Stay fit and healthy. Lose weight. Enjoy life to its fullest. Spend less and save more. Spend more time with family and friends. Get organized. Make zero resolutions. Learn something new. Travel more. Read more. According to a 2015 Neilson survey, these statements are the top 10 New Years’ Resolutions for 2015. Americans love to make resolutions and break them. Bloggers, writers and the random stranger standing in line for coffee with you on your way to work all seem to have some comment as to why most people fail with such things.  Why do they not achieve success?
As data geeks, we ask a specific question about resolutions and training in general.
Define Success.
Sound simple?
Think again.
Some definitions are straightforward. Win a race. Some definitions are harder to quantify. Increase fitness. Some definitions seem easy but are not. Increase my VO2 Max or FTP.
Let’s address these definitions in order.
Easy to define: Win a race. Is that really the best definition of success? With so many exogenous factors, have you failed if you come in second but your data shows perfection?
More difficult to quantify: Increase fitness. How do you know you are fitter? How can we measure improved fitness in concrete terms?
Easy but not: Increase my FTP. After 40, FTP theoretical decreases by 6% per year. For some, FTP increases if it does not decrease. How is that statement for some odd math?
We encourage you to think critically about how you define success. Not only measuring your goals for the season but your journey toward the podium, pack finish, or gold medal at Masters’ Nationals.
