How to Find Time to Train

You are BUSY. Chances are you are mom or dad and you are working full time. Your kids are in sports after school with games on the weekends. Or you are a busy professional working 60+ hours a week. Life is BUSY and sometimes fitting in your workouts is a HUGE challenge.

If you've signed up for an Iron distance race the clock is ticking and you have a lot of hours of training to accomplish to feel confident on race day. It doesn't have to be overwhelming, however.

Let me help you with this.

There are several ways you can re-arrange your day to get in your training. So here are my best tips to help you get your workouts in without feeling overwhelmed or rushed.

1. Train in TIME not miles. I have always been a huge fan of training in mileage because that's what I grew up with. Once I had a coach of my own, he put everything in TIME and it took some getting used to. The advantage of training this way is that there is no need to map out mileage or training routes. You just have an APPOINTMENT with yourself for let's say for a 45 minute run. All you have to do is stay in your specified HR zones and just go! This kind of training fits in nicely with heart rate training too if you are wanting to spend a certain amount of time in a certain zone.

2. Train inside. This is a great option because it takes the guesswork out of mapping out a route and wondering if weather conditions will allow you to ride or run outside. I invested in a Spinner bike and I have to say it's been great in the winter months. I downloaded the Peloton app and have had some awesome workouts on the stationary bike in my garage. The nice thing about riding or running inside is that it actually allows you more time with your family. It's also a good thing for your kids to see you working out taking care of yourself and leading a healthy lifestyle.

3. Workout at lunch. If you can work this into your day, that's 5 hours of training DONE before you get home from work. This can be a 45 min run followed by a quick shower and back at your desk in just a little over an hour. Working out at lunch can actually REDUCE STRESS and INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY as well. If you're like me, I always have more energy in the earlier part of the day rather than 6pm.

4. Join a Master's Swim group. This can be GAME CHANGING for your swim. These are often offered early in the morning, at lunch, or just after work. There is zero planning involved and all you have to do is SHOW UP. You will find that you push yourself MUCH harder when you work with a group. There is a strong support system already in place for athletes to motivate each other as well.

5. Workout EARLY in the morning. I am a HUGE fan of getting your workouts in first thing in the morning. Nothing can take it away from you while everyone is sleeping! This is a great way to avoid emergency meetings at the end of the day at work, people dropping in, kids needing something, etc. You are more likely to stick to a morning routine when you get in the habit of working out early.

So I urge you to put some of these tips into play now. You will soon see that you are more efficient and organized with your training time. An iron distance race is a HUGE time commitment, but it can be done if you train smart and use your time wisely.