Coach Matt Smith
matt@milehighmultisport.com

Where do I find the time in my life for proper training? It’s a question I hear and ask constantly, but have yet to come up with a way to add an extra two hours to the clock every day, put in the best effort in training on three or less hours of sleep a night, or find a way to pay the bills by just training.

My wife, Molly and I lead what some would call a hectic schedule. She has a full time job, is the president of the triathlon club, sits on two non-profit boards and I run a small company, coach triathletes, manage a 90 person running team and also volunteer for our triathlon club and chair another board for the state of Colorado.

There’s not a lot of time left in our days and planning can become as detailed as having reminders go off on your phone for when it’s time to “transition” to the next activity on a Saturday. While we don’t have it down to a science by any means, there are a few things we have found essential in making the puzzle of life fit together.

1. Pack a Bag- The first tip we both have found essential is to always carry a packed bag with a swim suit, running clothing and what you would wear to the gym. This way, we’re ready to go for the day’s workouts and can change on the fly or if there is extra time that pops up at lunch or during the day, we have time to sneak a workout in. Just yesterday, I packed my bike because it was nice out and had the time open to do an hour ride at lunch.

2. Maximize In Between Time- This may sound a little crazy, but think about the time it takes to travel to different locations for training. The car is a great place to take care of family business like booking appointments, calling friends and family or in an emergency (I’m not liable) change clothes. We go to church on Tuesday nights after a track workout and my mom knows she’ll get a call from me on the way to church or I’ll be changing my clothes at the stop lights on the way so I don’t miss too much of the service.

3. Plan Ahead- Know your work and life schedule and training schedule at least a week in advance and slot the training in just like you would meetings for work and hold yourself to showing up for those “meetings”. I have different colors in my Outlook calendar to know what priority the workout or activity is and take the time to write down everything in a paper calendar as well. Molly has been known to set alarms on a busy day so she is reminded when she needs to be moving from one activity to the next.

4. Do Something- I heard Dave Scott speak a few years ago and he said the hardest thing for him in training was knowing that he had an hour workout planned by only had ½ an hour in his schedule or wasn’t feeling the workout for the day. His theory is one I adhere to religiously in training. If you can do at least 20 minutes, DO IT is what Dave said. Either you’ll snap out of your “I don’t want to work out today” funk or at least you get something in. Sometimes work gets busy and I want to d an hour long workout, but only have ½ an hour left. I add a bit of intensity to the workout and know I at least got something in. It always feels better.

5. Sacrifice Small Stuff- I’ll be the first to admit that while our house is presentable, it’s definitely not clean most of the time. There is some workout gear laying out in the bathroom from the run that morning and maybe a bowl or two in the sink from eating breakfast as we’re running out the door. In the scope of life, it’s not a priority to have the bed made, clothes put away or bowls cleaned up in the morning when you’re moving between a workout and work or another event. Schedule some time when you have it to clean up, but don’t let the little stuff stress you out. Set it up so you have auto transfers on bills so you don’t have to spend as much time on managing your household.

Adding any level of training into an already busy life can be a major challenge, but with the right set of tools, you can easily integrate all parts of your life and live the multisport lifestyle fully.