It doesn’t matter if you have been training like a fiend all winter, coming back from a well deserved training break or trying to stick to your New Years resolution by kicking off a new workout program, a real workout program is well, mostly work. Don’t get me wrong... I personally love training and admittedly get a sick sense of joy from pushing myself to the breaking point but with that said; it often turns into a suffer fest and in my book, that qualifies as “work”. So, in order to give it the respect it deserves in my life, I have always treated it like a part time job.
If you embrace the workout = part time job approach, then translate the time you spend working out, as money in your fitness bank. A short workout is a small deposit into the account, a longer or harder workout translates into a larger deposit. Later in the season, your investment will be rewarded by your looking “oh so fit” in your shorts and t-shirt, enjoying your double scoop rocky road ice cream cone...GUILT FREE, because by god you have earned it! And, oh yeah... you’ll find yourself looking forward to the next workout, because you are now hooked on the mind blowing workout induced adrenaline rush that appears out of nowhere.
So, here’s my personal list of what I do, when figuring out how to start a new part-time job for the season:
1. Goals are good, they give us something to focus our energy on, so set a realistic goal for the season.
My personal goal is riding 4000 miles, this is a stretch for me but doable if I stop making excuses for not wanting to ride; when the wind is blowing, the roads are wet, it’s below 60 degrees, or whatever the creative excuses the demon slacker side of me drums up.
2. Get your family/loved ones on board. Your plan shouldn't be a secret or sprung on everyone at the last minute by saying “Sorry, can’t make dinner with your mom... gotta work out”. Let them know your goals and workout plans, get them on board and even involved.
I am in the rare and lucky category of having a partner who loves riding as much as I do, so she trains with me. We have a 16 year old son, so I still have to practice a fair bit of flexibility, but if he knows our plans... we keep the melt downs (mostly mine due to a cancelled ride) at a minimum.
3. Some might consider this a bit AT (anal retentive), but getting detailed in figuring out a workout schedule is important. How many days a week do you plan on working out, which days, how much time will you commit each scheduled day and roughly what time of day. To be successful with this step, you do need to be flexible with the rest of your life’s plans... you want this to be a part of your life, not a complete and total pain in the butt. But this step is important, a schedule is harder to blow off.
My job often has long shift breaks, so this is where I plan/stuff most of my workouts. My goal is to ride 5 days a week, and initially commit 1.5 hours of riding time each day, weather, wind conditions and temps permitting (JUST KIDDING). If I miss a day during the week, I try to make it up on the weekend.
4. Come up with a training outline. Start out slow and build as your fitness grows. There’s nothing worse than tearing out the door with your hair on fire on a random run, ride, whatever and coming back so physically crushed that you can’t walk for two days and your stomach rolls at the thought of another workout.
I have done this to myself. There’s nothing more demoralizing.
My first month (March) will be steady miles (20 - 30ish miles per ride).. nothing too hilly and at a tempo I can maintain (from all my years of training and racing, I know how it should feel). This may be something you have to figure out as you go. (A separate blog will be dedicated to training plans)
5. Keep a training diary. It can be an online program like Strava, https://www.strava.com/apps. or a similar online training diary, Don’t ignore the value of the old fashion pen and paper training journal. For years I have kept one and from time to time look back at what I did and how I felt at this point in the season. I have to admit, on reflection some of the entries are hysterical. I found that many started with... today’s workout SUCKED, and one entry went on to say the following:
”I really need to lose weight! I hopped off the bike thinking my rear brake was dragging against the wheel, only to discover that it’s just my fat ass slowing me down! Less beer, more riding, ugh,”.
This entry gives me clarity and hope that it will get easier.
I am currently using Strava (the free version) and it keeps track of my daily rides. They have a program for many sports, so check it out. there's a premium version available, if you want to view more data. It's a solid app that allows you to link up with other like-minded athletes, very cool, inspiring and motivating... plus a cool way to meet potential training friends. If it doesn’t cover your sport, keep looking... I am sure something is out there.
So! Now it’s your turn... your part time job starts today. 5 simple steps... no sweat required (yet). Start working on your plan.
OH! Special note. I want no heart attaches, strokes, etc on my watch! So please check kwith your doctor and be sure your are good to go, before starting any type of workout or training program. A few of my closest friends and teammates have developed life-threatening silent health issues, some heart related, some not... it’s part of being human. Much of it can be fixed, before it gets out of hand so be sure to get a check up before asking a lot from your body.
My next post will cover training plans, how to put them together and, yes, I will have a few samples and suggestions. I welcome your thoughts and feedback, if there’s a topic that interests you, let me know what it is, if I don’t have personal knowledge on the subject I will do my best to research it or simply let you know it’s above my pay grade. I am not in the business of making stuff up.
If you like this blog and think it might be helpful to others, then please feel free to share it.
Remember, there’s an athlete inside all of us.
Be safe, have fun. Til later
Sarvary
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