Training for triathlon means packing workouts for three different sport modalities into each week. Let me suggest a neat trick to help prevent your schedule from driving you batty - developing a routine.
For many of us, the word routine carries negative connotations. To have an exciting day sounds more desirable than a routine day. But, when it comes to athletic training, establishing a routine is a great way to create the opportunity to get things done. If your plan is to train when you can, you won’t.
Pick a time of the day when you can devote about an hour to training. You will need time to get there and prepare, and clean up afterwards. Weekday swims and runs can be as short as thirty minutes.
I highly recommend scheduling your workouts in the morning. If you put them after work there will be too many days when work demands derail your best intentions. For women with a job that requires makeup and nice hair, this may not be possible. Thankfully, workplace norms are expanding to include the athletic look. Senior athletes require more recovery, so doing too much could leave you dragging through the rest of your day.
You may find it useful to do the same kind of workout on the same day. As in Tuesday = bike on trainer, Wednesday = swim, Thursday = run, etc. The demand of multisport may require a few changes between week one and week two, but the more consistent the routine, the less stressful it will feel. Week three should be quite different and start with a few easy days.
Besides modality, another workout parameter to make consistent is intensity. In a seven day cycle, two days should include some high intensity and everything else low. There should be one long workout on a day off from work, for most people that will be Saturday or Sunday. Do not put high intensity days back-to-back. Same for the long day. Always surround these with one or two easy days.
Spending time on flexibility is a must, yet with time so short you want to devote all of your available training time to swimming, biking, and running. Make flex sessions part of your routine. Set aside a solid thirty minutes once a week for some serious flex work, and start every day with a few minutes of activation drills.
Your routine is a goal. Like any goal, you must juggle a bit to adapt to real world events. For example, I swim in the ocean, and here on Oahu the beach I swim at is subject to a monthly influx of nasty little box jellyfish. Can’t swim? Schedule something else. This is an opportunity to cross train. Go for a brisk walk around Diamond Head, or do an extra yoga session. Once the disruption passes, I settle back into my routine.
If you ever question your identity as an athlete, maintaining a daily routine can help. Consistency is key to physical development and mental outlook. Having a routine provides consistency and contributes to your self view as an athlete.
Sticking to your routine should provide a sense of accomplishment, but do not be a slave to your schedule. Life is complicated. Things happen. Be the willow, not the oak.