By: Jennifer Harrison, USAT Level II Triathlon Coach
I am super intense. I am your typical Type-A Triathlete.
I have been told since I was a newborn that I have always attacked everything I have done in my life with extraordinary intensity. That is not a bad thing, right?
Well, as we get older we gain more and more responsibilities and this intensity can be taxing. But, I have worked hard over my adult years on how to balance that intensity and keep all the balls of my life up in the air - in a fluid motion.
Sometimes I do it well. And, other times, well...not so much. It is always an adjustment and re-evaluation of priorities. Just like everyone else, I have a lot of my plate. I am a mom and wife. I have 8 year old twins. I work full time and have my own business. I coach a Masters Swim group. I am the President of a Triathlon Club in the suburbs. I train 15-20 hours per week. I race all over the United States and internationally from Olympic Distance Triathlons to the Ironman in Hawaii. I am your typical Triathlete.
The catch is HOW do we manage all of this?
It is not easy and I will never pretend that I am perfect at anything I listed above...but I sure try to do the best I can, like any of us.
Here are some tips that help me manage:
1. I have learned to say NO. This sounds so trite, but it is the most freeing word in the English language. I realized pretty quickly that I cannot do it all. Or, more importantly, do it all well. So, why try? I know my limiters and I know my strengths. I let others do the things that they excel at and I stay on task with the things I am good at.
2. SLEEP. Actually it sounds contradictory to balancing it all, but you know what? It is not! If I do not sleep, I am crabby, irritable, I make poor food choices and I make poor choices with my kids (I snap at them, etc), so when all else fails, I sleep. Plus, training as much as I do, I need to sleep to recover. So, I sleep as much as I can pull off each night!
3. I do not touch a piece of paper twice. Because I am a full time coach, I am responsible for a lot of data and even more people. I am obsessive about planning and organization. The key to running a smooth at home business is YOU MUST BE extremely organized with your work and time. Or else, the days and nights all bleed into one another and starts to really affect the other parts of your life! So, if I get a bill. I pay it. If I get an email from a client I either answer it or file it in their personal file online. I move through emails swiftly and with a purpose. I get hundreds of emails from clients each hour. I have to be organized to be effective and to be good.
4. My husband and I have a routine. Both of us are triathletes. So, we are two athletes in the house that are both training in excess of 15+ hours/week, some weeks 20 hours. Never mind we are parents and work full time too. So, it is imperative that we have a schedule. For example, I have the first workout on Saturday mornings. Jerome has the first workout on Sunday mornings. What that means is that it is my responsibility to get up first, and get out of the house and workout. Jerome is dad and is plugged in with the kids for this time. During the week, Jerome gets up at 5am to do his first workout of the day and I get up at 5.30 and work until 6.30am and then do my work out until he leaves for work @ 7.30am or so and then I get the kids ready for school and out the door. If I decide to sleep in on a Saturday morning, then too bad for me...that was my decision.
5. Establish priorities. I have learned very quickly that you cannot party like a rock star and train like one too. To me, my health and sport is my #2 priority after my family. So, clearly, I have to say no frequently. I live in a VERY social neighborhood, but I have been very clear that my sleep and training comes first. So, if we can join a group out for dinner - then super. If I can be home by 10pm so that I can get up by 6 am the next morning to do my work out - then that is what I do. There are rarely any issues with this. I know my priorities and I have goals to reach. You cannot have it all.
6. I am PRESENT in each moment. I spend each workout PRESENT. When I am at my son's soccer game, I am PRESENT. I have decided it is much easier to be present in each event than wish I was someplace else! Doesn't work that well. So, my efforts and energy are focused and driven. And, this especially goes for my workouts. I have hard days and easy days for training purposes. There is nothing in between. I do not train in the grey zone. I am either "ON" or "OFF." So, I make each workout count. And, this usually entails two workouts per day.
7. ASK for help. I like to think I "CAN" do it all, but as I get older and wiser I realize this is NOT the case. It takes a "Village" to be successful. We all need a support system. This is even truer when you have kids. I ask for help from this support system: neighbors, babysitters, family, close friends. I think some people are afraid to ask for help. Why? You would help out your loved one, I am sure.
8. Cut the fat out of your life. I don't necessarily mean that type of fat...what I mean is the excess. Cut it out. Live cleanly. IF there are people are stressors in your life that are bringing you down and NOT supportive to your dreams and goals, say goodbye. Ask yourself some tough questions and at the end of the day you KNOW the answer. Negative people are toxic. And, there are MANY more people out there that love you and will support you unconditionally. Find them. Feed off them.
9. Choose your free time wisely. In the day of Facebook and Twitter and instant messaging, ask yourself DO YOU LOVE IT - does it add value to your life? IF that answer is yes, then keep doing it. I absolutely LOVE these mediums. I am on Facebook A LOT. For me, it is a combination of work (most of my clients are on FB) plus it is like a coffee clutch for me to break up the online day for me. IT is my vice and it makes me happy! Do something that makes you happy! It doesn't need to be productive OR valuable. READ that sentence again. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to always "read great literature" - sometimes it is ok to zone out and play and rest the mind. It is rejuvenating and ok! Cheap and fearless fun.
10. Athletes always ask me HOW I stay motivated or inspired year after year. I have been racing since 1995 and have done over 200 Triathlons in this time...and this is an easy answer for me...EVERY day I get up and have a dialogue with myself on "WHY" I am going to do this workout OR "WHOA is me it is sooo cold outside." I only have to ask myself, "Jenny, what is your competition doing today?" Because I can bet my butt that they are not whining. They are living in California and riding OUTSIDE year round. AND, that is what keeps me going year after year and day after day and winter after winter. I love to compete and I love to win. And, I love to be my best. So I put myself in the position to allow myself to succeed. Do that for yourself. PUT yourself in the position to succeed. You owe it to yourself. Don't make excuses make time.
Balancing it all is not easy - if it was easy, no one would aspire to train and complete a marathon or a Triathlon. But, it is the inner drive in all of us to be our best, to lose weight, to get fit, to avoid major illnesses...to be a good role model...whatever it is, FIND it and just allow yourself to be your best. Why not? Anyone can do it. Find a mentor, find a plan, get a support system and set a goal. And, take that first step. You owe it to yourself!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: balance, Coach Jen, guest post, training
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November 20, 2011 at 12:00 am