Training for an athletic event such as a marathon or triathlon can feel like a daunting commitment, especially when you’re juggling a busy schedule with work and personal life.
Despite the time constraints, the benefits of training for an athletic event extend beyond physical fitness. Studies have shown that regular exercise can boost your productivity, mental clarity and energy levels, all of which all crucial when trying to find some work-life balance.
Because training for a race often demands extra time, nutritional adjustments, and adequate rest, finding ways to integrate these practices into a busy work-life routine can take some planning. With the right strategies, though, it’s possible to train effectively while maintaining balance in other areas of life. Here, experts share tips to help balance your training with your work life.
Be strategic about making time
When mapping out your training goals and the time you will need to carve out for that, take into account what you have going on in your life. It can help to plan it out a few days, a week or even a few weeks in advance if, say, you’re building up to longer runs or something else time-bound.
Jen Steele, certified run coach and founder of Misadventure Run Coaching, says, “There are a few things to consider when mapping out the training for an athletic event. Before even signing up for the event, you want to make sure you give yourself enough time to train. In seasons where there are a lot of transitions, like fall or the start of summer, people tend to underestimate how many weeks they have the train.” She recommends getting out your calendar and actually counting out those weeks.
“Once you’ve made sure you have enough time to train,” says Steele, “pick a training plan by a professional that really matches your current fitness level and your schedule. You want a professional plan because what worked for your neighbor who is a great cyclist may not work for you and in fact may go against some training principles that could lead to overtraining, injury, burnout, all things you want to avoid. Your training plan should match your current fitness level rather than your goal fitness because you need to start where you are and build from there. Training using a plan that is too challenging can lead to injury and frustration from constantly trying to do workouts that you just can’t finish or do correctly. Lastly, pick a plan that matches your schedule. You may have the fitness to train for a fast half marathon, but if you can only run three days a week, then it’s time to be honest with yourself and pick a better goal and plan.”
If you work long hours, she adds, get creative with your training. “Think about how else you can add to your endurance, your time on feet (literally how much time you spend moving on your feet each day, whether in a workout or not) and your training without a lot of extra time or resources. A 20-minute lunchtime strength workout is better than nothing, so do that. Biking to work or home is a great way to get extra aerobic work in, even taking calls while walking is a great way to include more time on your feet, which helps with endurance.”
She recommends starting with small habits if you’re overwhelmed, such as a 10-minute run or spin, 15 minutes of yoga, or similar. “Once you’ve built the habit that you wake-up early to run on Mondays or go to a class on Wednesday evenings, it will get easier to add to it as the training cycle goes on.”
Optimize nutrition
Nutrition is a key element of a successful training plan.
Tony Castillo, MS, RD is a fitness and performance nutrition expert who previously served as Sports Dietitian for the Toronto Blue Jays and at the University of Florid and now focuses on helping individuals become elite performers in all areas of life. “Nutrition is a powerful tool for athletes,” he says. “It plays a crucial role in optimizing performance, recovery, and overall health. Inadequate nutrition while training puts athletes at risk for under-fueling, which can lead to injuries, fatigue, and ultimately, poor performance.”
“When actively training,” he explains, “athletes may need to make specific nutrition changes to support their increased energy demands and recovery needs. One of the key adjustments is increasing protein intake to facilitate muscle synthesis and repair.”
While it’s important to get a variety of protein sources, Castillo especially loves eggs for a convenient option. One large egg provides six grams of protein. “They’re a complete protein, delivering all nine essential amino acids, which are building blocks of protein that your body needs but can’t make itself. And the protein in eggs is bioavailable — meaning your body can digest absorb it efficiently. “Aside from being nutrient-dense (they’re also great sources of important nutrients like choline and vitamin B-12), he also recommends them for how easy they are to add into your routine when you’re really busy juggling all the things. “They can be easily incorporated into meal prep, providing a convenient and versatile protein source for busy individuals looking to meet their increased needs during training.”
When combined with carbohydrates post-workout, eating high-quality protein can also help refuel muscles and optimize recovery.” Yes, you heard that right—you do need carbs to support recovery. During exercise, we use carbohydrate stored as glycogen in our muscles for the energy to do that activity, so we need to replenish those stores by consuming carbohydrate after exercise as well. Some good sources include oats, whole grain bread, starchy veggies like sweet potato, and high-fiber fruit.
“For those juggling training with a busy work life,” adds Castillo, “planning and preparation are the key to ensuring that nourishing meals and snacks are readily available. One effective strategy is to prepare meals in advance, focusing on nutrient-dense options that can be quickly assembled or reheated.”
If you’re struggling with motivation to make time prepare the nutrient dense meals and snacks that will support your athletic performance, keep in mind the fact that this same healthy habit can benefit your mental function and work performance as well.
Don’t skimp on sleep and recovery
Rest and recovery are key elements to training for a sporting event (and for general fitness) that often get overlooked. Spacing out your training days to avoid overtraining-related injuries or stress is important. This can trickle over into your work day too. It’s tempting to stay up late trying to catch up on messages, scroll on your phone, or do household tasks, but your brain and body both need the rest.
For those who set their own work hours and are taking time during the day to train, consider how you can optimize your performance at work by utilizing focus and productivity tools like mindfulness, mono-tasking instead of multi-tasking, time-blocking (where you block out specific time for specific tasks), batching types of tasks (where you do one type of task for a set period of time, such writing several newsletters at once so you can stay in a writing flow), or whichever tools work best for you. This is also a great time to get extra intentional about limiting distractions like checking email, responding to text messages, or scrolling on social media. Consider doing these at set times of day so you can make the most of your work time and can let yourself recharge in the evening.
Get your support system in place
“At some point in every training cycle,” says Steele, “you will wonder why you signed up for this. That’s normal. So at the beginning of the training cycle, write down why you decided to do this event at this time. When you want to skip your workout because your call ran late or you’d rather press snooze than go run, you can refer to that why and it will help.”
She also adds that involving others in your life can make a huge difference when you need a motivation boost. “So often, the choice to run a race, do a triathlon, or similar event is something we do because we want to see what we’re capable of, we want to prove to ourselves that we can do this hard thing. But it does affect the people in our close circle, so get them on board. Get your partner, your kids, your close work friends excited for you. They will help you show up for workouts when you don’t want to, cheer you on, help you remember why you want this (and you may even inspire them to do it with you!). Additionally, when training gets hard, if you’ve gotten them on board with your training, they will help with household chores, cooking dinner, laundry, reminding you not to take on the new project at work, and more. It truly is a critical part of training for an athletic event that is often overlooked.”
These are good habits for anyone looking to improve their work-life balance, but can be especially helpful for those training for an athletic event.