As I get further into triathlon training, I have been struggling with time management. That or energy. Kelly & I were also chatting about fitting in all of our training around other things in life: work, family time, friends, blogging (!), other pursuits.
Triathlon training, or any athletic training really, can take up quite a bit of time. I thought I’d share some of my tricks, and also query the community toward other tips to try.
About me, my lifestyle, & time:
- I have a semi-flexible work schedule, but generally stick to a routine.
- I need some “me time” (or alone time) every day. At least a few minutes.
- I am on the higher end of sleep needs. I can’t get by on just 4-5 hours/nite.
- I am a morning person.
- No children. Just my hubby & cat.
- My goal race that I’m training for is Half Ironman Racine on July 21.
I understand other people (parents, night owls, work-from-home) may have other tricks to fit it in.
My tricks:
- Map out my schedule weekly. I’ve found the most success the past 2-3 weeks when I print a weekly calendar out, make sure all “social” commitments are listed, and add my workouts in that are on my training plan. This weekend I actually went through and added my long ride/runs to each weekend on my calendar so I can make informed decisions on whether to accept or decline social commitments based on my training needs as we get deeper into training.
- Fit in “sneaky training”. Cycling is my weakness, and I know I need to work on it. I ride to work when possible (a few times a week starting in April), which helps me to get low key cycling fitness even though I’m on a commuter bike, and also practice some of my bike handling skills. It’s helpful even though I’m not getting an intense workout in. I don’t count this toward official training time.
- Other “sneaky training”: Consider every opportunity for some additional movement. Can you run home from work? Ride to do certain errands? Walk to a further bus stop? Yoga or stretches while you’re microwaving lunch? Calf raises in line at the store? Every little bit counts!
- Get to bed early! If I don’t get to bed early enough, I don’t have the proper energy for tomorrow’s workout – regardless of the time of that workout!
- Think about your mental training. Plan for this too! Visualization of your successful race, maybe while you’re on the bus. Mindful breathing. Reading more about your sport.
- Plan your meals, & have extra snacks. If I don’t have to worry as much about eating, or I have portable meals ready to go (Salads or Oatmeal in a Jar are my go-to’s right now!) then it’s harder to wiggle out of a planned workout. Keep enough snacks around in case you didn’t have enough food. I wouldn’t have had the energy to run home this afternoon had I not had an energy bar in addition to my planned lunch.
For me, the biggest things are to manage stress. If I get too stressed, I revert back to needing my “me time,” so I have found that keeping my stress in check helps me to fit in the optimal amount of workouts.
Other fun things going on:
We also complete successful rides. Success = no crashes.
