Training for a TRI takes commitment-physical, mental, time, etc. Be sure you work through your goals, time, and expectations with the ones you love. Sit down with your spouse, kids, fiance, boss, or whomever prior to embarking on the TRI venture. This is a critical element in the overall experience. The more they know and understand up front, the better. You don't want to be halfway through your program and run into conflicts that could have been avoided by talking it through in the beginning.

Your weekly training time can range from 6 to 20 hours a week, depending on what you're training for and where you are in the program. Needless to say, a hefty time and energy commitment is involved. It's important to note that the time commitment is not just the minutes shown on the schedule. For example, a Masters' swim workout might require getting your things together, driving to the pool, changing, the workout, changing back, driving home or to work, etc. A 1-hour swim workout could take 2 hours by the time all's said and done. The same goes for any other session. Keep this in mind as you think through your training capacity.

Gravel Ahead
In addition to discussing the time commitment of the sport with friends and family, you should discuss the potential shift in energy. For example, you might be tired after a long bike ride and not feel like getting up early on your day off to get ready for that garage sale. It's important for you to realize your schedule and overall energy level might go through some changes. Discuss these potential issues with those in your life.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Sometimes varying a routine can give you a different perspective on life (and some rejuvenating fresh air). Most triathletes welcome the trade-offs that come with the sport, as most of them are very temporary or just occur during the training season.

Time Management
Time management. Important on the job; important in TRI training. Before you get job interview flashbacks, relax. All it means is that you can strategically plan your day to fit in the most stuff in the least amount of time. The end goal is to improve effectiveness and maximize efforts.

How does time management relate to TRI training? We'll show you: your first step on the TRI path is choosing your goal race, using the training programs as a general guideline of how much time you'll need to dedicate to training each week. After you've talked with family and looked at your available capacity, you can set your TRI goal. Then, you can set your sights, get some preparation work out of the way, and use our TRI training schedules to help organize your workouts. You'll be able to see a workout snapshot of the day, week, or month ahead. This serves as the "to-do" list of time management. Keeping your finger on the pulse of the schedule helps you organize each day and stay on track.

Creativity
Unless you're an elite, professional triathlete, you probably have nonTRI things to worry about in your life. Creativity is essential to balance a busy schedule with training. Triathletes must often think outside the box to meet everyday responsibilities while juggling TRI training.
If you find out on Friday afternoon that you have a budget review meeting on Monday and you have a long bike ride scheduled this weekend, you might have to get creative. For example, instead of heading out on the roads for your long bike, you might complete your bike workout indoors on a stationary bike so you can review your budget materials while staying on track with your TRI workout.

Training Tips
It's okay to get creative when approaching your TRI training. In fact, we encourage it. Master this skill, as it helps minimize stress while maximizing performance and overall well-being.

Flexibility
The ability to be flexible with your schedule helps make it all gel. The training plan is a road map, so when life's other commitments conflict with your TRI schedule, you have a couple options. One is to flip-flop days as necessary. If you're traveling on business or pleasure and don't have access to your bike, you can switch your long run day with your long bike workout. If the hotel has a big enough pool, you can hop in and log some minutes in the water.
Another way to work flexibility into your schedule is by reevaluating the hours in your day. Perhaps you were never much of a morning person. Well, that might have to change. Sometimes the only way to meet both TRI and life commitments is by training very early or late, depending on your day.

Training Tips
Getting used to waking up early for training is a good thing, as most races start very early. If a triathlon race has a 7 A.M. start time, you might need to rise as early as 4 A.M., depending on how long it takes to get to the destination and other logistics. Work early morning training into your schedule to help prepare yourself for racing.

To read more, or order a copy of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Triathlon Training click here.