Fasten your seatbelts - it is going to be a cracking 2021 - but not so fast, we have some tough months ahead! OK, not funny, but we do find ourselves in that paradox of clearly seeing light at the end of the tunnel, while also falling deeper into a very tough winter ahead. As ever, we must control what we can control, act to look after ourselves and each other, and drive toward long-term performance goals. The good news is that, I believe, we can operate under the sensible assumption that we will have a close to complete racing and event season ahead, and that we should be preparing ourselves for breakthrough performances in 2021.

The quest for us - all of us - is simple: I would like to see every Purple Patch athlete sitting, this time next year, at a completely evolved performance level from ever before. Wise from the lessons of 2020, faster from the actions of 2021. We, you, can do this. You really can. You have an even better opportunity if you lean into each other, support one another and hold your teammates to account. The more you embrace the sharing of your journey, the better the opportunity for success. Let me use this Sunday Special to preview my quote points for success in the coming two to three months. These are the quick hits, but I would review this helpful session we had a couple of days ago.

Matt’s Pathway to Postseason (PREPARE) success:

• Don’t let ego or excitement dominate your mind: You are excited with your BHAGs, but it doesn’t mean you should rush. Set the mindset into ‘mode-prepare!’. The work you do in the coming months will directly align with how good your performance is when it truly counts. The irony is that this should be the phase of lowest mental and physical stress - it is a patient build of preparation.

• Don’t chase fitness gains: What? Why else am I training? Well, let me explain. The upcoming couple of months is less about an acceleration for fitness and form, and more about laying the platform of skills, cardiovascular readiness, and tissue resilience, to equip you to optimize the very challenging training that follows this phase. If observable fitness and speed gains are not the quest of this phase, don’t chase them!

• Leave room to grow: You should not be at your capacity, partially or emotionally. Leave a little flex and wiggle room in the number of hours, the obsession you bring to the global training week, the angst or focus you engage in. There is plenty of flex in this program in the coming months, with a backbone of specificity. Enjoy the fruitful amount of soul-filling work.

• Build a habit or two: This is a wonderful time to choose a supporting habit to build and dial in. Post workout fueling? Better sleep? Begin now.

• Take advantage of the supporting Purple Patch pieces of the puzzle: We are really amping up efforts to deliver a broader set of important programming. Live and post produced coached sessions (yes, coached) on the bike, strength and self-care, coordinated expert office hours, bringing our coaches to prominence to support and help all Purple Patch athletes. Lean into it. You will benefit greatly from engaging in the live video coached sessions, and in the New Year we will have a library of post-produced sessions to draw from if you cannot attend live.

• Grab a coaching consultation: For Squad athletes, this is potent and really helpful for perspective, guidance and accountability. Take advantage of the highly affordable individual coaching consultations to bring you out of the weeds for planning, assessment and tailored guidance and advice. A really important part of the Squad experience, that will surely amplify effectiveness.

• Share the Journey: Don’t go it alone. Lean into the upcoming consistency challenges, take and provide advice, become a part of Purple Patch. I promise you, the more you lean in and engage, the much greater yield. If you are viewing the programming as simply a string of workouts with a sprinkle of education, you are missing out on a lot of fun, but also a gaggle of performance gains. Lean in and amplify your performance. You might just like it.

Have a super week and stay safe.

- Matt