How do you find time to train?

Probably the best idea is to pretty much remove your
vehicle from your life. Commute everywhere by bike.
Hopefully you live fairly far from work. Use the weekend
for big bike and run days.

--
--------------------------
Andre Charlebois AGC-PC support agc-pc.tripod.comagc-pc.tripod.comOpen ↗
BPE, MCSE4.0, CNA, A+

"IMBudd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm interested in hearing all the tips and tricks out
there for people with real lives and real jobs that are
training for an ironman.

How do you find time to do it?

[email hidden] (IMBudd) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm interested in hearing all the tips and tricks out
there for people with real lives and real jobs that are
training for an ironman.

How do you find time to do it?

Find your "happy place". Take apart the triathlon and look
at people who participate in only one of the disciplines. My
observation is that, apples-to-apples, they tend to train
fewer hours per week.

I think the "additional" time required for a triathlete
comes from two sources. We need more time (3x) to maintain
technique/form, versus conditioning.

The other reason we TEND to train more hours is that it is
just part of the character of the sport; try to ignore
that. There is no set amount of hours per week required
for you to legitimize your presence in a race, but it can
feel that way.

Now, to your question... : )

You need to really investigate your resources:
* Does your office have showers?
* Is it feasible to work from home, ever?
* Does it make more sense to make your swim workout part of
your commute strategy? Masters workouts & lap swims are
usually available VERY early.
* If you have a family, is it possible to plan weekend runs
around running back home afterwards?

Another thing I have discovered late in life is that I
have relied too heavily on training to manage my weight.
Showing discipline with meal/snack choices makes my use of
workout time more efficient. Not everyone has had to learn
this, I'm sure.

Good Luck,

rsquared

I would take a very esoteric tact to this one and say that
nobody really finds that they have the time to train.
Rather, they make it.

I've found that people make the time to do the things they
really want. If watching a particular TV show is your thing,
you'll MAKE sure you are home to watch it. If its a half
hour of reading before bedtime, they'll MAKE their lives so
that its possible for them to have that half hour.

Same thing for training. I surely don't want to swim at
0600, and I'd never find the time to swim in the afternoon
if I also had to run and bike. There is no way, however,
that I can possibly MAKE the time to do all of the things
that I want, so some of my hobbies are put on hold while I'm
training for Ironman. I can't practice water skiing to the
degree I'd like and train for Ironman, so one or the other
has to go. This is one of the reasons I don't race long but
every other year.

Over the years I've been able to mold my life's
requirements into something that allows more time for
training due to flexibility. I had a rigid high paying job,
but having free time and flexibility was more important to
me than money, so now I have a more flexible, but less
highly paid career. It MAKES me happy, and I've MADE it do
I have the time to train.

Compromise and desire. We always make time to do the things
we really want to do. We rarely find it, and if we do, its
not enough for Ironman!

In article
<[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

How do you find time to do it?

I asked to work flexy hours, I now start at 7am and finish
at 3.30pm.

I commute to work by bike, 24 miles in each direction. I
leave the house at 5.45am every morning.

I use the work gym facilities 3 times per week at lunchtime.

I train on the bike 3 evening a week from 6pm to 8pm.

I run on Saturday mornings

I swim on Saturday afternoons

I ride 200k on Sundays.

Every time I'm asked to do something (work commitments,
holidays etc.) my first thought is how can I get my training
in around it.

I use 2 weeks vacation to attend training camps in warmer
climates (I'm in the UK)

When I holiday with my girlfriend I run early and get back
in time so as not to interrupt our quality time together.

You just have to want to do it. If you can't find time to
train the amount you want to, your not dedicated enough.
This is not putting anyone down, it's just a case of
priorities.

That's my opinion anyway.

JFDI

--
Mark (MSA) This post is packaged by intellectual weight, not
volume. Some settling of contents may have occurred during
transmission

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

JFDI

PS: I have a real life and a good one. I also have a real
job, it's good, but I'd rather be training!

