How do you manage to fit it all in? - Triathlon

BWT

18/04/2012 at 12:08

I decided I would cycle to and from work twice a week... Maybe on one the return home could become a BRICK session but I an seriously struggling to get in 2 sessions of each sport and maintain a life...

Can anyone in training give me an idea of their weekly plan.

Also... Do I have to have a rest day? Could I replace this with a gentle swim...? It would help fitting in everything.

fat buddha

18/04/2012 at 12:10

BWT - it's really just a question of making the time somehow - there's no magic answer as we all have differing demands, so one person's weekly plan is meaningless in the context

rest day is rest day - doing nothing. not a swim or a spin or anything - nowt. it works wonders!!

BWT

18/04/2012 at 12:14

Cheers for the quick reply.

I was wondering if after cycling home I could run... But just seems too much. Maybe if I become fitter...

exiled claret

18/04/2012 at 12:21

Yes it's possible, but you have to decide what your priorities are.

The principle is the same as for running. I am not elite. I reckon that if I really concentrated on my running I could get a sub 3 hour marathon. However I have 4 kids, am involved in the local church, and teaching keeps me pretty busy. As a result my target for a marathon is 3:30!

I've found getting up early and getting out works for me - rest of family asleep, so my training doesn't really impinge on them. Different things will work for different people.

You may have to limit your ambitions for triathlon, or decide to cut back or drop other things you enjoy doing - it's for you to decide!

The Silent Assassin pirate

pirate

18/04/2012 at 12:47

How far is the commute to work?

mine is 22 miles each way, takes 45 mins in car, takes 70 mins on bike, I try and commute twice a week and 1 gets a 30 min run tagged onto it, but then I only swim once a week

Rafiki

pirate

18/04/2012 at 12:57

I'm much the same as SA - ride to work is 30 miles, but tend to drive in one day with the bike, then cycle home and cycle back in the next morning. With traffice its only 30 mins longer on the bike - not too mention a dam site cheaper. Then 6 mile run at lunch time twice a week - only leaves me a couple of swims to fit into 'my' time.

Takes a bit of creative thinking and organisation.

Things will change when I step up to IM distnce next year, but its worth considering the training is only 6 months or so - losing some of my social life for a relatively short period of time will be worth it when I cross that finish line!

MovingAlong pirate

pirate

18/04/2012 at 14:09

Like others have said its a matter of finding time as and when. Doubling up the commute to work tends to solve some of the issues - and also getting sessions in a lunch time or before work tends to work for me.

I'd definitely keep the rest day. I had to make the sacrifice of missing an excellent session by the Tri club in order to have a rest day, but I'd keep it that way.

Last thing I do is each week (normally Sunday night / Monday morning) work out the planned training and other commitments for the fortchoming week and then put the sessions into the diary so I know what I'm doing and when.

With a little movement, my week generally looks like this (note - training for Outlaw):

Mon - evening Club Turbo Session + Brick Run (1.5 hrs)
Tue - Early morning swim before work, lunch time run
Wed - Cycle to work, Long Run in evening (2-3 hours) (often done as partial commute home)
Thurs - Cycle to work, evening swim session (1 hr)
Fri - Lunch run or lunch technique / easy swim session
Sat or Sun - Long Ride
Sun (or Sat) - Rest day

Bobby Nobby

18/04/2012 at 15:44

Im finding it difficult to fit the training in. With working shifts i usually have days off in the week so try to do the long sessions then.When working i usually try to fit a swim or run in before or after work.

BWT

18/04/2012 at 17:21

SA the commute is 10 miles each way, have a shower at work so I will leave clothes at work on the Monday. Take them home the next day I drive. So I have no excess baggage. Apart from my gut!

IronCat5 in the Hat pirate

pirate

18/04/2012 at 17:52

I have found your problem. You want to train and maintain a life.

Last week was a 13 1/2 hour training week for me. I managed to spend time with the family, and put in a good week at work. No social life though. I wonder how fast I could run if I spend the same time dedicated to running? Or whether could go sub 2hrs at Oly?

Good luck with whatever you do.

M..o.use

18/04/2012 at 18:04

There are only so many hours in a day and it's up to you how you spend them.

I don't watch very much telly - so the hour or so I'd watch that in the evening is my training time. I also think it's important to go to bed early so that you can get up and train in the morning if you need to. It's a bit of a standing joke on here that there's a bunch of us who go to bed at 10pm. If I can be asleep by then, I can get 8 hrs sleep and still be up at 6am to train if needs be.

