Triathlon Training: A Sticky Patch
Sometimes you come across a time when fitting training into your life is hard. Life gets in the way. Everything happens all at once. Training has to become a low priority.
Several of our athletes are facing this at the moment.
What would I suggest you do?
Keep It Rolling
You should try and adopt the ‘something is better than nothing’ approach and try and keep some sort of training going. There is no way you can fit in that 45 minute run that is planned. Can you do 20 minutes? 15 minutes? 10 minutes?
Doing something – however short – is so much better than skipping it. In the example above, you may only run twice per week anyway, so missing the run completely means you will fit one run in this week at best (and that’s if something doesn’t come up to derail the other run).
Frequency and consistency are your friend. A short run (even 10 minutes) keeps things ticking over and prevents that stop-start training pattern.
Keep it rolling!
Shorten The Sessions
Don’t worry about making the sessions shorter than you have planned if you have to.
One athlete I currently coach has some four hour rides planned over the next few weeks in preparation for an Ironman later in the year. He missed his first one because he didn’t have time.
However, he did have time for an hour or even ninety minutes, but because he had it in his mind that he couldn’t fit in the planned four hour ride, he didn’t do any cycling.
In this instance, a 60 or 90 minute ride would have been so much better than doing nothing.
If you can’t fit the whole session in, just do what you can and make the best of it.
Schedule In Big Sessions
Leading on from the point above, if you have some big sessions planned, put them in the diary. Try and block out time in your diary to fit them in.
One of our athletes knows how difficult it is to fit the longer sessions into her ‘normal’ life at the moment, so is using some of her annual leave and taking some specific, strategically placed days off work to give herself time to do some long rides. This way, when life is busy at weekends, she does not feel the pressure to be out all day on her bike and can be present at home.
Let Your Coach Know
If you are finding it difficult to fit some sessions in, or you are having a particularly difficult patch (work deadlines, family issues, changing shift patterns), speak to your coach as early as you can. This way, you and your coach can find a solution, create a proper plan to navigate the difficulties and keep your overall training programme on track. Otherwise, you struggle alone. Or if you only tell your coach at the last minute, it is likely to be a bit of fire-fighting solution, rather than a planned approach.
Be Honest
Be honest with yourself (and your coach if you have one) of what is realistically achievable. In the example above, if four hour rides sound ‘easy’ to fit in, but actually you struggle to get out most weeks due to some unexpected issues – or spreading yourself a bit thin (or you are constantly stressed about fitting the ride in), then it would be better to be realistic.
A different solution might be found – perhaps some double-ride days, consecutive days of shorter rides or a scheduled longer ride every three or four weeks. Different solutions, less stress, training completed, preparation on track.
Be Diligent
On the flip side, be diligent with the training you can do. Don’t miss, shorten or change the session because you are ‘faffing’ or just don’t feel like it. Get on with it. Take the opportunities when you have them. Seize those moments, as you never know what is around the corner, waiting to derail your training!
If you need help with planning your training, or help to navigate your way to the race start line taking account of your busy life, get in touch! I have worked with a lot of athletes in this situation – crazy shift patterns, busy work and social life, parents with very young families, unexpected demands on time – and we have found many solutions and had great success!
Triathlon Training: A Sticky Patch
Discover more from Triathlon Swim Squad
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.