Riding Out The Slumps

Real, tangible progress is never a process of up, up, up.

On any journey towards something meaningful we are guaranteed to go through down periods. We will hit a rough patch. Or many rough patches. It’s inevitable that things will go wrong, or won’t feel great.

When we journey for long enough we will encounter a slump.

Often, when that slump hits the knee jerk reaction is to want to “fix it” ASAP. We quickly look to make changes. We want to do something that will help us get back to the way things should be. Or the way we want things to feel.

But sometimes, even often, we don’t need to change anything. We need to sit tight and ride out the slump. Wait for things to come round.

I see this most often in the swim of athletes that are between 4-8 weeks out from a 70.3 or Ironman race. When run / ride volume and intensity are high the swim tends to suffer. It’s harder to hold your position in the water. Your kick loses it’s effectiveness. Your core doesn’t quite snap as well as it did before the fatigue accumulated.

I am there myself right now.

My swim time are slower than they have been in months and my stroke feels awkward. But that’s not because I’ve forgotten how to swim with good technique. I know I’m not making some sort of terrible stroke mistake. Nothing needs to change. All I need is to keep showing up, putting in the effort that’s required on any given day. I need to ride out the slump. When the load drops and I shed some fatigue, the speed will come back.

I would encourage you to ask questions when things aren’t going well. It’s good to be curious when we hit a dip. Look at all the variables that may be contributing to why we are feeling the way we do.

But before we make any changes; remember that on any journey towards something meaningful we are guaranteed to go through down periods. Even if the plan is perfect, we will hit a rough patch at some point. The plan may not need to change. We need to sit tight and ride out the slump. Wait for things to come round.

~ Rory