Time Efficiency
One thing I need to consider when planning out the base and training phases, is time efficiency. Specifically, it is really hard for me to do more than one workout a day, something I've come to realize over the past three years.
This is part of the reason I fell off the TNO half-iron training plan earlier this summer. It is a well-designed plan, but it also stacks workouts at least three to four days a week. Granted, not all the workouts are long, but once you add in travel time, the overall time spent really adds up.
For instance, this morning, I got up at 6:45 to be at Idylwood at 7:30. Add another 15 minutes to suit up, 30 to 40 minutes of swimming and treading water, 15 minutes to change out of the gear, a little chat afterwards, time to drive home (and I live 5 minutes from work so the difference between home/work is immaterial), take a shower, eat breakfast, and it was 9:30 before I was at work. I could have shaved a few minutes, but I hardly wanted to disappear as soon as I could have and appear unfriendly. After all, somedays I might really need to and apologize for zipping away, but many other days the after workout chat reveals future training plans, equipment tips, and so forth. So the 10 or 15 minutes is worth it to unwind and be social. Besides, my tri friends are cool and interesting to talk to!
So, it basically took say 2.5 hours for one workout, and the workout wasn't that long. Granted, the before/after time is relatively fixed, so the longer the workout the more time efficient, but the point is every workout requires a certain amount of extra time for getting ready and finishing up.
Anyway, the GB Plan is pretty good about a single workout per day. I will also use information from another article which covers training in a single workout per day (with a double brick on the weekend). My training will look something like this:
The reason strength training and swim are together is that I'll need to go to a gym for the strength training, so while I'm there I might as well get in some swim drills.
So this is the framework: four days a week of key workouts. Take one day as a rest day, and the other two days will just fill in with whatever I can fit. Starting out they will probably be mostly bike workouts, and then shift to include swims and/or runs.
This is part of the reason I fell off the TNO half-iron training plan earlier this summer. It is a well-designed plan, but it also stacks workouts at least three to four days a week. Granted, not all the workouts are long, but once you add in travel time, the overall time spent really adds up.
For instance, this morning, I got up at 6:45 to be at Idylwood at 7:30. Add another 15 minutes to suit up, 30 to 40 minutes of swimming and treading water, 15 minutes to change out of the gear, a little chat afterwards, time to drive home (and I live 5 minutes from work so the difference between home/work is immaterial), take a shower, eat breakfast, and it was 9:30 before I was at work. I could have shaved a few minutes, but I hardly wanted to disappear as soon as I could have and appear unfriendly. After all, somedays I might really need to and apologize for zipping away, but many other days the after workout chat reveals future training plans, equipment tips, and so forth. So the 10 or 15 minutes is worth it to unwind and be social. Besides, my tri friends are cool and interesting to talk to!
So, it basically took say 2.5 hours for one workout, and the workout wasn't that long. Granted, the before/after time is relatively fixed, so the longer the workout the more time efficient, but the point is every workout requires a certain amount of extra time for getting ready and finishing up.
Anyway, the GB Plan is pretty good about a single workout per day. I will also use information from another article which covers training in a single workout per day (with a double brick on the weekend). My training will look something like this:
- quality bike ride
- long run
- long bike
- strength training and swim
The reason strength training and swim are together is that I'll need to go to a gym for the strength training, so while I'm there I might as well get in some swim drills.
So this is the framework: four days a week of key workouts. Take one day as a rest day, and the other two days will just fill in with whatever I can fit. Starting out they will probably be mostly bike workouts, and then shift to include swims and/or runs.
posted by klbarrus at
12:47 AM
2 Comments:
Maybe we should schedule our social time like we schedule our training time. For example, 45 min endurance run + 10 min light chatting. ;)
Seriously though, I understand what you mean and maybe we should both keep time efficiency top of mind. Socializing is awesome, and I'm glad I have tri buddies now, but we should probably just be aware of time constraints. I didn't get into work until 9:45 yesterday b/c I gabbed with Jen even longer after you left!
By
Anonymous, at 2:03 AM
Yeah, but the thing is, I think the socializing is a great warm-down as well. When there really is a time constraint then hurry away after apologies, but otherwise I say chat since most of the time it is just a few minutes.
By
klbarrus, at 4:15 AM
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