You know the feeling. You go out for a run, a ride, or a swim and you can’t seem to get into a rhythm. Your heart rate may not be where you want it to be or you just feel like you want to stop. And its only the beginning of your workout. Now what? As a triathlete you’ve been in this place more than you might like, and it is important to know when to push through and when to rest.

I have a 20 minute rule for myself and my clients: let your body get warmed up by picking a nice easy pace for 20 minutes. Usually after 20 minutes you will feel like continuing on with your workout, especially if you are mentally tired or just having one of those days. If after those 20 minutes you still feel sluggish and/or you can’t get your heart rate up, you are probably fatigued and would do better to call it a day and rest instead. It’s important not to push through fatigue, that’s when we are likely to injure ourselves and no one wants that!

So the next time you just don’t want to get out out of bed for that early morning swim, bike, or run, give yourself 20 minutes and most likely you will feel well enough to get in a quality workout.