Dan Barnett on How To Fit Cycling Training Around Family and Work!
We’re busy, we’re all busy. It might be working a 70 hour week, it might be Kids and everything that comes with them or even both. We’re always convinced the fast riders are training more and that we can’t hope to compete. That’s just not the case, what it all comes down to is maximising the benefits from the time we do have. Before I go any further though it needs to be said that it’s all made so much easier with an understanding partner and family.
The first thing you need to think about is forward planning. Thinking about the hours you're going to train, don’t just map out the hours you’d like to train, map out the hours you actually can train and that means talking to your partner and agreeing the time and duration, do this and your far less likely to have to miss a session. It’s far better to complete a 6 hour training plan than do 6 hours of a 10 hour training plan.
Meals, if you’re not fuelled for your sessions you won’t get the best out of them so take the time the night before to plan the next days meals and what time you’re going to eat them in relation to what time and duration you’re going to train.
Sorting your kit. If its an early morning turbo session or a late night ride after the kids are in bed the routine is the same, any kit out and ready to put on, drinks for the session made up and in the fridge, shorts and towel by the turbo, gloves on the radiator ready to go, whatever you might need.
If it’s a weekend race think about taking your partner or family with you, if an event headquarters has a playground or field near it my wife and kids sometimes come with me. If you have a longer weekend ride planned arrange to meet them at a café for lunch. I’ve been known to take a bike with me to a weekend at centre parks so I can do an FTP test on the way home!
When it comes to getting the best out of the training hours you have, well that’s where things like power meters and having a cycling coach comes into it’s own, I know I would say that right but that doesn’t mean it's not true. Maximum results from the time you have with nothing wasted.
And if it all goes wrong and you don’t get to do your session don’t beat yourself up, it happens to all of us, you did your best to plan but every now and then life gets in the way. Move on to thinking about the next session.