What do you do for living? And manage your training? (Page 3)

Generally my priorities are family / work / triathlon, like most people here.

I have four children but only the youngest two teenage daughters live at home. Since they're 15 and 16, they're pretty self sufficient and my wife is a full-time mom, so I have more time than I had when they were younger. Family time is dinner, shared activities, or just being in the house together. My youngest is interested in road cycling and we had a great time last summer one time when she took her Mom's bike; I really want to do more of that this summer but didn't have the time between work and IM Cozumel training. Thus no fall IMs for me next year so I can ensure more family time in the summer.

I am a software engineer at Microsoft, working on Internet Explorer and Windows. My hours are fairly flexible, but since the work is project oriented and goes through various phases there are times when hours are long. Earlier this year when we finishing IE8 followed by finishing Windows 7, there wasn't much flexiblity at all. Lots of 10-12 hour days and six day weeks. Triathlon took a big backseat for most of 2008 and 2009.

My training is before or after work or weekends. I never workout at lunch because I usually eat at my desk or have more business lunches with collegues and friends.

The important key to "balance" is not wasting time. My #1 timesaver is a treadmill at home for shorter workouts or bad weather. I'll go outside for hour or longer workouts, but a 40 minute interval workout will get done on the treadmill. Timesaver #2 is that my gym is located very close to my office, so a swim is easy before or after work. Even the open water swim at the lake is only a mile from my office, so that's good in summer. Timesaver #3 is that I don't log my workouts. I used to and I'd like to, but I just don't have the time.

You just have to look for ways to save time. For example, after a few months of training for my first Ironman, I switched my hairstyle to a shorter, "comb with my fingers, no drying needed" style. Saves 10 minutes a day. My kids call this the "athlete haircut" - short, no fuss, suitable for two a day showers.

Scheduling is the next key. I look at the kid's schedule, I look at the project schedule for IE9 and other things at work, and consult the race schedule. I'm not going to schedule a race that means the training is going to overlap some key events at work or home.

Edited by brucemorgan 2009-12-17 9:15 AM

I'm a financial analyst for a healthcare company. My typical work day is 8:30 to 5:30. I am married with 3 kids so after work it's straight home to help with homework, dinner, and getting the kids to bed. It doesn't leave a lot of time to train during the week which is why I'm normally on the bike, in the pool, or on the road by 5:30 am.

Early morning, late night, lunch breaks.

Self-employed, part-owner of a software company, but cannot choose my hours!!

It's a dedication to the sport.  I get up at 5:00 in the morning, get either a run on the treadmill or a ride on the trainer, and head off to work at 7:00.  At lunch on M,W & F, I go to the pool and swim laps.  Tuesday and Thursday evenings I do a strength training workout for upper body.  Saturday morning is a long run outdoors, and Sunday is a lonf ride outdoors, of course weather permitting.  It's a lot of time, but I seem to have lots of free time if I know where to look for it.

I'm a Vice-President of Data Center Planning for a large financial institution.  Right now, I mostly train during lunch.  As I start training for IM LOU, my first, I'll incorporate early morning (5:00 AM) workouts as well.  It's easier for me to workout in the mornings and lunch so that I can dedicate my evenings to family. 

I have 4 boys: 16, 14, 10, 9.  My 2 youngest are special needs kids, so they are my priority.

1) Medical Device Sales
2) Options Trader

No kids so workouts are after 4pm...mornings are out of the question.  Wife doesn't get home till 7 so it works out right now.

This user's post has been ignored.

