The Season I Stopped Doing What Athletes Are Supposed to Do

Why strength, recovery, gravel riding and even toddler-powered weighted walks are shaping my next season.

This season has marked a real shift in my own training.

Before specific preparation for World Triathlon Championship Finals Pontevedra 2026 begins in September, I’ve intentionally moved into a phase focused heavily on strength and resilience.

Instead of constantly chasing race fitness year-round, I’ve been asking a different question:

“How strong, robust and capable can I make my body before the next build phase begins?”

That has meant:

• More strength training

• More movement quality work

• More muscle-building focus

• More recovery

• Less obsession with constantly training specifically for performance

Ironically, that often creates better performance later. It’s also been time for a completely new tactic on the bike.

I’ve been predominantly road riding for as long as I can remember, but over the last year I could feel blocks coming up around cycling. After a lot of reflection, I realised road riding just wasn’t where it was at for me anymore, and if I wanted to keep getting outside consistently, something needed to change.

My love for trails played a huge role in the solution.

The answer turned out to be: Do trails… on a bike.

Enter the gravel bike.

And suddenly, a whole new world of adventure opened up.

Nine hours of gravel riding later, I’m fairly certain I’ll now only be revisiting the roads when they’re closed for races. In time, I’m even starting to wonder whether off-road racing might become part of the future too.

The moral of the story?

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been training; there is always room for something new.

Weighted walking has also featured heavily in my training lately, and baby Francis (now 2 years old and 15kg!) has unintentionally become a training aid.

We’ve had some brilliant toddler-and-spaniel-led adventures which absolutely count as training, and importantly, they don’t depend on childcare.

Where there’s a will, there’s usually a way.

That mirrors exactly what I teach inside Root Cores.

Sustainable performance isn’t built through punishment.

It’s built through strategy, consistency, recovery, strength, adaptability; and learning how to work with your body and your life, rather than constantly fighting them.

Thank you for taking the time to read 'The Season I Stopped Doing What Athletes Are Supposed to Do'. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions about my training or anything I've covered her, please do get in touch.

Root Cores provides workshops, group coaching and online courses. To find out more, email me: pippa@rootcores.com

The Season I Stopped Doing What Athletes Are Supposed to Do

by Pippa Marsden