Very few of us are immune to the temptations of social media in this day and age (including yourself – seeing as you are reading this!)

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, Instagram, etc., as in my coaching line of work – it is an essential tool to reach all of the incredible triathletes out there.

However, for my athletes, I do advise them to be mindful of how they interact with social media – as sometimes not always the best use of their time to achieve their goals.

So let us look at this from the title of one of my favorite movies – “The Good, the bad and the ugly” to be someway objective!

The Good

The Bad

The key thing is to be critical in everything you read and think, “Is this right for me or does this stack up?”  

There is a time and a place for smashing yourself up and it is should be part of a plan/overall goal rather than trying to chase down OreoMucher1983 on strava.

So be a poker player – do not show your hand when you do not need to.

Do not go telling your club nemesis that the run was a “sprint race pace effort” so he/she knows what pace they need to be run to chase you down come race day -let them find out the hard way!

The ugly

Then you will have something good to stick up on social media when you are telling your clubmates, training buddies about your new PB.

So to sum up – I am not a luddite suggesting we create a bonfire of our smartphones. Like everything – social media can be fun and useful in helping us develop as a community and athletes but in moderation!

Do use it to connect, learn from others and keep focused on your goals

Don’t spend too much time on it or allow it to distract from your A goal!