--
Mark (MSA) This post is packaged by intellectual weight, not
volume. Some settling of contents may have occurred during
transmission

1. Be a teacher, I have summers off and I'm home by 3:30
2. Don't breed like a wild animal
3. Have a wife who is also a runner
4. Make it a priority
5. Stop watching NASCAR on Sundays. OK, I don't watch
racing but if you do there is 3 hours worth of training.

"MSA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

JFDI

PS: I have a real life and a good one. I also have a real
job, it's good, but I'd rather be training!

--
Mark (MSA) This post is packaged by intellectual weight,
not volume. Some settling of contents may have occurred
during transmission

"Helen Zass" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

<<Snip>>

Quoted message said:

2. Don't breed like a wild animal

<<Snip>>

How true... In twenty years, fewer will care about your
Ironman, than the job you did as a parent.

The first few years of Ironman required a support vehicle.
The "support vehicles" are still there; they are the mini-
vans that take up the slack while you are preparing for
your race.

Don't forget to split your "winnings" with the "team".

<<Preach mode off>>

rsquared

Quoted message said:

How do you find time to do it?

I guess the issue is how fit you are already. For many
people just competing a marathon is a major time
commitment.However, even a fit person will struggle to do an
ironman on less than 10-hours per week, which is a major
time commitment even for a single person. The general
feeling is though 10-hours a week is enough for a fit person
to finish...

One of the guys in the club recently e-mailed me and
apologised for not being able to make many sessions since
his first baby was born. I wrote this in reply:
livejournal.comtrimanOpen ↗

My usual jest though when discussing races etc. in the
changing rooms after a swim session is there are 4-types of
people that do long distance triathlon - those that are
single, those that want to be single, those that will be
single and those whose partners are triathletes...

++Mark.

Hi All: First posting, but thought that this could be
relevant. I run a new business called sportskool. sportskool
is a new cable television service that offers sports and
fitness instruction on demand. For instance there is content
covering everything from fitness and yoga to basketball,
soccer, tennis, skiing and snowboarding. Coming prior to
Memorial Day, sportskool will introduce a segment for first
time or near first time triathletes called "Triathlon
Training in Four Hours a Week-5 Simple Steps to Your First
Triathlon". The program will feature Eric Harr and ironwomen
Lokelani Mcmichael and is being shot in beautiful high
defintion in Hawaii. Right now sportskool is only available
in the New York tri-state area, but should be available
nationwide by mid-to-late 2004. For more information check
out www.sportskool.com. As it is my business, I am always
interested in feedback from athletes and areas of other
interest that I should be thinking about. Thanks.

Brent

"Helen Zass" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

1. Be a teacher, I have summers off and I'm home by 3:30
2. Don't breed like a wild animal
3. Have a wife who is also a runner
4. Make it a priority
5. Stop watching NASCAR on Sundays. OK, I don't watch
racing but if you do there is 3 hours worth of
training.

(Old Timer) said:

I would take a very esoteric tact to this one and say that
nobody really finds that they have the time to train.
Rather, they make it.

I've found that people make the time to do the things they
really want. If watching a particular TV show is your
thing, you'll MAKE sure you are home to watch it. If its a
half hour of reading before bedtime, they'll MAKE their
lives so that its possible for them to have that half hour.

I was going to say something similar, but you did it more
eloquently.
<g>

If it's important enough to you, you'll make the time. If
not, you won't. It's just that simple.

Mike Tennent "IronPenguin"

If you have kids, a health club with good daycare can be
good for shorter workouts. You will, however, need an
understanding spouse for 8-hour bike rides.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night, and party every day. Th-
en it was every other day. . . ."
- Homer J. Simpson

I'm with ya Harold. Maybe some folks can "do" Ironman on
that kind of training, but I wouldn't want to, I know I'd
arrive at the starting line at less than my full potential.