Two days a week
4:10AM     - Wake-up and get all my stuff ready
5:00-6:00 - Workout window
6:00-6:45 - Get home/shower/kiss wife and 2 year old good by who are usually just waking up as I leave
6:45-9:15 - Drive to train/take train to GCT and whip out the laptop/walk to office
9:15-5:45 - at work
5:45-8:15 - commute home
8:15-10:30 - Family time

Three days a weekTwo days a week
4:10AM     - Wake-up and get ready
5:00-7:00 - Workout window
7:00-7:45 - Get home/shower
7:45-9:15 - Drive 50 miles to the other office I work out of
9:15-5:45 - at work
5:45-7:15 - commute home
7:15-10:30 - Family time

Weekends
Sat - Early gym workout with 2yr old in gym daycare usually.  Rest of day with daughter.
Sun - when I get the longer stuff in

Basically, I don't sleep more than 5 1/2hrs a night and I'm tired alot.  Let me know if you figure out a better schedule with this information because I could use more time.  If I had more time to train and sleep, I would be doing a alot better but I just can't.  I also start crashing hard on the train or on the couch and falling asleep if my volume goes up  because of the lack of sleep...

I envy those who can pull 7hrs a sleep a night and fit in training.  I went a stretch one week where I slept 7hrs a night when I was working from home and my workouts got so much better and my recovery went through the roof....now you bummed me out man!  I want more sleep!


edit:  what I do is sort of irrelevant but I'm on my laptop or a conf call alot of the day


Edited by acumenjay 2009-12-17 11:19 AM

19-20hrs a week to commute! ??

Yeah, I'd say you're not sleeping enough if you're tired a lot from 5.5 hours a night.

Wife, 2 year old, 50 mile commutes, 90 minutes each way - ouch.

Not to sound defeatist, but sometimes you can't fit 10 lbs of stuff in a 5 pound bag. Or 25 hours in a day.

I work as electronic engineer in a company where I have very flexible time. I can enter and exit whenever I want, even doing long breaks. It is the best place to work if you plan Ironman training
Usually I do my cycling session between 7.30am and 9am
running at lunch time and swimming or weight trainings in the evening
I do usually 3x sw, 4x cyc, 4x run, 2x weight

The trick is to fit 8lbs in it without it breaking though

I've tried to figure out ways to make it work so I could train for a full but it's just not happening.  I'd like to do a half again this year but that might not happen because I'm not a fan of just doing one to finish and have trouble hiting the volume I want to perform well.  I can bang a sprint or oly out though for fun on general fitness and not waste as much money on entry fees and I'll just have to live with that besides maybe one A race (I originally wanted to do 3 HIM in 2010).  I do think I can run enough for a mary too.  It seems alot easier to train for when you only have 1 sport to worry about.

I've come to terms that I'm not going to come close to my potential with my lifestyle but I'm just doing it because I like it.  I view getting my workouts in and doing something I enjoy while not getting enough sleep better than sleeping more and doing nothing.  That just seems so boring and average to me.  I am trying to master the art of the 1 hour nap on the train though, so maybe that will help

edit:  I was working from home on Fridays at my last job so it helped for a bigger volume day.  My plan is to try and implement that at the place I'm at now for the build weeks this summer....We'll see if it happens.

Edited by acumenjay 2009-12-17 12:03 PM

trading assistant on fx options desk so easy mkt hrs 6:45-17:15...plenty of time to train in the afternoon

I.T. Manager for a Manufacturing Company.  Priorities are Family/Job/Workout and I feel like I am pretty fortunate in all 3.  Wife is great and typically supportive and my kids keep me hopping.  They are both into Athletics and I like to be involved including Coaching and attending all of their events. 

Work has been a blessing in that it's close to home, 6 miles away, and mostly quite these days.  We finished up some pretty big projects about a year ago and now we are just taking some deep breaths and riding the wave.

I am trying hard to be a morning person but find it difficult.  By the time the kids go to bed at 9:30 me and my Wife typically stay up to late catching up or just relaxing and hanging out together.  Before you know it, it's 12 or 1 AM.  My Son catches his Bus at 6:25 and we alternate days taking him to the Bus stop. 

