go get your flu shot.”

PLAN FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

Symonds methodically plans things so Christmas (and perhaps New Year’s celebrations) fall on a recovery week: “That way, I am not feeling guilty about missing sessions and can be present both physically and mentally for family activities.”