Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Where Will I Find The Time?

    The more I delve into training schedules, and understand what it takes to get where I want to go, I am feeling the pressure of never enough time. I do have a lot of demands on my time, all of which are fun and part of my Year of Grand Adventures, my job being the exception, of course. I have no idea how or where I will find the time I need to train as much as I want and need to.
    Ideally, I would swim 3 times a week for a minimum of 90 minutes, and try to sneak in an open water swim once a week once the weather improves. 6 to 8 hours is considered to be the absolute bare minimum to devote to cycling, and that does not factor in the long, endurance rides that I will need to build my cycling base. And then there is running. Ohdeargods, running. Ideally I would run a minimum of 3 times a week for an hour or two, with one of those runs a long, endurance run. Oh, let's not forget the essential strength training, and stretching, another 3 workouts per week, for an hour or so each.
    So, where does that leave me? Let's see. Hmm 90 time 3, divide by 60, add 8, carry the 1, add 6, plus 3....  Basically, I need about 20 to 25 hours a week devoted to training. And if I were to do one workout a day, I would need 13 days in a week. No shit. This doesn't even touch on the time spent in the kitchen cooking the gluten free, dairy free rocket fuel that I need. So, where will I find the time? I don't know how people manage. If I was coming into this as a distance runner, or cyclist, then I would be able to take a few shortcuts, since I would already have a solid base. But I am coming into this from a whole 'nother world. Oh sure, I could sever all of my connections with the outside world, live the life of a hermit. But I have lived that life before, not by choice, and not for any lofty goal like a Half-Ironman, and it is not a healthy alternative. I wish I could quit my day job and be a full time athlete and writer, wouldn't that be living the dream? Yes, I do fantasize about that, more often than I should.
    Back the the question at hand. Where will I find the time? I don't know. I will keep my head up and looking forward. I won't allow myself to shirk. I will squeeze in workouts when and where I can. I can do this. I know I can do this.

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