[Practical Workshop] Let's Time Travel!
Define your next level with clarity, step into your future self, and discover how small actions today can transform your athlete journey.
Welcome to this weekend’s Practical Workshop
On Fridays, you’ll get more than something to read. I’ll give you a focused training activity you can use over the weekend to strengthen your mindset and move closer to your next level.
What You’ll Get From This Activity
Define your next level in a way that is clear and measurable
Experience what it feels like to already be living at that level
Strengthen your motivation by vividly imagining your future self
Stretch your vision further by identifying the level after your next level
Translate big goals into one small step you can take today
I know I talk a lot about reaching your next level. It is the thread that ties everything together in this academy. But let me ask you this: have you ever stopped to define what your next level actually looks like? Not just the vague idea of “getting better” or “training harder,” but a clear picture of what life at that level really feels like.
For some athletes, the next level might be breaking a personal best in the 10k, completing a triathlon without falling apart on the run, or finally finishing a long hike feeling strong instead of broken. For others, it might be as simple as training consistently for three months in a row. The truth is, your next level does not need to be huge. It just needs to be real and specific to you.
Here is why this matters. If you cannot picture your next level clearly, it becomes difficult to reach it. Your brain needs a destination before it can build a map. Without clarity, training can start to feel like a series of random workouts with no deeper purpose.
This workshop is designed to change that. Together, we are going to:
Define your next level in simple, concrete terms.
Imagine what a typical day looks like once you are living it.
Stretch your vision further by exploring the level after that.
Then bring it back to the present by breaking it into small, realistic steps you can start today.
By the time you finish this session, you will have a vivid picture of your future self, a clear sense of where you are heading, and a small but powerful first step to take right now. Success in sport rarely comes from giant leaps. It comes from stacking small wins that eventually add up to something extraordinary.
This is your chance to time travel into your own future as an athlete. Let’s get started.
Defining Your Next Level
Before you can reach your next level, you need to know exactly what it looks like.
Too often, athletes say things like “I want to get fitter” or “I want to improve” without sharpening that vision. Vague goals will not carry you forward. Your brain needs a clear destination before it can map out how to get there.
Your next level does not need to mean qualifying for the Olympics. What matters is that it is personal, measurable, and leaves no doubt when you achieve it.
Ten Examples of Possible “Next Levels”
Here are ten different versions of a next level. Some are modest, others are ambitious. Yours might sit anywhere on this spectrum:
Running 5 kilometers without stopping for the first time.
Breaking the 20-minute barrier in a 5k.
Riding 100 kilometers in one session instead of stopping at 60.
Swimming 1,500 meters continuously at race pace.
Training four times per week without missing for twelve straight weeks.
Cutting ten minutes off your half marathon time.
Moving up a grade in your local cycling or triathlon club.
Securing a starting spot instead of staying on the bench.
Qualifying for a state or regional championship.
Earning selection for a semi-professional development squad.
[Activity 1] Name Your Next Level
Take out a notebook and answer this question:
“What does my next level look like?”
Write it in one clear, measurable sentence. For example:
“I run 10 kilometers in under 45 minutes.”
“I complete a 70.3 triathlon.”
“I hit my training sessions consistently four times per week for twelve weeks.”
“I move from Division 3 to Division 2 in my local club.”
The key is clarity. If you can read it back and know without doubt whether you have achieved it or not, you have nailed it.
Why Writing It Down Matters
Do not type this into your phone.
Do not keep it in your head.
Do not type it out.
Take out a pen or pencil and write it physically on paper.
Words only become real when they are tangible. Putting them on paper gives them weight, life and permanence. Neuroscience research shows that handwriting strengthens memory and helps embed ideas in the brain.
Writing your next level by hand makes it more likely that you will pursue it with intent. Think of it as signing a contract with yourself.
More Example Scenarios
To help you sharpen your own goal, here are some extra examples:
A runner who usually fades at the end of races writes: “I negative split my next 10k, running the second half faster than the first.”
A cyclist who wants to get out of the bottom grade: “I’m a competitor in division 2.”
A triathlete who has yet to finish strong writes: “I run through the final leg of my triathlon without slowing to a walk.”
An athlete who struggles with motivation and consistency writes: “I hit all my prescribed sessions for the whole month.”
Notice how each example is black and white. You either achieve it, or you do not. That clarity sets the foundation for the next step in this time traveling workshop.
Time Traveling Into Your Future Self
Now that you have written down what your next level looks like, it is time to make it real. Writing a single sentence is powerful, but it can still feel abstract if you leave it there. To bridge the gap, you need to experience it as if it is already happening.
This next exercise is about time traveling into your future self.
I want you to imagine a day in your life when you are living at your next level. What does that day look like from the moment you wake up until you go to bed? The more vivid you can make this vision, the more it will feel achievable.
Do not just think about it.
Write it down on paper.
The act of putting your thoughts into words forces your brain to process the details and makes the vision stick.
Guided Visualization
Here are some prompts to help you flesh it out:
Morning routine: What time do you wake up? How do you feel when you roll out of bed? What is different about your mornings now that you are at your next level?
Training session: What kind of workout do you complete? How does it feel compared to now? Are you moving faster, holding stronger power, or recovering better between intervals? Are you training with different people now?
Nutrition and recovery: What choices do you make around meals, hydration, or rest that you might not have made before?
Interactions: How do your training partners, coaches, or competitors see you now? Are people communicating with you differently? Do they respect your effort more?
Opportunities: What doors have opened that were not available before? Do you get invited to higher-level races, tougher training groups, or leadership roles?
