Working 60+ Hours/Week AND Ironman Prep?

I’ve spent the last year and a half working anywhere from 45-70 hours a week. In recent months, it’s averaged out to 60~ hours. I routinely work 12-14 days in a row before getting a day off. I’m not saying this to brag, as many Millennials are wont to do. I truly will never understand the concept of bragging about how much a person works. Or those people who are signaling that they’re “important” because they’re “soooo busy.” Can’t stand it.

Breakdown

45ish Hours/Week: My “real” job, my 9 to 5, is in politics, which means that whenever there is an upcoming election, that job takes precedent above everything else. Well guess what? There were elections last year, elections this year, and elections next year/prep for the Presidential in 2020. There is really NEVER a true off-year.

15ish Hours/Week: My secondary job, as a Climbing Instructor, keeps me pretty busy on the weekends and a few nights a week after my regular job. I frequently work both weekend days, and while I love working outside, it can be exhausting to work 12 days straight.

Combine both of those jobs: 2+ days a week I work 12-14 hours, and I usually work 12-14 days straight before I get a day off.

As if that wasn’t enough, I decided to race an Ironman this year. Again, I honestly must be straight stupid because I don’t know what I was thinking.

So how did I do it? Prep for an Ironman while maintaining my workload? 

Honestly, it’s unclear. I must have blacked out for most of it! I somehow stumbled through, finding time for workouts before and after work, bike commuting to work, riding the trainer at night, running in the dark after working outside all day. I kept a relatively low training volume for an Ironman; from March – race day in September, I trained 275 hours. Normal training plans prescribe more than that; somewhere around 500-700 training hours a year. If I maintained my training year round, I’d end up with 470 training hours.

• Most of my friendships were put on the back burner
• Any other hobbies were relegated to “after the Ironman”
• Cut out all workouts that don’t directly benefit triathlon
• I prioritized sleep as much as possible, to recover and to help avoid burnout
• Any free weekend days went to long rides/runs
• Dating was sporadic/mainly unsuccessful

To sum it up, I became one of the most selfish people I know. I put myself and my goals before anything else. And it worked. I finished my Ironman in 15:06, and even got through it with some grace.

Now I need to get back to real life, figure out how to deal with my (still crazy) workload, and try to convince myself I don’t need to do another Ironman (spoiler alert: I’ll probably end up doing another one within 18 months).

Results: One Year of Bike Commuting

I live in the D.C. area, which arguably is one of the most bike-friendly cities in America. When I started my new job last year, a full 4.5 miles away, it only made sense to start biking to work. Driving into the city is out of the question and taking the metro is either slow or life-threatening. Overall, bike commuting has been life-changing for me.

How Biking to Work is Changing My Life

I started my new job in February, and thought I had my daily commute down pat. But, it was taking approx. 40 mins each way to only travel 5 miles. And that’s when the metro runs smoothly. For those who don’t live in the DC area, the metro RARELY runs smoothly. If it’s not literally on fire, some random drunk is on the tracks, or they’re doing much needed repair work on the tracks. Either way, the trains are frequently delayed.

(This is an actual website)

A lot of people bike to work in DC and I realized that the obstacles to biking to work (shower, gear, weather) weren’t really that difficult to surmount.

Run, Sweat, Smile

I know I haven’t exactly kept it a secret here, but I seriously dislike running. I’d much rather feel the wind in my face from going 20+ miles an hour on the bike. But, I drug myself out for my run last night and purposefully forced myself to smile during it. I probably looked like an idiot, grinning and running and huffing and puffing, but it felt amazing. It was an instant mood lifter. Hey, it might have looked more like a grimace and I might have scared some small children, but I felt great! Happy, energetic, fast. I really could have kept running but didn’t want to go too crazy and ruin a good thing.

I really needed that positive run; the happiness has yet to abate and it’s 18 hours later. So, next time your run starts to suck, you lose motivation, you hit that hill – just smile!

Forget the Metrics

As triathletes, we get so caught up in metrics. Heartrate zones, lactate threshold work, power output, cadence, distance, pace, etc, etc, etc. It’s enough to make anyone mad!

Off-Season Motivation and Weightlifting

To be honest, I have fully embraced the triathlon “off-season” and have probably taken it a bit too far. As in, I run max 10 miles a week, I loathe my indoor trainer, and haven’t stepped foot in a pool for a couple months. I know this is going to make starting the new season even more difficult, but I honestly saw no other way to deal with my post-marathon struggles.

7 Week Marathon Training Plan: Marathon Week!

The prep for this marathon has been so short, I feel like I’ve barely had time to get all antsy and excited for it. But here it is; it snuck up on me and now I’m only a few days away from the Marine Corps Marathon. Part of me is so thrilled for my first marathon, and part of me is dreading the 4+ hours of pain it’s going to take to finish it.

7 Week Marathon Training Plan: Week 3

Week 2 of marathon training went fairly well. I was able to get all my key runs in, and only neglected one easy run (in favor of an impromptu rest day). I had to shift my running plan around slightly because of working late. My five mile tempo run at the end of last week was incredibly tiresome, and I had to do it on a treadmill because of location and timing. But, no excuses, I got it in and got it done.

Standard Leg Day Workout

Besides all of the running I’ve been doing for my marathon training, I’m also attempting to maintain any muscle I might have. I really enjoy weightlifting, and while it’s playing second fiddle right now, I’m still trying to fit it in whenever possible, without negatively affecting my runs. So here is a leg day workout that I struggled through this week.

Episode #256 of “I Can’t Believe I Just Signed Up For That”

In typical triathlete style, I tend to (well, try to) plan everything. Now, do I always follow that plan? Absolutely not. Life gets in the way, stuff happens. Plans get derailed. One of my goals I’m working towards is running a full Ironman in 2017. I’m shooting for IM Maryland, because it’s so close to me, and frankly, because the course is pancake flat. As part of my IM prep, I plan on running at least one marathon leading up to the race. I had originally planned to run a marathon in April/May of 2017, but last night I threw the plan out the window for once and registered for the Marine Corps Marathon. …Which is happening in less than 60 days. Crap. What was I thinking??

 

Does anyone have any good marathon training tips?? Any tips for prepping in a hurry?! It’s two months away!