The Time-Crunched Triathlete: Maximising Training Efficiency with a Personalised Coaching Plan
The question I get asked most often when people find out that I’m a triathlete and triathlon coach is “where do you find the time?” The challenge of fitting demanding training around work and family is overwhelming for those not inflicted by the addiction that is triathlon and, even for those of us who do love all thing swim-bike-run, fitting it all in is often the single biggest roadblock for time-crunched triathletes.
Even more so for athletes aiming for longer distances like a 70.3 or a full IRONMAN, where the time commitment can feel overwhelming.
As coach who specialises in helping busy athletes do amazing things, I spend a lot of time talking to other coaches and athletes as understanding this balance is critical.
In this post, I’ll summarise some of the best expert strategies I’ve heard or put into practice myself on all things triathlon time management.
1. Structured training starts long before you leave the door
Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail. Successfully \balancing training comes down to three non-negotiables: good planning, clear communication, and maximising every available minute. These keys are foundational to my personal coaching philosophy.
Plan early and block time: The key element is rigorous scheduling. I recommend taking time each week (Sunday evening works for me) to plan exactly where and when all workouts will happen. By blocking an exact hour (e.g., Wednesday, 12:00 to 1:00 PM for a run), you remove the decision fatigue and make your structured training plan easy to follow. Knowing the precise window for your day’s workout makes it less likely you allow work or other activities to bleed into that time.
Communicate with your partner: This is essential for maintaining life balance. Make training a joint agenda item to ensure your long rides don't clash with important family commitments. Having a shared agenda that includes your training plans can help navigate small challenges like divorce.
Maximise existing time: Look for opportunities to multitask and integrate training into existing activities. If your kids are at a club, use that hour for a focused run nearby. Use your current schedule to maximise training efficiency.
2. Make fitness a shared experience
For time-crunched working professionals who are parents, the routine must become "part of your life, not an add-on." This is where life-aware training comes into play—it's a joint decision that requires buy-in from your entire household.
Group strength work: Core and strength work are excellent opportunities to involve the family. Simple activities like a five-minute plank challenge can build routine and positive reinforcement.
Leading by example: Your commitment to health inspires others. This approach takes the activity from being "mum or dad’s thing" to "something we do as a family," fostering shared ownership.
Train together: If pushing one of those fancy running pushchairs, or running with your significant other, means that you need to run a 20 seconds per kilometre slower then suck it up, buttercup. Your family will need to be flexible to your goals and training, show them some of that flexibility back.
3. Tips for fitting it all in
Of course, time management, organisation and family buy-in only get you so far. The training still needs doing. Time-crunched triathletes who are consistent and successful use the some or all of the following strategies.
Micro sessions for strength: If a full weekly strength session is impossible for your busy triathlete schedule, incorporate micro sessions. For example, add 10 minutes to an existing home trainer session for a few sets of squats or lunges. Do this two or three times a week and the gains will soon start adding up.
Prioritize specificity and eliminate junk miles. Maybe the most important advice of all. If your time is limited, every session must have clear value and purpose. The key to consistency is making sure your limited hours deliver maximal impact. Sure, you can keep that fun social ride at the weekend, if you have time, but during the week every session should be machine-tooled to be as efficient and beneficial as possible. Remember, the magic you're looking for is probably in the work you are avoiding.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of done: I see this one so often. You have a 90 minute long run planned but work gets in the way and now you only have an hour available before your next meeting, so you sack the whole thing off. Successful time-crunched athletes will head out and do a 45 minute run instead, knowing that it’s the consistent accumulation of training that turns the dial so all training is better than no training.
Identify windows of opportunity: I once coached an athlete who was the CFO of a multinational, travelled frequently and had three kids. His dream was a sub-13 hour performance at Ironman Nice but when we took a realistic look at his schedule he had an average of around 4-6 hours per week to train. We applied all of these principes and strategy to his training, but we also identified occasional windows when he could do more.
For example, long weekends around national holidays when we could add a longer 3-4 hour ride on one of those days. Once a month, when traveling, he would have a few hours available before his first meeting so we could get a 90 minute run in. And he had “family buy-in" to train up to 8 hours per week during family vacations. These additional volume windows were enough to supplement his more intensity-focused standard weeks, helping him achieve his goal.
4. Efficiency, realistic goals, and personalized triathlon coaching
Too many athletes focus on how many hours you should train for an IRONMAN, instead of focusing on "How many hours do I actually have?" When starting to work with a new athlete, I always start by walking through their weekly agenda and other responsibilities together, so we can establish how much time they realistically and reasonably do have to train. For me, this is one of the main ways a coach can help; often we need someone external to our daily lives to see what is actually realsitic and reasonable and to save us from overpromising, overcommitting and underdelivering.
Once we’ve established that reasonable schedule, I look at how to maximise every available slot and add purpose to every session. That purpose, of course, differs as we move through the various phases throughout the season.
In my opinion, working with a coach becomes even more vital for professionals facing both tight time constraints and complex work schedules or shift patterns, like police, nurses, or doctors). We need to be much more flexible and adaptable in terms of hours, but also bear in mind additional factors, such as how hard it can be to do a hard or intense session after a run of night shifts. No generic training plan will account for all the variables.
Ready to Train Smarter, Not Just Harder?
If you are serious about achieving your triathlon goals without sacrificing your career or family, I’d love to help you stop worrying about fitting it all in and start training with a purpose.
Click here to book a zero-obligation coaching consult and learn more about coaching packages I offer.
