The first day of spring will soon be upon us, known as the vernal equinox. On that day, the daylight hours are exactly equal to the nighttime hours. A definite reason to celebrate the coming of longer, warmer days, especially this winter as it’s been a long one (and not over yet, we know!).

With summer coming, many of us are thinking about our summer training and racing plans  - or maybe you always think about them – but it’s definitely time to get serious now. And if you aren’t a big competitor, the first day of spring is still a great time to get serious about your goals - fitness or otherwise.

We’re all conditioned to think about goal setting at the New Year – in the dead of winter, when motivation is at it’s lowest!  A while back I read or heard somewhere (don’t recall anymore) that this is actually the worst time of year to focus on goals. Why? Because it’s dark, it’s cold; you don’t feel like doing much other than hibernating and hunkering down for the winter, in general terms. And it’s certainly a tough time of year to get out and work on your fitness.

For those of you that are successful with your fitness goals set in January, more power to you. But for many of us, it makes a lot more sense to set some serious goals, whatever they may be, right now at the start of spring.

Coincidentally, this is about the time of year when the majority of those who set January fitness goals (and clogged up your gym) have long given up hope. Have you noticed that (well actually you’ve probably noticed this for a few weeks now) you can actually use the treadmill, grab a spin bike, or use any set of weights you want without having to wait on anyone? January’s good intentions were given up long ago – probably because it was the dead of winter and it’s tough to be motivated for anything that time of year.

Early spring is ideal for setting, and sticking to those goals. Think about it – spring is a rebirth of all living things. It’s a time of renewal and regeneration. It’s getting warmer and there’s more daylight (our weekday evening rides have even started up here in Colorado at 5pm!) making it sooo much easier to get outside and run, ride, hike, whatever.

So if you’ve found yourself slipping on your goals, fitness or otherwise that you set in January – give yourself another chance now.

With the advent of spring and longer days, you'll have a much better chance sticking with your goals if you revise and reset them now!