After the season, it's time to look back on the past season. What went well? What went badly? We give you ten tips on how to make next season more successful.

When you look back on the past sporting year, you will certainly remember periods when you were particularly motivated and performed well, but also times when you struggled with motivation problems or even injuries, or when you just couldn't get going. Take some time to think about what led to your highs and lows. What could you do again in the future? And in which areas do you still have potential?
We would like to give you ten points to help you make your next season a successful year.

1. Consistency

A single week with an above-average number of training kilometres or a particularly long run will not make you faster. It is consistency over several weeks, even months, that makes the difference. In the new training year, try not to have any long breaks, but train for your goal week after week. True to the motto: ‘Consistency is key’

2. Body signals

Your body continuously sends signals that are more detailed and, above all, more individual than the data from a measuring device. Try to perceive these signals and sense whether you can push yourself harder or should slow down. To train your body awareness, it is worth training regularly without looking at the watch.

3. Recovery

Consider recovery as the basis for your performance. The wider your foundation, the more you can train. The two most important factors for good recovery are sleep and a balanced diet before, during and after exercise.

4. Sleep

The optimal amount of sleep is determined by the totality of your physical and psychological stressors in life. Although the amount of sleep people need varies from person to person, in order to manage intensive training loads well and achieve your performance goals, you should plan on getting at least 7.5 hours of sleep on a regular basis. During periods of high stress and competition, it may even be advisable to sleep 9 hours or more, or to plan a short afternoon nap.

5. Nutrition

Try to eat according to your hunger during main meals, and consume 30–45 grams of carbohydrates per hour during low-intensity training lasting more than an hour, 45–60 grams of carbohydrates per hour during medium-intensity training, and 60–90 grams of carbohydrates per hour during high-intensity training. After exercise, the most important components are protein, carbohydrates, fluids and salt. Take advantage of the metabolic window in the first hour after training.

6. Differentiate

Avoid always exercising at the same intensity. Instead, try to consciously vary your pace on different training days. Ideally, 80% of your sessions should feel easy and 20% should feel moderate to intense. After an intense workout, you should train lightly the next day.

7. Strength

Of course, we are involved in endurance sports. But it is equally clear that strength plays a decisive role – especially if you are no longer young and your strength naturally decreases from year to year. Invest 20 to 30 minutes two to three times a week in this fitness factor and you will be pleasantly surprised at what it does for your performance and recovery.

8. Mental strength

There is one ‘muscle’ that is often overlooked, but which has an incredible effect on your performance: mental strength. Try to train this ‘muscle’ several times a week so that it becomes one of your strengths.

9. Plan your recovery

Just as you have a plan for your training, you should also create a plan for your recovery. Former European champion Viktor Röthlin recommends spending at least half of your effective training time on recovery.

10. Rest week

Every third or fourth week, you should reduce your training volume so that your muscles and nervous system can recover without your progress coming to a complete standstill. The reduction in intensity and/or duration depends on your individual performance level, but is usually between 40 and 60 per cent.