This article is part of the ‘Performance Diaries’ series in conjunction with Pullwood Consulting. For the video version, head here: https://www.pullwood.cloud/c/privateer-diaries/performance-diaries-3
As you read this, 80% of people will have given up on their New Year’s Resolutions.
While statistics don’t exactly support this claim, there are some figures to show 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail by February. And, as this article was meant to come out last week, all of this is close enough for me.
As an athlete, my year doesn’t work from January to December; it’s more of a November-October sort of thing. I’ve never really subscribed to the whole resolutions thing—well, apart from that one year as a teenager when I said I wouldn’t eat chocolate for all of January.
I digress. Have you set any New Year’s Resolutions, and if so, have you kept them so far?
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New Year’s Resolutions are just goals, right?
Goals rule my life: win bike races, build this Substack, earn enough money so I can buy fancy coffee beans, and so on. Each year, there has been something different: have a faster 10-mile TT, get on a certain team, win a certain race.
I’ve never struggled with making goals or committing to my training. At the end of the day, if I don’t go out to do my training, I only have myself to blame when I get dropped.
While I’m pretty self-accountable, I also have so many systems in place that, until I chatted to the guys at Pullwood Consulting, I didn’t even realise were systems. Take TrainingPeaks, the software that my training plan lives on, for the last decade, if there’s a session in TP, it gets completed - that simple.
Since we’re on the topic of goals, I’m going to share mine for 2025. When I first stepped into the privateer world in 2023, I didn’t really know what to target. The goal was simply to make it work out.
These days, it’s slightly different.
Racing:
Outcome:
Top 10 a Lifetime Gravel Race
Win Redlands
Win a stage/round of Gravel Earth Series event.
Win a US Gravel Race
Now, these are all outcome goals, and therefore are out of my control. If Tadej Pogacar turned up to every single race that I’m targeting, none of these would come true. But still, shoot for the moon and land on the stars - or however that quote goes.
With the above goals being entirely outcome based, I also set some performance goals:
Performance:
Less than 25 race days
Maintain shape across the season (no crazy peaks and troughs)
Have the ability to relax
No regrets
Gym!!
My performance goals are a lot more tangible, I am in complete control of them. They’re also motivated by the mistakes I’ve made in previous years.
So that’s the cycling side, what about the rest of my life? If you’re reading this, you probably know that I’m also a writer, and that I always like to have a project on the go *cough* Ribble Rebellion *cough*.
What’s this year’s project, well that’s an idea I’ll be bringing to you soon.
Non-Athletic Goals:
Say no more often
Be consistent and build this Substack
Feature my writing in a mainstream (household name) publication
There are other things too: stop the doom-scrolling, improve my latte art, travel to fun places with Maggie, and pet as many dogs as possible.
Project TAG, proudly partnering (both for my athletic and influencing ability) with…
I find new years a good time to recommit to goals I had the previous year that fell by the wayside. This year so far, I've recommitted to intermittent fasting - essentially not eating anything after dinner / past 7pm. Been keeping it up so far!
Gotta drop a few kgs to fit back into my L Castelli skinsuit in time for spring haha.
Keep up the good work Joe.