Time Management for the Working Class: working your training around work : trifuel.com

Time Management for the Working Class: working your training around work

By Coach Oliver

Now this is not an article for those of you who sleep with their bikes or think lycra is a substitute for casual wear! Time management can make or break your training routine.

Do you find yourself squeezing in another 60min windtrainer session after being stuck in traffic, hurriedly mixing your drinks up the morning of a big session, getting a bike service 2 days before the race?? Being prepared will prevent most of these pitfalls, however we too often find ourselves in this familiar position. Here are some simple time management principles that will help you get the best out of the time spent away from the office, factory, shop or lecture theatre.

Program Structure

Most of us can manage to follow a training program within reason, however too often a session is shortened/swapped or just written off. Why??
Priorities - we all must eat, sleep, work, travel, socialise etc. as part of our daily lives. Being fully aware of your program structure and how it fits into your daily schedule and 'life' is an art in itself.

So you've determined your plan for the season, your goals have been set and your coach has written your program (taking into account your training time available!!) - your job now is to ensure that it works practically for you. Usually after a few weeks you will realise which sessions require more preparation and recovery time and the basic fact that on the occasion, life now rotates around training! Continual interaction with your coach is essential, you need to keep them up to date on how you feel you are progressing and whether you are finding the schedule fits into your lifestyle. Doing this will prevent 'issues' developing and help you keep your job, house, girlfriend etc..

Organise yourself!

Get a diary/folder with a weekly time schedule in it - it should contain your training program, work hours, engagements and in my particular case, article deadlines! Having this with you throughout the day allows you to adjust and plan the week ahead. Remember to use whatever works for you - a flow chart, notebook, or for those that want an excuse for another toy, a PDA. Have contingency plans for bad-weather days or when things just don't go as planned. When winter comes knocking on your door, it's easy to fall in to the trap of snoozing on through the wet weather, dark mornings and early evenings. Rather than thinking that the days are shorter in winter, change your attitude and consider the day as just having less light! Changing the way you think is the perfect way for you to stop hitting the snooze button and to build a base that will have your rivals trembling.

Ditch the Car

For a long run in the afternoon, allow the (sometimes) ever-efficient public transport system to deliver you to work. When home time arrives, you can have the running gear on and be ready to start that run. 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/swim squad closest to work/home and using their shower and change facilities.

Equipment

Invest in quality gear - things like shoes, tyres, clothing and related equipment all take time and effort to source and purchase. Consider this an essential step in getting you to be time efficient as we all know the time, effort and money required, not to mention frustration caused, by having to replace faulty or worn out equipment. By getting it right first time around, you will not only find yourself with more time on your hands by minimizing the time spent repairing / replacing goods, you will also probably get more life (value) out of the product and enjoy using it.

As you all know, there is a lot of equipment to go with being involved in triathlon and multisport. What else can you do besides turning your home into a Multisport Superstore? Have your gear in a dedicated area - this means when it's time to train or race, you can prepare and pack efficiently.

Combine Activities

And this doesn't mean taking your HR monitor to bed with you! It means turning your long run into a social outing by running with a buddy. Doing a stretch or wind trainer session in front of your favourite TV program. One of the biggest challenges you will face when you are training for triathlon is finding the time to spend with family and friends - particularly if you are looking at Ironman distance triathlons or longer multisport events. One way around this is to encourage your spouse, friends and family to get enthusiastic about what you are doing - if you have a long run on, why not pack up the family for a walk in the forest while you run and follow it up with a picnic? Or get them keen on cycling or take them along to the pool while you do your swim sessions. You will not only get more enjoyment out of the training by having people you care about with you, but they may improve their fitness too!

Start as you mean to finish

You will find that getting the start of the week right (Monday) enables the remainder to flow well. Sitting down for 10min on Sunday going over your schedule will make sure you're on track - confirming your weekly plan and telling your partner what nights you'll be home for dinner also helps. Doing the weekly shop on Sunday mornings can help make Mondays great - no empty shelves of milk or entire families browsing the cereal isle to slow you down.

Motivation

On the days you are struggling to control your priorities or schedule, ask yourself - what would the athlete/s who beat me last time be doing? Surfing the net or planning next weeks sessions? Watching TV or doing a stretch session? The motivation or drive from an athlete usually comes from within, but if external factors can fire you up, use them!

Proper time-management will enable you to reach your goals sooner, rather than never. Always remember, deciding how you use your available time and choosing what to and what not to do will influence your ability to progress forward in your chosen sport.