cauti ons, traveling to races is an incredible experience and a wonderful way to see a city or diff erent country. It just takes some extra planning and eff ort.
FAMILY FIRST Triathletes can appear to be selfi sh. We tend to like to juggle many things at once — work, training, hobbies, family and social ti me — and we usually cannot say “no” to new opportuniti es. Our families know this but at ti mes may lose pati ence. Training and racing can occasionally be planned with the whole family involved like an open-water swim at a park or a group trail run. Also, your athletes can make a deal with their families to train on Saturday mornings and have a family outi ng aft erward. Family members can join in the fun even if they are not triathletes themselves.
BUDDY SYSTEM The most incredible friends can be found in the sport of triathlon. Training groups or triathlon clubs can be found at running, triathlon or bike shops and athletes can train with someone at their level. Training buddies can be supporti ve and moti vators. This can turn a training session into a social event as well. And, it helps to have friends and/or family members who share similar goals.
BE REALISTIC Triathletes may want to devote every waking second to training, but it is important to consider all other obligati ons. When athletes become obsessed with triathlon training, they run the risk of overtraining their bodies and doing more harm than good physically. This can be prevented by training in moderati on, eati ng a healthy meal every night and getti ng to bed at a reasonable ti me, which leads to the next topic.
TIME MANAGEMENT Balancing three sports is diffi cult enough, but life doesn’t stop for triathlon training, so triathletes need to adapt their demanding training schedules to work,
family and rest. In additi on to knowing their bodies,
Triathlon life doesn’t just mean swim, bike and run. Balance means making ti me for not only training and racing, but for family and living life as well.
PERFORMANCECOACHING | page 5
successful triathletes must incorporate excellent ti me management skills. Fitti ng in all of the necessary workouts along with a full-ti me job and other acti viti es can be tricky. Planning each season, month, week and day will become a habit.
ENJOY THE JOURNEY An athlete’s happiness and the success of triathlon training is about fi nding the right balance between working out, racing, family and living life. When you and your athletes fi nd the right balance in their training plans, they can perform their best in triathlons and know they have done everything in their power to keep the rest of their life going too. It is a rewarding, healthy and exciti ng lifestyle that will take you and your athletes through many journeys — both physical and mental. Plan well and enjoy every minute!
Sally Drake is a USA Triathlon Level II Certi fi ed Coach and an elite coach and regional manager for TrainingBible Coaching. She also is the owner of Swim Bike Run Triathlon Shop in St. Louis, Mo. To fi nd out more, visit
www.sallydrake.com,
www.sbrtrishop.com or
www.trainingbible.com.
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