Looking ahead: Planning your 2026 Season

Looking Ahead: Planning Your 2026 Season

— Build with intention, race with clarity, live relentless.

There’s something magical about turning a blank year into a roadmap.
A new season isn’t just dates on a calendar—it’s possibility.

I love this time of year because it invites us to zoom out.
To step away from the noise, the metrics, the day-to-day workouts and ask:

What do I want from next season?
Who do I want to be crossing the finish line?

Planning your 2026 season isn’t about stuffing your calendar with races.
It’s about choosing the ones that build the athlete and human you want to become.

Step 1: Dream Before You Decide

Start without limits.

Write down every event that sparks something in you, even if it terrifies you a little:

• That gravel race that’s been living rent-free in your head

• A local triathlon you’ve always wanted to try

• A multi-day stage race that feels “too big”

Let your gut speak before your logistics brain comes in with the “but what about…”

You can edit later.
For now—dream.

Step 2: Choose Your “A” Race (or two, max)

Not every race deserves your peak.
Not every finish line deserves your heart.

Pick 1–2 races that mean the most.
The ones you’ll organize your life around.
The ones that light up your chest when you say them out loud.

Everything else becomes training, tune-ups, or joy rides with friends.

Clarity gives your training purpose.

Step 3: Build Backwards From the Goal

Once your “A” races are set, reverse engineer the season:

• When does base training start?

• When does strength phase taper into volume?

• When do we sharpen intensity?

• Where do the rest weeks live?

Most athletes train reactively.
Champions train proactively.

You don’t hope to be ready.
You prepare to be ready.

Step 4: Leave Space for Your Life

A race plan isn’t just about the bike.

It’s also:

• Work trips

• Family vacations

• Kids’ school schedules

• Your mental bandwidth

You aren’t a robot.
And your training shouldn’t make you feel like one.

If racing enhances your life—it fits.
If it creates stress—it needs adjusting.

Choose a season that supports your life, not one that consumes it.

Step 5: Build Your Identity Around the Process, Not the Outcome

Most people think they’re setting training goals when they write:

“I want to go sub-6.”
“I want to place top 10.”
“I want to PR.”

Those are outcomes.

Identity is different.

Identity looks like:

“I am the athlete who prioritizes consistency.”
“I am the athlete who shows up even when motivation is low.”
“I am the athlete who does the work no one sees.”

Results follow identity.
Always.

A Final Thought

The year will pass either way.

You can drift through the months hoping fitness just happens.
Or you can show up with a clear plan and build something unforgettable.

2026 isn’t just another season.

It’s an opportunity.

To build strength.
To build confidence.
To build a version of yourself that surprises you.

Plan with intention.
Race with confidence.
Live relentless.

— Audra