Time

Over the past couple of weeks, and to be honest, before that, people have been writing in to ask and comment about finding the time to train. I have to assume that the recent number of these questions and comments is directly related to the fact that it is now “event season”. It’s probably also related to daylight hours being more plentiful (in the Northern hemisphere, sorry Oz!!), and yet we still cannot find the hours in the day to do what we need to.

This week, I find myself in a particularly interesting situation. As you may know, I am an opera singer (tenor) and this week, I was fortunate enough to pick up a gig at the last second. The gig itself is not until November, but the rehearsals are/were Wednesday through Sunday of this week. On top of that, I do have to work during the day to pay the bills in between away jobs. So, my days this week begin at 6 AM and I can usually be in bed by 11PM. To further complicate matters, I have come down with what seems to be a cold. I think I am now over the actual “sickness” part of it (headache, chills, runny nose, etc.) but I am dealing with the after effects, which I find can quite often be far worse than the illness itself. I will get back to my schedule in a minute.

I have come to realize that it is very important to differentiate between a “workout” and “training”. I believe that the difference is largely mental in nature. For me, the term “workout” conjures up an image of doing something as maintenance, while training is done with a very specific end-goal or event in mind. Also, for many people, “training” involves a very specific program that is leading them in the direction of said event. While “workouts” may be very specific and laid out, I look at them as something that is less taxing, simply by virtue of the fact that you can allow yourself to be more flexible with what you are trying to accomplish (in my opinion).

I am “training” for Ironman Wisconsin, which takes place on September 13, 2009. Along the way, I will also be competing in the New York City Triathlon, and maybe a couple of other events. On a recent episode of the Running with the Pack podcast (Episode 49), one of the hosts, Allan Gyorke asked me if I was following a training program on my way to IM Wisconsin. Although I answered his question in sort of a rambling “yes and no” kind of answer, the real answer is no.  For me, I find that programs make me feel very “locked in”, and if I can’t get in the workout that is scheduled, I get upset or angry with myself and the situation, which leads to me just being more annoyed and then onto bad “training”. That being said, I do read many training programs to get a feel for where I am relative to where they say I should be. Which brings us back to time.

Here in New York City, this June, we have had rain 23 days out of the 25 days so far in the month. This is CRAZY. Of course, that doesn’t really mean that it’s either a soaking rain or an all day event, but it still affects my plans. For instance, I like to ride in the mornings. I wake at about 4:45 AM, have some breakfast, allow myself to wake up for a few, and try to be out the door by 5:30 AM. This has not been happening. Because of the way my day works I rarely get to sleep before 11 PM and when I can manage to wake up and get ready to go, it is always raining. Some of you may be wondering why I am scared of a little rain. I am not. What I am scared of is the usual training route that I ride from Manhattan to Nyack and back is a very heavily trafficked route from the suburbs into the city. When it is raining, not only are my tiny little road tires difficult to handle, but so are the tires on the, much heavier than I, automobiles. That combined with New York’s recent #1 ranking in for most aggressive drivers, and bleary-eyed mornings does not make me want to risk it.

Now, back to this week. I will most likely only be able to ride one day this week, on Saturday morning. Due to my cold, I MUST rest my body or I will be pushing myself through an insurmountable obstacle. As someone reminded me before the Brooklyn Half-Marathon a few weeks back, I need to trust that my cumulative training will do the trick. From now, I have almost exactly one month until the NYC Triathlon, and a little under three months until IM Wisconsin. Once this weekend is over, I will make a real point to get home and get to bed earlier. I will also make a much more significant point of running in the rain if I need to. As for swimming, that is the one thing not affected by weather, and I have not had too much of a problem getting in the water. In fact, that’s where I’ll be this afternoon, in between work and rehearsal.

So, I think the answer to all this is balance. I think it’s taking stock of the time that you have, and realizing that time is finite, and the only REAL necessity in your training (or workout) regimen is REST and RECOVERY. So, maybe you have to make a couple of sacrifices on things that you want to consider as necessary parts of your day, but when you look, you realize that they’re actually indulgences (I mean, do you HAVE to take an hour to watch “America’s got Talent”, or could you be in bed an hour earlier?). Keep training, keep working out, keep sane. Keep putting one foot in front of the other.