It Should be Training Life Balance

[co] that everyone talks about...

Okay there is a lot written about work life balance, whether in your weekend paper or your management journal. Telling us how important this is to make sure that we are well rounded, rested people... blah blah. Sometimes I think it is perhaps more aimed at those with babies (not knocking it... but we don't all have them yet) and perhaps a way to help justify the fact that not all work is that exciting so actually we don't want to be there 24/7.

Anyway this little rant is about the fact that maybe for those of us who do more endurance sports (like a marathon or triathlon) actually are more about 'training' balance. And that is balance with anything... life or work... but maybe more importantly with life.

It is fair to say that sometimes going to work is about recovering from one training session... and sometimes training is recovery from work... they seem to morph into one big roller coaster of time that you just need to manage when you can be averaging 1 to 2 hours of training a day (and more) during the week.

Now I am not complaining. I choose this. i enjoy it. Even when i don't.

But perhaps for me the hardest 'balance' is life balance. And thats because there is the least amount of room for it. You have to work (well most of us do) to fund this fun stuff (and the shiny new toys), but where do you find the time for family and friends... I guess it is about those choices again.

So you become selective about your time. You learn to know when you need to give more to others, for them and yourself, and make choices around it.

So last night I sat on my wind trainer for a few hours after work (3+ hours of sweaty fun) in order to free my Sunday up. Now the reality is 8 weeks out from a big race this is less likely to happen... but in winter I think its fair to make those small adjustments to give space to your home life. Now this all makes sense... but still to the list ticking triathlete it isn't easy... yes I am weird.

But in the end you have to think about the other person who puts up with your early starts (and those which don't happen... but the alarm still rings); the racing (and cost of it); who traps around the country (and sometimes over the ocean) with you to support you doing this crazy stuff; and the fact they live with someone who in the end is ultimately a very selfish person.... so you need to stop being that person for a while... even if only for a day.

And selfishly it's nice to be able to do that for yourself as well (if being honest).