Whether you are new to triathlon or a seasoned veteran, it is always critically important to begin each season with clear and specific goals in mind. After all, how will you know where to go if you don’t have a planned destination? Most triathletes are goal-oriented people in the first place, so creating goals for each season comes naturally. The problem for most people (even Type A triathletes) is that everything always looks better on paper than what reality will allow us to actually implement. Most of us are not professional athletes, and do not have the time to devote what is necessary to reach what I’ll call our “absolute potential”. We all have committments and obligations in our lives that take precedence over our own “hobbies”. However, with a little creativity and planned consistency, I believe everyday athletes can come close reaching their absolute potential. Here are my top 10 ways to remain consistent in your training from week to week by saving time:

10. Designate, then schedule what you would consider to be at least 1 hour of “guaranteed” training time in your day.
9. Re-arrange your day to make it more streamlined (i.e. Look for areas in your day that leave you with 20-30 minutes of downtime and try to re-arrange it, so you have larger blocks of time for training).
8. Go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, and watch less TV.
7. Exercise during your lunch break if time permits.
6. Exercise while your family is sleeping. This is a great way to avoid having them aware that you are gone for long periods of time.
5. Involve your family in your exercise (family outings to the pool, “recovery” bike rides, or having your spouse bike beside you while you are running are great examples).
4. Combine workouts. For example, instead of swimming before work then running after work….do both in the morning. You’ll waste less time showering twice, etc., and you’ll have more time to spend with your family in the evening.
3. Print out your weekly workouts on Sunday evening and post them on your fridge for all to see. Not only will you feel motivated to cross those workouts off of your “list”, your kids and spouse can plan for the schedule…no surprises.
2. Try running (or biking) to the pool, swimming, and running (or biking) home. This combines workouts, while avoiding the wasted time (and gas) in the car.
1. Train Alone. I know this may not be a popular one, but you can save lots of time by not having to drive somewhere to meet a friend or group to train with. Training with friends definitely has its perks, so try working them into your workout (i.e. riding/running to your meeting spot), rather than wasting time traveling to meet them.