Plus, at times I feel like 100 miles isn't enough, even
though I know it is. During race day, my body thinks its
going to get to stop at 100 miles, its programmed in my head
and body. Those last 12 are very long miles. Occasionally I
think that is also the reason the last 6 miles of a marathon
are always hell, my longest runs are 20 milers.

In hilly northern Maryland, my 100 mile bike rides take
about 5.5 hours, and they occur on a Saturday, along with a
Master's swim practice and an hour run. That makes for about
8 hours of training on a Saturday - not very conducive to
family activities - but I have no family other than a bride.
Long training days are good for the body, soul, and offer
pretty good respones to "what did you do this weekend" in
the office on Monday morning. Hmm...lets see... 160 miles on
the bike, 26 miles running, 4 miles of swimming...

A "long" ride of 4 hours just wouldn't cut it for me. I'd be
hating that 112 miles on race day.

Question: How do you find time to do it?

Quoted message said:

I'm married with 2 young kids. I train between 12 and 18
hours per week, and tend to go for 1/2 IM distance races
with some Olympic as well. Last year I did my first IM and
had to step up training in order to prepare. IM training
made me much more disciplined, and it's actually easier now
to train than ever before due to that. My training success
is tied to one major thing.....going to bed early! I don't
watch TV much anymore, but that's ok because most of it
sucks anyway. I also own a Computrainer which has been key
to my training success. Being able to get up at 4 am, check
my email while grabbing some coffee and cereal..then jumping
on the CT for 90 minutes has been great the past 2 winters.
I'm done by 6:30-7 and then am out the door for work (and I
get to watch ESPN and lots of movies this way)

This morning for example I drove into downtown San Fran
(where I work) and did an open water swim in the bay
followed by a 1.25 hour run. Then back in the car to the
parking lot, into the YMCA for a shower, and into work at
9. Other days it's Walnut Creek Masters swim at 5:30
followed by a run or ride then onto the subway. Saturday
morning I have a 4hr ride. I'll start at 6am for this one
and perhaps meet up with some other riders later in the
ride for part of it.

The absolute key for me is to get my sorry butt up and do it
early. If I rationalize and self-talk myself into waiting
"until later" the session is doomed 99.99% of the time.

[email hidden] (Chris Maginn) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Question: How do you find time to do it?

Quoted message said:

I'm married with 2 young kids. I train between 12 and 18
hours per week, and tend to go for 1/2 IM distance races
with some Olympic as well.

As a parent of young kids I don't have this kind of luxury.
Anyone in a similar position - don't panic! Triathlon
training can be done adequately on less than 12-18 hours a
week assuming you have a base of fitness already there. I am
still staggered that folk can do an "8 hour training day" as
listed elsewhere in this thread and really benefit from the
full workout, even more so that they benefit from sessions
over the following days. In my book training when you are
tired is next to useless! I did a half IM last year in just
under 5 hours and my maximum training week last year was 6.5
hours. Work commitments, 2 young kids and family who I like
to spend time with put paid to any more than this. My
longest ride before the 1/2 was in the region of 2.5 hours.
A few more longer rides would have been better for the run
but didn't materialise so just had to dig deep! My motto is
to always have a plan of what I am doing and to train
effectively. None of my sessions are wasted with 6 hours
ambling on the bike. Swimming sessions are very much
distance and technique based (usually max 1 hour), biking
hits the hills often and running is either a long run
usually of maximum 1:15 and again more hills. Long easy
stuff goes out of the window in my diary but I still managed
my half IM and regularly finish Olympic distance in around
2:20, and break the hour for sprint events. Oh, and eat
decent food. More training would be great and believe me I
crave long rides and 3 hours training a day but I wouldn't
see my kids grow up and they wouldn't have their father to
play with. One can only be so selfish in this life.

Enjoy them while they are still around! Huge volumes of
training is seriously overrated in my opinion for the
majority of age groupers!