Plan Your Day like the Pro Triathletes
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Amateur triathletes come to me because they want to be present and achieve balance with work, family and friends while training - and you need an optimised daily training routine to accomplish this.
And while all of my clients are unique, 99% of them don’t have a daily routine that facilitates them to effectively, efficiently and enjoyably achieve their goals in work, family and training.
With all of my clients, we start by figuring out their 1-5 year vision and goals, and from here, we dig deeper and identify exactly what they need to do each day to achieve their potential in the time they have.
(The vital ingredient for optimising their triathlon training schedule is their triathlon performance statement and I have created a free download if you need help with yours!)
Initially, clients come to me for improving their performance in triathlon - and you need a solid daily routine to do this - so for inspiration, let’s look at how some of the pro triathletes plan their day:
Meredith Kessler,
American professional triathlete, wife and mom
4:15 a.m. Wake-up run-2 to 5 miles
Refuel with oatmeal and 1 tablespoon of almond butter; small cup of coffee
5:30 a.m. Interval swim-5 to 7 kilometers
Refuel on the go with Greek yogurt, Bungalow Munch Granola, and a banana
8:00 a.m. Indoor or outdoor cycling session-2 to 5 hours
Refuel and rehydrate with a lunch of ready-to-sip ZÜPA NOMA soup, a turkey sandwich with avocado or hummus, and two pieces of dark chocolate
12:00 p.m. Strength training session with coach, Kate Ligler
1:30 p.m. Deep tissue massage or physical therapy
3:00 p.m. Downtime for resting in compression recovery boots, checking emails, or grabbing coffee with a friend
5:15 p.m. Pre-dinner aerobic-endurance run-6 to 12 miles
7:00 p.m. Dinnertime with friends or family
9:00 p.m. Netflix and chill...back in those recovery boots
11:00 p.m. Sleep, because tomorrow it starts all over again!
Connect with Meredith on Instagram (@mbkessler) and website.
You’ll first notice that everything is scheduled in Meredith’s daily routine, from food, emails, seeing friends to recovery and training.
Meredith knows the key daily processes she needs to consistently perform to the best of her ability and why each one is important.
When it comes to your own daily routine, know the key processes you need to perform every day and schedule everything in your diary - I love using a combination of Asana, google calendars and a good old fashioned spreadsheet.
Caroline Steffen,
Pro Swiss Triathlete and mum based in Australia
5:00 a.m. Wake up and double shot latte
5:30 a.m. Meet up with my riding group and head out for several hours. On some days I will run right off of the bike and on others I will start that portion of my training right before lunchtime.
If it is a run focused day then I will begin my workout at 6:00 a.m. to avoid the Australian heat.
Afternoon routine:
Between sessions I will spend some time catching up on emails, speaking with sponsors and answering fans on social media. I will also make a few phone calls to my agent or family back in Switzerland.
Evening Routine:
Once all my training is done, it’s time to relax and spend time with close friends. Taking my dog, Monty, to the beach for a quick splash is my absolute favourite. After all, there is nothing better than an ocean swim to finish off the day.
This was Caroline’s routine before she became a mum, you can connect with Caroline on Instagram (@caroline_xena).
But as you can see, her routine was more flexible that Meredith’s and that’s totally fine - it’s all about working out what works for you.
The key thing is to wake up at the same time every day and have an empowering morning routine.
If you block your days e.g. morning, afternoon and evening, similar to what Caroline does, have 1-5 bullet points per block of the things you need to do from emailing Sally to an Instagram post to organising a meeting or preparing for that presentation.
Amelia Rose Watkinson,
Pro New Zealand triathlete
6:00 a.m. I’m always up at least 1hr before my first session to allow myself a transition period to wake up and enjoy my long black, seedy toast with coconut oil, natural peanut butter, jam, the BBC news and sometimes hang the never-ending washing out.
7:00 a.m. On Saturday mornings, I meet up with my swimming squad. Sessions are normally 6000m.
9:30 a.m Coffee and a snack like oats, nuts and seeds, and True protein, maybe complete some chores.
11.30 a.m Breakfast with Alex: Gluten-free ciabatta, Baby spinach, avocado, Poached eggs, radish, hummus and another long black.
12.30 p.m Relax, Recover and Life Admin
2.30 p.m Bike Session on the Turbo Trainer
4.15 p.m 8km Run Off the Bike at Race Pace
5.00 p.m Stretch and Refuel - 2 glasses of soda water and lemon, and a Protein smoothie with ice, spinach and greens powder.
5.15 p.m Gym- lighter more bodyweight session and some bosu balance today, usually I gym 2x per week with the other session heavier with weighted squats, deadlifts and leg press.
7.00 p.m Dinner and relax with friends - sweet potato fritters and a big everything salad, there’s always enough for the next 2 days of lunch too, and a little frozen coconut boysenberry yoghurt for dessert.
9.00 p.m Bedtime - 30min of ebook reading and set the alarm.
You can connect with Amelia on Instagram (@ameliarosewatkinson).
Much like Meredith, Amelia’s routine is scheduled to include training life admin, chores, recovery, nutrition and chilling with friends. She knows the key daily processes she needs to complete to a world-class level and why she does each one. Allowing for a balanced and present day, while achieving her full potential.