Evening reflection: When you finish your day, how do you feel compared to today? What is the sense of accomplishment like?
[Activity 2] A Day in the Life
On paper, write 300–500 words describing a day in your life at your next level. Do not overthink the grammar or try to make it polished. Just describe it honestly and vividly. For example:
“I wake up at 6:00 am without hitting snooze because I am keen for my session. I feel sharp and motivated. By 7:00 am I am out the door for a steady run with the fast group, hitting splits that used to feel impossible.
We finish our session with a round of coffees, I’ve made a close friend with one of the guys in the fast group. We wrap things up and its off to work for another day in the office.
After lunch I look at my Strava from this morning and noticed I actually PB’d a segment that I thought I was taking a bit easier this time! And there’s a nice little bit of kudos there also :)
I didn’t have a coke with lunch today, I’ve weened myself off it, now I only drink water during the workday. I still need a late afternoon snack though lol.
2 of my running buddies messaged me to see if I was up for a light recovery session this evening down the beachfront. I’m quite excited actually. I love these same day recovery runs. Well mostly I love the social side of it. We talked about one my friends doing a triathlon in 6 months. I can’t swim well, but we did float the idea of doing a team entry and I would be the runner. Now that would be cool.
I’m now winding down on the couch half watching The Office scrolling through Strava and dishing out some well earned kudos to some of the new guys in the slow group this morning. I feel good. Tired, but good. I’ve never felt so fast. This is going to be a good season.”
The goal is not perfection. The goal is to create a picture that feels alive. When you read it back, you should feel like you have stepped into that version of yourself.
How this Shapes Your Mindset
When you live your next level on paper, you are training your brain to believe it is possible. Neuroscience calls this mental rehearsal, and studies show it can prime your nervous system almost as effectively as physical practice.
By repeatedly imagining yourself at your next level, you strengthen the pathways that help you act in alignment with it.
Athletes who practice this often find themselves making better choices almost automatically. They train with more intent, recover with more care, and carry themselves with more confidence because they have already “seen” themselves succeed.
And I really believe when you vividly imagine what your next level looks like, along with all the benefits that come with it, you create one of the most powerful forms of intrinsic motivation.
Looking Two Levels Ahead
Once you can picture yourself at your next level, it is worth stretching your imagination a little further.
Progress in sport is never a single leap. It is a series of steps. The level you just described is not your final destination. It is just one of many stepping stones toward something even bigger.
By looking beyond, you start to see the path that lies ahead. You stop thinking of your next level as the finish line and instead see it as the next checkpoint on a longer athletic journey.
Guided Reflection
Imagine you have already reached the next level you just described. You are living it. You are training at that standard, competing at that standard, and carrying yourself at that standard. Now ask yourself:
If I am already here, what would the next step look like?
What is the next logical upgrade?
How much higher could I raise my training?
What races or competitions would I be aiming at?
How would my role change within my training group or team?
What new opportunities or challenges would now be open to me?
[Activity 3] The Level After That
On paper, write a short description of what the level after your next level looks like. Do not worry about being exact the point is to stretch your vision a little further.
For example:
If your next level is running 10k under 45 minutes, the level after that might be running 10k under 42 minutes and qualifying for a bigger event.
If your next level is moving into Division 2 in cycling, the level after that might be a podium finish, or a team selection.
If your next level is becoming a starting player, you’re next level might be to become your team’s leading goal scorer.
Thinking about the level after that prevents you from treating your next level like a finish line.
It keeps you hungry and curious, and it reminds you that growth is an ongoing process. It can also get you excited to see you are only 2 steps away from something you could have only dreamed about.
The purpose is not to overwhelm you with bigger goals but to show you how each step fits into the bigger journey.
This exercise also helps shrink the fear of aiming higher.
Once you write it down, you start to see that the big goals are simply a chain of smaller ones, stacked one after the other.
Bringing It Back to Today
It is easy to get caught up in big dreams. But the truth is, none of those future levels will happen unless you take action right now. The athletes who rise are not the ones who just imagine their next level, but the ones who translate that vision into today’s choices.
So here is the final step in this workshop:
[Activity 4] Your First Step Today
Look at what you wrote for your next level.
Then ask yourself: What is one small, realistic action I can take today that moves me closer to that vision?
It could be:
Preparing your gear tonight so tomorrow’s session is non-negotiable.
Adding one extra interval to a workout you already planned.
Swapping out one poor recovery habit for a better one.
Messaging a training partner to hold you accountable.
Be the first person at training, signalling to the coach you are dedicated.
Keep it simple.
Do not overcomplicate it.
Your job is not to leap all the way to your next level today. Your job is to take one small step that makes tomorrow look different than yesterday.
Final Thoughts
Success in sport is built on stacking those small steps.
When you define your next level, visualize it, and map out the level after that, you stop training in the dark. You give yourself a compass. And when you shrink it back to one action today, you create momentum.
Your next level is not some far-off dream. It is a series of clear steps, and the first one is sitting in front of you right now.
[Challenge] For the Brave
This is completely optional…
But if you are feeling brave, why not share your next level in the comments? Writing it down on paper gave it life. Sharing it with others takes it one step further.
What is the worst that can happen? More often than not, you will find that athletes are incredibly supportive of each other’s goals. We know what it feels like to chase something difficult, and we respect anyone who is willing to step up and say it out loud.
By posting your next level, you make your vision visible. You invite accountability, encouragement, and maybe even new training partners or allies. And remember, no goal is too small or too big. What matters is that it is yours.
So if you are ready, be brave. Put your next level into words and share it below.