I typically work out right after work which puts me home around 7 PM and then do my longer workouts on Saturday mornings.  Perhaps one day I will figure out how to get my butt out of bed earlier but for now I am really enjoying working out as "Fun" time rather than "Work" time.  It concerns me that if I start pushing to far to soon I may burn out.  So I am easing myself into this Triathlon thing slowly with a goal of doing an IM in 2011 or 2012.  Will determine that at the end of 2010.

BTW...Kudo's to those of you whose schedule's are so demanding and you are getting it done despite the obsticles. 

Single, fixed income salesmen & trader (bond broker). Normal hours: 7:30-5 M-F.

Currently (half marathon training)
M-F: Up at 5:30; at the office by 5:50; running by 6:15, shower (at the office) and in the office by 7-7:30.
Weekends: run when I get up.

Come triathlon season
M-F: Up at 5; then either swim & ride to work or ride to work & run; work; ride home.
Weekends: long runs and rides.

Trust me, I can relate with you Sax, but I have to admit that I need my sleeping time or I won’t work.  I have had some calls with my partners while riding or running.  They don’t mine since it is after working hours.

Edited by nelsonv 2009-12-17 2:01 PM

I'm a paralegal in a sole practitioner's office 2 miles from home -- love my commute.  I have a great boss who is very flexible.  For almost a year now I've been coming in @ 10am on Tues & Thurs -- I can get in a decent run before work even with the short winter days.  Trainer and swim M/W/F when it's dark before and after work hours.  I used to take long lunches to run/ride, but changing clothes that often takes too much time. 

My kids are fairly grown (only 1 still at home) but I make sure I have plenty of evening time available for them when they're around.  My husband swims and rides outside with me so we have plenty of training time together.

911 Dispatch Supervisor.
I work 7 AM-3 PM 5 days a week.
I wake up at 0310 to be at the gym at 0430. Workout til 0600 take a shower and go to work cook breakfast and am ready to work by 0645. I am at the gym all 5 days i work. Either swimming running or on the stationary bike.
On Tuesday i have a 60 minute run after work and then 90 minutes of yoga
Wednesday after work is 60 minutes of weights
Thursday after work is a 60 minute trainer ride right now. In the summer i ride home 57.5 miles
Saturday after work is Long bike
Sunday on my day off is long run
Monday onmy day off is complete rest day.

I work in corporate communications for a manufacturing company. We build airplanes
Hours are 8:00-4:30 with flex time as an option.
Not married, no kiddos, but my boyfriend (also a triathlete) is super supportive of my upcoming Ironman training. I train 95% in the evenings right now, but will start doing master's swim at 5:30 a.m. in a few months, and probably some running and trainer time in the mornings as well, just so I'm not completely absent in the evenings for 8 months.

 

Is moving closer to work an option?  Not sure I could take the commutes you are currently going through.

Hey Nelson,

I am a senior engineer for the department of defense.  We work a 7 to 3:30 schedule, so I try to get to the pool four times a week before work and do my second workout after I get out.  We are currently D.I.N.K. so that makes it a world easier.  Weekend workouts are obviously longer so I try to get them done as early as possible so I can spend some quality time with the Mrs.

Good luck with your career change.  That's always an exciting venture!

JG

I manage a medium size helicopter company and am also a pilot.

I fit training in whenever I can. Not married and no kids. My girlfriend is also races and much of our training is done together. 

I am a P.A. in a medical oncology practice I work days. My wife is a nurse working 7pm to 7am...When I am determined to train, I swim in the a.m before being at work at 8:30 or 9. Running is the same time frame (6am). The biking is mostly on my kurt kinetic at 10pm along side my wife. We do a long ride on one day of the weekend outside. Unfortunately, I have done exactly 2 two mile runs since she had a bad crash oct 10...2 surgeries later (still one to go)...she got back on the trainer with her arm still in a cast last week. I've had a lot of extra to do around the house as she is still in a lot of pain and limited by only having one good arm....It seems like i should have more time to train as she isn't working and is home more, but it isn't working that way...