Finding the time
mangel
Posts: 20
in General Chat
Training for my first season in triathlon and at present have only entered into pool based sprint events. However, stuggling with time management !!
Have a busy job (accountant) working long hours and at times working away from home. Add to this the fact I have 2 children (under 3yrs) and studying for exams.
I'm not that good in mornings and prefer to train in the evenings and at weekends (when i can !!).
Come from a running background so have only had to train for the one discipline but to be honest the multi events is not the issue but just finding time to train.
Therefore, my question is how do people fit training around life commitments ?
Leaving the other half & kids and getting a less stressful job is unfortunately not an option !!!
Cheers
Have a busy job (accountant) working long hours and at times working away from home. Add to this the fact I have 2 children (under 3yrs) and studying for exams.
I'm not that good in mornings and prefer to train in the evenings and at weekends (when i can !!).
Come from a running background so have only had to train for the one discipline but to be honest the multi events is not the issue but just finding time to train.
Therefore, my question is how do people fit training around life commitments ?
Leaving the other half & kids and getting a less stressful job is unfortunately not an option !!!
Cheers
0
Comments
jon_g is right, you will have to get your training in whenever you can even if it's early morning. Once you get used to it you'll find it's the nicest time to train.
I would add that you need to keep your goals realistic to the amount of time you have to train. A few years ago I started training for the Ballbuster Duathlon, which needs some serious training. At the same time I had just started university and was running my own business. In the end it was too much and I pulled out the race. I'm not advising you start pulling out of races but don't put too much pressure on yourself so that training becomes a chore.
Maybe look at your week ahead at the weekend and work out what you can realistically acheive over that week and try to meet those targets.
David.
Four years on and suddently 7:30 feels like a lie in.
Its all about just getting into the routine and also not giving yourself the option. The beauty of rowing is that your letting people down if you don't turn up, so you have no choice. Try and find someone else that likes to train in the morning (or wants to learn!) and arrange to meet up with them. Specially now that the mornings are getting lighter training is actually really quite pleasurable.
Other than that I would just recommend training intensively when you do the opportunity. I'm not very experience in Triathlons, having only done a few, but in Rowing if you have the luxury of training 15 times a week then you can do lots of low intensity endurance sessions.
If you can only do say 5 sessions then just blast them. Not sure how technically correct this and it certainly wont help you prepare for an Ironman, but I know for a fact that it helped Oxford Brookes win Henely for 3 years in a row!
The only other option is to integrate the family into workouts. I have seen (and been overtaken) by people racing with push buggies in 10k races. I have also seen a very run procession of a dog, followed by a guy running with the leash, with a rope around his waste to his young kid on a bike behind. Whatever works for you!
Good luck.
1. Log onto the what training thread... on this site; it inspires and it makes you feel that you must contribute
2. Keep a training diary logging times HR's distances, speeds etc this allows you to see your progress and it motivates you
3. Have 3-4 key sessions a week that have priority and everything else is worked around them on that day. These sessions should have a definite time nad goal and once I get them in and recorded I know that I'm moving forward. I have a swim - (1 hr) ;count lengths, turbo session (1hr.30) - 60km; record ave speed, long run 20km (1hr 45); record time & long cycle (3-4 hr) record distance.
when you look at it objectively you see that by making a few sacrifices and by avoiding mucking aboutyou should be able to spare 60-100 mins 3 times per week, the 3hr+ cycle is your luxury
Jon g is right if the sacrifice means getting up an hour earlier in oder to do a session or to do something that will enable you to get a session in then do it. Otherwise you have to realise that you don't REALLY want to succedd at the sport. All the cliches no pain no gain etc ps check out quotation in Going Long about learning to play the saxophone.
I can't remember the day I slept later then 7.30. It's a habit that you learn easy, training in the morning. Especially if you're hooked on triathlon, it's a breeze getting up early.
Another possibility: work commute. Depending of distance, you could either run or bike the trip.
Gets you some extra training without losing the commute time[image]http://forum.220magazine.com/micons/m6.gif[/image]
I'm in the pool or gym at 06:30.
Lunchtimes are for running, and I cycle home from work a few times per week (40 miles) when the evenings are lighter.
Long run on Saturdays with the kids tagging along on their bikes.
Then there's the 06:30 Sunday morning bike ride... beautiful. [:D]
Somehow it all balances out.
Just a few suggestions.
putting it simply, i need to get my butt out of bed and enbrace the early morning work out !!
more seriously though i think i need to give my training a higher priority and not just fit it in when i have time.
will draw up a new training schedule this weekend for those early mornings.
On the other hand (and I know this can be confusing now[8D]), don't neglect your rest/recovery.
Just to make things even more difficult[:)].
Its a hard life eh?.....but the money sucks.
I just looked at the comments on this thread and, like you I find it hard to get the hours in. The thing that helped me most was a written training plan. It sits there in the desk and on the fridge and I cross off the sessions I've done - there's no playing catch up either so if I miss one thats it - it doesn't get crossed off. It sounds really daft but it really focuses your mind. The other thing it does for me it helps me see what I've really achieved, rather than what I think i've achieved. So I know when I need a kick up the .... and I also know when not to beat myself up too much!
Good luck with it all!
the early morning run/bike is the way forward before going to work. researched pool times at local pool and it would appear that i can get a swim booked in before work as well.
now to the hard part, actually getting out of bed. must admit its got to be easier this time of year rather than the months in the depth of winter.
cheers.
Or the other way round. I sometimes arrive at family's home'sfor dinner or so in running or cycling gear. I'd start a half hour or so before my wife and have some good training on the way. She takes along fresh clothes in the car.
If you sort these things out they really work great. The people around you will get used to this way very fast. Communication (with the other half) and planning is very important for time management.
Hope this helps,
Keep training!!!
as previously promised I drew up new training schedule at weekend and started with a cycle and run on sunday morning at 6.30am !!!!!!!!!!!!
bit of a shock to the system but the empty roads were great, no stopping for traffic lights and no drivers giving me less than 2 inches between myself and their car (sound familiar ?) !!!
progress has been made.
they have lots of fun when they pas me by,waving and shouting at me. Letting the oldest one (4 years) join me with his little bike for half a mile when I start a bike ride also helps. When swimming, they can come along some times toplay in tke little shallow pool.
So they actually share in the fun.
I was struggling to balance all the aspects of my life a few years back - I was looking after my three kids, studying for an MBA, working full time and training for Tri. The only way to make the Tri work was to get up at 5am and to hammer it hard for 90minutes before getting the girls ready for school.
For 2 weeks, it was utter torture... until the nutrition got sorted out. I started eating something light just before I went to bed then adding lots of seeds to my breakfast (pumpkin and sunflower) this resulted in an almost instant change.
Now a 5am start is perfectly normal!
Strangely, the now ex-mrs samutri did a runner with an older, fatter and less gorgoeous bloke. Oh well - more training time for me!!
By the way - have to agree with Benny - 0730?? thats almost lunchtime! [;)]