It’s Christmas time, and while most people are posting warm, fuzzy messages about gratitude and holiday cheer… Coach Scrooge has a few things to get off his chest.

Coaching pet hates. Avoidable, self-inflicted endurance-training habits that hold athletes back every single year.

Let’s begin…

1. Over-Reliance on Gadgets

We live in an era where training has become a tech obstacle course.

I hear it all the time:

“Coach, my Garmin didn’t sync, so I couldn’t do the session.”
“Zwift wasn’t showing the workout, so I just went for a ride.”
“My power meter battery died, so I had to skip it.”

Honestly… Eddy Merckx won the Tour de France with a watch, a steel bike, and a great feel for pacing.

Athletes far faster than most of us trained on:

• perceived effort
• a stopwatch
• a hill
• and maybe some common sense

If your gadget dies, you still have legs.

If Zwift crashes, you still have a trainer, or the outdoors still exists.

If your Garmin explodes mid-ride, you still know how to breathe and move.

Don’t let tech failure become training failure.

2. Obsessing Over Metrics (HRV, Body Battery, Recovery Scores…)

Look, I love data — when it’s used correctly. Not when athletes outsource basic self-awareness to an app.

If you were up all night with a teething baby… you already know you’re tired.

If you had three beers whilst watching the rugby… you don’t need HRV to tell you recovery isn’t “optimal.”

When I get the message:

“Coach, my HRV dipped — what should I do?”

My first question is always:

“How do you feel?”

The rules are simple:

• Feel fine → Train.
• Feel rough → Don’t.
• Feel unsure → Be cautious.

There are times when HRV is actually useful:

• Everyone around you is getting sick, your HRV tanks, and you’re clearly next — brace yourself.
• You’re recovering from illness but HRV is still low — take another day or two.

But metrics should support your perception — not overrule it.

3. Moving Sessions Around Without Asking the Coach

This one ages me five years every time.

Sessions are in a specific order for a reason. But then I open TrainingPeaks and see:

“Coach, I failed my VO₂ max session today — am I getting weaker?”

Followed by the discovery that you:

• Did your first ever CrossFit class yesterday and now can’t sit on the toilet without bracing the walls.
• Added an “easy” recovery Zwift race.
• Moved the VO₂ max session to the day after a two-hour run.

Of course you struggled. It wasn’t meant to be there.

Session order matters:

• Hard work → done fresh
• Endurance work → often done with some fatigue
• Anything else → you might get away with it once or twice, but don’t make it a habit

4. “I Substituted It With Something Similar…”

Ah yes… the athlete classic.

I prescribe:

4 × 10 minutes at threshold

You do:

a social ride and “pushed hard on a few hills.”

Not the same thing.

Ride with friends by all means — but don’t try to badge it as structured training.

5. Missing Brick Runs

This one really, really tests Coach Scrooge’s patience.

Brick runs are essential. They are not optional. They should be automatic.

Yet I hear:

“I was too tired after the bike.” → You’ll be tired in your Ironman too.
“My ride took longer than planned.” → Only to see a 45-minute coffee stop in there!

Brick runs are about discipline. Don’t even allow skipping them to become an option. No successful athlete has ever said, “I did too much running off the bike in training.”

That brings us neatly to…

6. Coffee Stops During Endurance Rides

Nothing turns Coach Scrooge into a full Grinch faster than a long coffee stop mid-endurance ride.

A three-hour ride means moving consistently for three hours.

If you need fuel, stop at a petrol station, not a patisserie.

Save café rides for training camps — when you have all day to ride.

7. Ignoring the Race Plan

A true holiday favourite.

I spend time creating a detailed pacing, nutrition and strategy guide. Race day arrives. The athlete feels amazing at the start and decides:

“Coach, I felt great so I just went with it!”

Result?

Implosion too far from the finish and a missed opportunity for a great performance.

Race plans exist because you will feel good early on. That’s the trap. That’s why pacing matters.

Trust the plan. Don’t be fooled into believing your taper has turned you into Kipchoge.

Final Word from Coach Scrooge

Right — that’s enough seasonal joy.

If any of these behaviours sound familiar… good. Consider this your festive slap on the wrist.

I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect effort:

• Train consistently
• Train smart
• And stop giving Coach Scrooge heart palpitations when he opens TrainingPeaks

Christmas is a perfect moment for reflection. January is when you fix it.

Merry Christmas.
Coach Scrooge (aka Coach Cronk)