Triathlon Time Management

Before your first weekly workout log is posted on Sunday, I wanted to go over some ideas on how to squeeze extra workouts in. Like many of us you may have a family, kids, a job and other obligations. One of the biggest things you can do is wake up before the family is up. 

1) Wake Up Early. Believe it or not, but gyms are open long before dawn, some even 24hours/day. Get to the gym (see #2), get your workout in. Get home and make pancakes for the family. They will not even miss you, but should be excited by the prospects of pancakes.

2) Bike or Run into work. You might just be surprised at how much your fitness and bike handling skills increase just by cycling to work or the pool. Understandably we don't all have the flexibility to use these options. However, putting yourself in a position of being able to utilize your time is probably the most important point. Examples of this include, joining the gym/pool closest to work/home and using their shower and change facilities. 

3) Plan Your Week. Take my schedule when I post it, and customize it to your life. The same basic structure will be used for most of the program. You will find that if you get you study and prepare your week ahead of time, the entire week will flow better. Simply spend 10min Sunday night or early Monday morning going over your schedule will make sure you're on track. If you live with someone else, now is the perfect time to plan when you will eat dinner together and when you may need a bit of time to yourself. Doing the weekly grocery shop on Sunday (early) mornings can help make Mondays great - no empty shelves of milk or entire families browsing the cereal isle to slow you down. 

4) Extra Kit. Keep a spare set of running and swimming gear in the car. While you may not be able to swim anywhere, you can run just about anywhere. Keep it simple. Keep an extra pair of running shoes, shorts, socks and a top. For swimming, keep a bath suit, goggles and towel. It may help to keep some basic toiletries in the car as well in case you need to freshen up. With these two “kits” in the car, a workout can happen almost anywhere, anytime. 

5) Be Creative. If you are going somewhere a few miles from home with your spouse, friend or someone that can drive a car. Bring you bike, get your errands done, and then ride home. You can also choose to run home. Easy and simple way to get an extra bike ride or run in.

Remember, this is supposed to be fun, and proper time-management will enable you to reach your goal sooner, instead of never. Just think about what the other people at the race are doing right now, as you are reading these posts or watching TV. Life happens, nothing will go perfect every week. Live with it, move on and keep going forward. Deciding how you use your available time and choosing what to and what not to do will influence your ability to progress forward in any sport.