Training eats up the time!

[Lise]

Today I worked until 5PM. Rode my bike home (3 miles). Ate a snack. Posted on TD (of course). Packed up my stuff. Rode down to the lake (7 miles, Friday evening traffic of cars and people in the big city). Swam I know not how far, since my goggles kept leaking and I kept stopping to try to fix them. Swam enough for my shoulders to hurt. Got out. Took off shorty wetsuit, pulled on tank top, brushed off sand, ate some Clif Blocks, rode south along the lake. Rode hard on the south path. Beautiful. Turned around when it got darkish, and rode as hard and fast as I could between stop lights. Sometimes even got into the aerobars. Total of about 26 miles on the bike.

Got home and it was 9:07 PM! What to do first? Eat? Stretch? Ice elbow that still hurts whenever I ride? Sheesh! I've got a 5 mile run with my pal Jamie at 6 AM tomorrow--we have to run that early or it's just too hot! Gotta get to bed so I can get up again!

The cat box needs new litter! Now it's 9:50! What to do? Shower and go to the grocery store for litter, I guess. I've got the parafin dip thing heating up so I can do some heat therapy on the elbow, too.

Do you find it hard to fit it all in some days? I've got an Oly tri in 23 days--no space to let up at this point. All that said, what a deluxe dilemma for me. 5 years ago I wouldn't have believed that I'd have this "problem"!

[RoadRaven]

Hmmm... Lise... this is easy...

What to do after a training ride when you need to shower, sort dinner/pets/children etc etc etc...

Easy!

Get out your training journal in justified procrastination, looking at what you have done this week/month/year... where you have ridden, recognising places/course you haven't been for a while and thinking about the next opportunity you might get to go there...

Those other things might be important... but surely looking at your own stats and putting off everything else while you lie on the sofa or floor, munching on your fave sandwich and resting (remember, nutrition and rest are vital parts of your recovery) is a very justifiable procrastination!

And remember - the cat box will still be there tomorrow... but there are never enough opportunities to feel pleased about your riding!

[Brina]

I feel your pain. Camp for my 3 ended yesterday and my oly is the week after yours. 6 am is going to become my only viable workout time for biking and running. They still have swim lessons, so I can swim while they are covered by the instructors. I am still a little freaked out by this race, but consistent training is helping me feel better about it.


Tomorrow I am doing the fleet feet women's 10K at Montrose Harbor in place of a training run. Any chance you are going to be around?

[Lise]

Hey, Road Raven, I like your attitude! The only disadvantage to the TE board is I don't write in my training journal like I used to. I write here! I do log my miles, of course. I didn't go to the store last night, but I did scoop the stinky stuff out of the cat box. That helped. New litter today.

Brina, I've got another committment tomorrow until 11 AM, when you'll probably be long done. I am getting up at 5:30 AM tomorrow to ride my bike. I need to be at a meeting at 8:30, but it's near downtown, so I figure I can get in about 25 miles before the meeting, and it shouldn't be toooo nutty on the bike path at 5:30! I plan to ride over and take the path south from Belmont, then get all the way to the end, if I can, and back to my meeting. With a sundress in the Timbuk 2 bag.

I cannot even imagine how you do it with kids. Making them take swim lessons (I mean, of course, giving them the opportunity.... ) is a great idea. They're cared for, and you're already at the pool to do your swim training. I'm glad to hear you're feeling better about the training. You'd hardly be normal if you weren't nervous about the race. I'm seriously thinking of doing Accenture next year, just for the experience. I'm not getting any younger!

Turns out I'm going to be out of town the weekend of Accenture this year, but I'll cheer from afar. Have you thought of doing the Banco Popular 1/2 marathon Oct 1? http://www.chicagohalfmarathon.com/P...ash=ea07505c94 I want to train to that distance and keep it up, so it won't feel so daunting next year when I do the 1/2 IM tri. That's the plan, anyway.

As RR says, nutrition and rest are verrry important components of training. I just ran 5 mi with Jamie, ate a bagel w/ PB, showered, and am going back to bed!

[Tri Girl]

You are a busy woman, Lise (but then again, isnt' every woman busy- we do everything after all ). It can be not only tough to get it all in, but frustrating when there isn't enough time in the day for it all.
I'm training for my IM, and now that I'm up to 17-20 hours a week training, it seems like I have 3 jobs: teacher, wifey, training. Not everything gets done (like, say, housework/laundry in a timely manner/dishes), but I really don't care and have let that go for now. Sounds silly (or perhaps gross), but I have been known to eat in the bathtub after a long workout when I'm taking an ice bath to soothe my muscles (breakfast in bed is acceptable, so should be a post workout lunch/snack in tub- it kills 2 VERY needed birds with one stone). Just try not to wash the sandwich.

