As a self-coached athlete, you are constantly managing the balance of training vs. everything else. This isn’t an easy equation to manage, regardless of what the ‘everything else’ is…this is mainly due to the fact that training is in and of itself a relatively selfish endeavor. Aside from fundraising efforts, no one else really benefits from your training and racing (this is assuming, of course, that other folks don’t consider time away from you as a positive thing). But striking this balance doesn’t always have to be a struggle between two opposing forces.
Negativity
Think of somethink negatively and it will be percieved as thus. Think of training as being time you can sneak away from work/life/responsibilities/etc., and it will always be a guilty endeavor. Think of training as a reward for being a good mother/coworker/sibling/etc, and it takes on a whole new perspective. Try it.
Complexity
I think the dominant endurance coaching trend is towards complexity. Towards professionalism. Age groupers must train like the pros do if they are to be any good. You can’t have one computer, you have to have an HRM, a powermeter, a garmin, etc., etc. More, more, more! I think the same complexity we deal with in our corporate lives is being unnecessarily channeled into the multisport arena. Honestly, how many gadgets do you need?
Remember that we fear the unknown and our (current) default reaction is to throw technology at it. Fight this inclination by defining your goals+races, your weekly schedule, and your downtime, and what was once an unruly beast actually becomes manageable. Better still, share that information with your family, colleagues, and friends and marvel at how much easier it is to get workouts in (and still meet your other obligations).
Excellence
When I speak of excellence, most folks think it has to do with race day performance. But the type of excellence I consider most relevant takes place outside of the competitive arena. It isn’t a time standard you can measure against others. It’s an internal commitment to be the best you can be in other areas of your life.
Training is important for sure, and even life-saving for some. But it’s not scalable. At some point, you will “max out” your tri capacity, whether you hit the top or you break in the process. Areas such as family, friendship, service, etc., these are areas where too much is never enough…where you get as good as you give, and where you can give-give-give and still see a need to give more. Identifying and prioritizing these other areas of your life will, believe it or not, help you to excel in your training and racing.
So before you blow off (insert important aspect of life here) for a workout, think twice about what really matters. Remember the message you are sending to others by the way you live your life. Get this right and believe me, you’ll feel the difference on that next workout!
Happy Training!
Coach P
Hi, I'm Patrick McCrann. 
