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By Coach Yan Busset
We all love technology, especially as triathletes aiming to measure every watt, every split, and every stroke. And of course, you can’t improve what you don’t track. But let’s face it: sometimes the gear and apps that promise to boost our performance end up slowing us down. You might recognize the scene: 20 minutes disappear while you struggle with your home trainer, pair your cycling computer, open a Zwift-like app, and try to get your sensors aligned. Meanwhile, your precious window for training shrinks like a frightened turtle.
Modern life often demands we balance jobs and family time with our athletic pursuits. So those 20 minutes spent tapping buttons could be 20 minutes of actual pedaling.
The question is: how do we keep the data and gadgets we genuinely need without letting them take over?
Here’s a look at why tech-fatigue happens, and how to avoid it.
Minimizing Tech Friction
• Dedicate a Training Corner: Set up your bike, trainer, and gear in one spot. If you have limited space, consider a balcony, the basement, or a cleared-out corner. Leaving everything attached means less time mounting and dismantling gear, and more time riding.
• Embrace Simplicity for Basic Sessions: If you’re doing a gentle spin or simple endurance ride, you might not need advanced apps running. A straightforward bike computer that logs basic data can be enough. Save the complex setups for your focused interval workouts.
Avoiding Gadget Pitfalls
• Start Running, Then Let GPS Catch Up: Ever held your arm up waiting for a GPS signal? The lost time adds up over a season. Begin your run, and most watches will lock onto GPS within the first steps anyway. You save time each session that can go straight into training.
• Swimming Mindfully: The habit of reaching for your smartwatch a few meters from the wall can trim meters from every interval. Finish your stroke, touch the wall properly, then press the button. You’ll get a full interval and avoid a sloppy glide just to log data.
Finding Mental Space
• Alternate Between “Connected” and “Unplugged”: There’s nothing wrong with listening to podcasts or music during long indoor rides. But sometimes, swap the headphones for silence. Tune in to your inner cues—your breathing, your pedal stroke, your heart rate, your feel. This mindful approach reduces stress, can improve HRV, and might help you find a better training flow.
• Disable Notifications: Unless your job demands you be on call, switch off notifications. Constant beeps and buzzes break your rhythm and can sap motivation. Give yourself time for truly uninterrupted training.
Remember the Why
• Quicker Setups, More Training, More Family Time: If you share a household, leaving your gear in place might save repeated negotiations about the space your training gear takes up. Point out that if you’re not wrestling with equipment, you’ll spend more time with family afterward.
• Stay Mindful: Let technology serve your goals instead of dictating them. Reducing tech interference frees you to focus on technique, breathing, and form, leading to a more effective and satisfying workout.
In the end, technology should enrich our training, not control it. Don’t take me wrong, as a pro coach and triathlete, I love tech, and the tech side of triathlon is one of the coolest things. I’m really a triathlon geek, and I love it. But I also love training and the simplicity of it. These days, we’re so surrounded by tech that sometimes it feels good to go back to the essence of the sport. It’s a bit like how I used to love flying because it was one of the few spaces where I could disconnect, read a book, take notes, and just think freely. Now, with Wi-Fi available on planes, even that bubble of digital freedom is disappearing, and honestly, I find that a bit sad. Training should sometimes feel like that: a moment to unplug, clear your head, and reconnect with yourself. If this resonates, share your experience, comment, and share this. Until next time, stay fast and enjoy your training!
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