I agree with RoadRaven tho- all things will be there no matter what, but you need to be "selfish" and take time to celebrate your accomplishments and good deeds for yourself. After all, if you don't take time for you- maybe nobody else will. Be proud, journal more often, and reward yourself for the good things you do for your body!!

And, nice job on p.m. workout and the early a.m. run! Good for you!!!! You have to post back after you finish that oly- we are excited to hear all about it!!!

[Lise]

Man, training for an IM is beyond my ken. I read RunningMommy's posts with mounting amazement. It absolutely is another job. Aside from really not wanting to run another 26 miles in one day ever again, it's the training time that keeps me from considering an IM. The 1/2 next year will take plenty enough time!

Today is working out so well. Ran 5 mi this AM, came home, slept a few hours, shopped, doing laundry, made more nopal salad, got some movies (Capote and Bridgid Jones II--what a pairing, eh?) Going to bed early so I can be up at 5:30 AM to ride. I haven't had a day entirely off (no date, no meeting, no family stuff) for I don't know how long. Feels great.

Thanks for the encouragement, all. One thing I'm doing this afternoon is write out some thoughts and plans for the tri this month. You know how the weeks before you have all these "oh, I have to remember this" thoughts? It will feel good to write them down.

BTW, eating in tub makes all the sense in the world to me! Keep in mind that I'm a midwife, and I'll eat just about anything, just about anytime/anywhere! I'm all about the multitasking.

[Tri Girl]

You know how the weeks before you have all these "oh, I have to remember this" thoughts? It will feel good to write them down.

Oh yes, I know all about that. Difference is, you're being smart and writing them down. I'll start doing that in my training log, too. Maybe I'll actually remember the things I mean to if I write them down. Duh on me!

And I'm sure being a midwife has you multi-tasking all the live long day. Have you ever though of combining post workout stretching/snacking/journaling with midwifery? Sure could save some time, and I'm sure the ladies will understand and graciously wait on you. Just a thought...

[KSH]

Training is a lifestyle... not something you can do/take casually. Yes, it eats up so much time.

Here is how much time I spent training in July, and that doesn't count travel to/fro the locations, showering, napping, etc.:

July's totals:
Bike: 25h 32m 02s - 356.9 Mi
Run: 1h 11m - 4.5 Mi
Swim: 40m - 1800 Yd
Aerobics 3h 50m
Walking 20m

For May, June and July, I have spent all this time training:

2006 totals
Bike: 79h 2m 22s - 1131.56 Mi
Run: 1h 31m - 4.75 Mi
Swim: 4h - 9700 Yd
Aerobics 15h 55m
Elliptical Training 1h
Stationary Biking 25m
Walking 2h 13m


Yep, lots of time is taken up. Not sure what I would do if I had a hubby, kids, and a house to take care of! Not sure how you ladies do it!

[btchance]

Training time sucks!! But then I love it, so maybe the studying time and on call time is what sucks! Either way, there's just not enough hours in the day. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to keep it up during some rotations, although I'm sure I will.

[Lise]

bt, what's your specialty, and how far along are you in your residency? I don't know how anyone manages to keep food in the 'frig much less train for anything when they're in a residency program! Youth, perhaps, is on your side...

[btchance]

Hey Lise, I'm still in medical school at the moment, going through the different rotations seeing what I want to do in the future. Probably working in a rural area with a practice that has some clinic to it. I'm really looking at ob/gyn, but also family, and to my suprise, peds (never thought I would say that, but I'm loving the kids) Right now I lucked out and I have my family/rural rotations right now when all the tris are going on, so call isn't too bad (ie, not in hospital call). Next month that all changes with surgery I'll be lucky to get in one training session per week. But hey, at least when tri season starts back up, I'm on rotations with no call!!

But yeah, the lack of time is why I won't get to longer distance tris for a couple of years. my training sessions are short and to the point, part of the reason why I'm not very fast right now. Oh well, it will improve with time.

Oh, and food in the fridge, that's why I stock up on everything at once and just do a quick run by when I need perishables and I don't think youth is too much on my side as I die with less than 7hrs of sleep! I just run around like crazy during the day, driving everyone nuts because I can't sit still for 5 min