“HELP ME FIND TIME TO TRAIN FOR A 70.3”
Reader Jonathan Shaw is finding it hard to balance family life and work with training. Coach Dermott Hayes helps him find more time for tri
Jon: I have an 80-mile round-trip commute, rising at 6am, to be out for 6:30am. I’m not great at early mornings but am prepared to change. Any suggestions? Dermott: Training early in the morning is a habit we can adapt to, but you shouldn’t force it as there’s a risk you’ll just resent it and go to bed stressing about getting up. Perhaps start with one morning session per week, where you aim to train from 5:15am for 45mins and build from there. You won’t need to do more than two morning sessions per week as sleep is also vital. Prepare all your kit the night before and be ready to go. I can squeeze in a 5km run some lunchtimes and a longer run when I work away once a fortnight. What should I focus on in these sessions? The long run is crucial to any hopes of a successful 70.3 and so using any opportunity when working away is a must. Concentrate on gradually improving your ability to cover increasing distances. Start with 10k and add 1-2kms each week, until you feel that the 21k is achievable. As this will only be once a fortnight it could take you four months to get to this stage. The lunchtime runs
“Get the kids on their bikes to join you while you run to a local park”
could take the form of any of the ‘30min Sessions’ [p58], but it would be more beneficial to focus on the interval-style sessions that offer more speed and power. My swimming is non-existent and a long bike unheard of. I have two boys, 11 and 8. It would be great to include them in some fun activities that could double as sessions for me. I’d strongly advise you purchase a turbo trainer if you don’t already have one, as this will give you the chance to train at home and reduce time away from the family. Your long bike rides through the winter could be done early morning on the turbo and give you the perfect opportunity to build stamina and add some structure to your ride time, aiming to build up to 2hrs. Once you’re finished with the turbo you could get the kids on their bikes to join you while you run to a local park, try out some circuit style exercises and show them who’s boss! You also must try and schedule one swim per week, which may need to be in the evening as part of a group session. If you can do a deal with your partner where she gets her own free time in return, this might help you get pool time! Can you prescribe an example week’s training schedule for me? Monday – Rest; Tuesday – Run Intervals; Wednesday – Swim; Thursday – Bike Intervals; Friday – Rest; Saturday – ParkRun with the kids; Sunday – Bike Endurance followed by easy run. Begin with this and if it works and you feel you can add an additional morning session then do that on the same day as your lunchtime run or swap for a rest day.