Training for the Family Guy/Gal

Training for Family Guy/Gal

part I

When it comes to training there are a few things that I consistently struggle with and this series of posts will be a systematic look at how to approach your training.  My goal is to give you ideas on how to proactively plan your training to minimize these hurdles.

I am quite certain that I’m not unique in the obstacles that have been laid before me.  How many of you have children/spouses and have a full-time job?  I’m going to go out on a limb and say a lot of you.  But you still get out there and train, right?  My personal situation breaks down like this:  2 daughters (4 years and 11 months), married and a full-time job.  Sound familiar to anyone reading?  I don’t have a lot of free-time so planning ahead and using my time effectively is incredibly important.

Your first step when training should be defining your goal.  Avoid generic goals whenever possible.  If your aim is “to get in better shape” or “get stronger” define it further.  Maybe what you’re really thinking is “I’d like to complete a triathlon” or better yet “I’d like to finish XXX triathlon in less than an hour”.  Specific targets will make it much easier to identify areas that need to be worked on and help you focus on what really matters.

Let’s stick with the triathlon example for a while. 

I have a few friends competing in an upcoming triathlon.  The fact that they’ve picked a specific event helps tremendously in determining what they need to know to effectively plan their training. 

Here’s what we know:

• Date of the event – established a defined timeline
• The course: 400 yd swim, 21.6 mi bike ride and 3.1 mi run
  • Course broken down by event
  • Routes given as well
  • Topography/changes in elevation can be determined ahead of time
  • Times of previous category winners
    • Gives us an idea of what competitive times are

In the next section I’ll talk about some of the more common obstacles that interfere with training and give you some ideas on how to work around them.