“A Triathlon? How do you find the time to train for that?!!”
I get it! As a busy mum to two full-on boys ages 4 and 6, juggling a full-time job and triathlon with family life does not come easy.
But, If I don’t make the time (and my husband will confirm this!) I go crazy. People often underestimate the link between physical and mental health, but exercise has become a vital part of my day, to manage stress and anxiety. Therefore, squeezing in time-efficient workouts has become a necessity.
In need of extra tips, I canvassed my club mates for their time-saving tips and work out ideas. I hope you find them useful too!
1. Plan your time
- Plot out your key races and work back to ensure you allocate sufficient time to train and taper.
- Add in other commitments to work around, e.g., work trips/family holidays, etc. My husband and I sit down every week and plan a week ahead so we know who’s covering the kids, training, dinner, etc.
- Periodisation is a well-known part of long-term training, determining when you can train hard and when you need to take it a bit easier. If you have a busy week, then just relax on the training front, but look ahead and work out when you can then do a little more.
- Build habits – training sessions fitted into your routine that you do every week are less likely to be disrupted by life, the universe and all the forces that try to stop you training.
- Be realistic with the time you can dedicate to training and allocate sessions accordingly. There’s no point in trying to follow a 12-hour-per-week plan when you only have 6 hours available.
- Join a club – you may be able to work club sessions into your plan, saving time on planning what you’re going to do in each session; just turn up and get the job done!
2. Use Your Lunch Hour
- HIIT sessions work well, e.g., on a turbo or static bike. Warm-up -> 10 * 2 min flat out -> Cooldown
- 30 min run with sprint/ hill intervals
- If you’re near a pool a short sharp swim
- Strength & Conditioning
3. Get Your Kit Organised
- Get all your kit and food laid out the night before, or have them ready in the car for before/after work.
- Have your bike, or better still, a spare bike already on the turbo, tyres inflated, water in a bottle, etc., ready to go!
- Zwift, etc., are great motivators, but be prepared for additional faffing/distraction! (“turn TV on, plug in a laptop, sign in, mend it, stop emails/Facebook/twitter popping up, mend it again etc…. Forget that stuff, just ride the damn thing!”)
4. Kids? No problem
- Use the school run to start/ complete your run/bike session (especially if you have older kids who can cycle with you).
- Babies are portable! Buddy up with another mummy/ daddy and take turns (either a 30-minute run or a blast on the bike or turbo, leaving the other parent with both kids or tag team speed/ hill drills – one parent running a rep, the other doing squats, etc., with the buggies).
- Strength and conditioning sessions are easy to fit in 10 minutes at a time (kids make a great alternative to a kettlebell).
- Now my boys are cycling, I manage to take them to the local park and run 400m intervals, chasing them down on their bikes (I need to give them less of a head start though as I never catch them!)