Friends of the Devil News
Don’t miss Episode 2 of the Tri Pod – Available Now
Nate and Elliott discuss transitioning from off-season training to race season and adapting those plans for Covid. Then the Friends are joined by special guest, Danny Serpico, owner of Rip It Events and race director for the upcoming Bear Triathlon in DE. Danny goes into what it takes to put on a fantastic race and shares the weirdest triathlon experience he’s ever had. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode.
How do your scales tip?
Finding the equilibrium between triathlon and life can be difficult for many athletes. As your training progresses, sessions take longer and take more out of you such that even after you’ve finished a 50 mile ride/10 mile run BRICK, the last thing you want to do is head out the door to some Memorial Day barbeque. So how do you find the right balance to stay on top of your training to perform your best without missing out on everything else in your life?
Are you reading this Mr. Adams?
What’s better than a good long training day?
Why, the beer afterwards of course.
What’s better than nabbing a PR or a podium on race day?
Why, the beer afterward of course.
I always like to try and keep my training and racing in perspective. Triathlon is a hobby, (AKA addiction) not my job, and not my entire life. I try not to beat myself up if I miss a workout. Sometimes things come up. Sometimes I’m tired or sick. It’s not the end of the world.
I’ve found myself in an amazing situation with my job. I work about 17-20 miles from home, depending on my route. (Perfect for bike commuting) Several of the hills on the way are great for putting in a little training effort. I work at a university, in the theatre department so I can shower in our dressing rooms when I get to work. We also have a pool on campus that is open to staff/faculty about 8 hours a week. And there is a park right next to campus with a running path that is almost exactly a 5k loop. (As I write this all down, I have no excuses for ever missing another workout)
My wife, Marlene and I don’t share every hobby together. (I think knitting is some sort of sorcery, and I couldn’t pay her to wake up at 5am and go for a run) But we do share our lives together. And I would very much like to keep it that way. I try my best to keep her in the loop as to my training plans week to week. My calendar lives on the fridge so she has some idea of when I’ll be back. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not always perfect about it. Sometimes that 2-hour ride turns into a 2.5- or 3-hour ride. (Normally because of headwinds and/or a lack of fitness) Marlene even volunteers to pace some of my open water swims in a kayak. Not to mention coming to races…waking up super early to stand around all day, watch me ride or run by for a few seconds, and endure a sweaty hug post-race. She’s a superstar.
Basically, until my wife leaves me, or if Specialized, Giro, or Roka come knocking on my door, I don’t see a reason to change my habits (addictions)… I would also be willing to talk to Sam Adams, Guinness, Founders, or any other breweries.
They know where to find me.
| Training Update | Last 2 Weeks | Year to Date |
| Swim | 5400 yds | 17,252 yds |
| Bike | 177.3 mi | 798.7 mi |
| Run | 25.1 mi | 159.4 mi |
| Strength | 0h 00m 00s | 0h 00m 00s |
Are you reading this Honey?
There are only a few things in my life that I care more about than triathlon. My family, my health, my job (though that last one is just a means to be able to afford doing triathlon) all take precedence, which can be really hard when you’re trying to train during race season. So I have a few tactics I use to keep that balance even so I don’t over-priortize triathlon and lose out on life.
Tactic #1 – Learn to Love the Early Morning
My time with my family is the most important thing in the world to me. So I make sure that training doesn’t interfere with being with them. For me, this means 4am wake ups every day except for recovery days. This gives me enough time in the morning to relax and have a cup of coffee before heading out the door for whatever that day’s session is. Most of the time, I’m back home before my family wakes up giving me all the time I need to help my daughter get ready for school.
Tactic #2 – Be Flexible in Your Training Plan
Sometimes, the timing isn’t going to work out just right to be able to schedule a particular training session on a particular day. As such, I use a flexible training plan that I can shift around to suit my schedule. For instance, I wanted to go camping with my daughter a couple weeks ago, so I shifted my plan and delayed my recovery week so that I wouldn’t be “missing” a long workout on a Saturday. The same holds true on particular days. Having a training plan scheduled well in advance means that you can look at your activities across time and make adjustments to balance your life without missing out on your training goals.
Tactic #3 – Get Yourself a Spectathlete
The greatest life balance trick I have is a spouse that is willing to put up with triathlon in the first place. My husband, Tom, is as bigger part of my training success than my equipment, nutrition, training plan…you name it. While I’m not always great at it, I try to make sure that I communicate with him what’s coming up for training and races so we can work together on how we plan for family time and time for himself (without our daughter). Seriously, you’ve got to get yourself a Tom. 10 out of 10, highly recommend.
Tactic #4 – Forgive Yourself
Sometimes you’ll prioritize things above training and you’ll miss a session because this party was more important, or you had to travel for work. Remind yourself that it’s okay that those days happen and don’t beat yourself up about it. You’re already working hard to meet your goals, there’s no reason to put yourself down for missing a session for something that’s important to you.
In the end, finding the right balance between training and life is very personal. What is important to you as an athlete may not be important to the athlete you’re sharing a transition rack with. When the season is over, you don’t want to have regrets about what more you could have done to train or what you missed out on because of triathlon. Know your priorities and stick to them.
| Training Update | Last 2 Weeks | Year to Date |
| Swim | 5330 yds | 25330 yds |
| Bike | 51.22 mi | 364.58 mi |
| Run | 17.98 mi | 102.52 mi |
| Strength | 7h 09m 45s | 32h 21m 58s |
Friends of the Devil 