You have to have discipline too, so if you are going to sacrifie the Simpsons or EastEnders, make sure that's what you do, get home, get in, get changed and out again. Then you may find you have some time/space for other things after that. Similarly if you have family commitments, it means you may have to sacrifice your lie in at the weekend to ensure you are up and out the door by 7am. Then you have time for a 6hr bike ride and still have the afternoon to spend with the children.

There are ways and means, you just need to sit down and make a few notes and see what you can do from there.

My week:

Monday - swim pm
Tuesday - bike/run brick
Wednesday - rest (this suits me with my work pattern)
Thursday - bike am/swim pm
Friday - run am
Saturday - long bike
Sunday - swim am followed by long run

I prefer swimming in the morning but my local pool has closed for 6 months so I've had to rejig everything to come up with that and it's workable.

Meldy and FlatFooted work shifts - they may be able to give you some tips for that.

M...eldy

pirate

18/04/2012 at 18:17

I think I may have done so before

Saffers

18/04/2012 at 18:20

Like everyone says, it's not easy but if you want it then you fit it in and around. I'm lucky to only work three days a week but have three kids and a hubby to fit around. I still feel selfish though but tough. They are now use to me. I try and plan long sessions on my days off and at weekends I am up early and back by lunchtime as M.ouse said above but as I am upping the training then I will eat into some of that time. I train 4 nights a week too but do an early session to fit everything in I want to. The kids are use to me and everyone is relatively good at helping out.......they know I will be a nightmare If I don't get the training in that's needed.

Prioritise, do the earlies and fit around the family if there is one. I still have mine at the moment and hoping to hang onto them for a bit longer.

WildWill..... pirate

pirate

18/04/2012 at 20:52

I work away from home so can train up to 3-4 hrs Mon, Tue and we'd night plus the od 30 to 60 min session oi those mornings ...

... So that up to 9-15hrs in those 3days & that's before I looke at the rest of the week on the training and hiking I do with my better half

Bionic Ironwolf pirate

pirate

18/04/2012 at 20:59

I'm lucky, don't have kids and hubby is also a triathlete. We have two Shepherd dogs that need exercising, so they run and/or swim with us -we have several local lakes where we can all go. Doing a run "off the bike" is essential if you are going to be racing, your legs have to get used to transitioning to going back and forth instead of round and round. One time saver for me is to prepare meals in advance for the week and freeze them. I also do errands on foot or bike, every little adds up. When you go for a swim, try running there, swimming, then running home - you can carry a small rucksack with a towel and your goggles. Just towel off after the swim, put your running stuff back on and run home, you can shower once home. Many other ways to combine training and life - when I have to take my car in for service I throw a bike in the back and cycle the 15 miles home from the garage, same thing in reverse going back to pick the car up.

Edited: 18/04/2012 at 21:01

Saffers

18/04/2012 at 21:03

I do find I am failing on the preparing food in advance thing. I am really not that organised and end up on some training nights chucking ready meals at the kids......they have even commented so I have been trying to make more effort to feed them properly but it's hard to get everything right for everyone.

BWT

18/04/2012 at 22:06

Thanks folks for your help - I will have to think it all through - I think as this season will be my first - just getting round my first Oly distance rather than chasing a time.

MovingAlong - I think your idea of sitting down on a Sunday is a good one. As I get fitter and see how each week works I may be able to fit more in or make it fit better.

I do have a family of two monsters (Ohh and a wife!) so when I do get in from school I end up spending time with them and after 8pm it just feels so late to go out! The only part of my minimal social life I wanted to try and keep is my weekly tennis playing! Maybe that could count as running?

Monique

pirate

18/04/2012 at 23:16

Saffers- I use the slow cooker a lot, plan meals for each week in advance. I remember struggling with cooking decent meals when I worked away from home and thought if I had the money to pay a professional it would be a chef to cook for us rather than a coach.

Pop Up Pundit

19/04/2012 at 05:31

It is difficult to fit in, and some things have to give, and other things have to be adapted...so you won't have time to slump in front of the telly, but you could set up a turbo trainer in front of it and watch that way.

If it's the lack of a social life that worries you, have you thought about finding like minded people to train with? I have found that as training peaks, my tri buddies are the mainstay of my social life - meeting at the pool, long rides or runs together and so on. Worth considering.

Making a schedule is the way forward I think - planning ahead to make sure you can make the time for training. Good luck

IronCat5 in the Hat pirate

pirate

19/04/2012 at 08:17

+1 for the slow cooker. We've even chucked a whole chicken in it a few times.