Time for some structure

fully floating

Gonna start this log as a way to try and keep myself inspired/motivated.

So a bit about myself to start with, aged 35 height 1.89cm weight 82.5kg male, married two we ones 2 1/2 yo and a 6 mo.

As a young lad played hurling was good enough for a hurler in Monaghan played county senior and minor but would never count that as an accomplishment it wasn't a hard team to get on to being a football county.
Quit playing about the age of 21 work was getting in the way, would still play an odd reserve game for the club and still do when there stuck for numbers but the best days of that are behind me although I'm probably fitter now than I was back then.

Anyhow after I quit playing that ended my psychical exercise for about twelve years, and with that came massive weight gain, I managed to go from about 88.9kg till about 118.7kg although I couldn't be sure if that was my heaviest because I stopped stepping on the scales.

So what's challenged me to change on a Holliday in Italy in 2012 with the wife and another married couple, a group photo was taken and when I looked at it I was horrified with what I looked liked and just knew something had to change, but it was the kick in the hole I needed,
So the day after I got back I went and bought a bike, the wife cycled every Sunday so I thought that's it il join her, boy was I wrong 15k later I'm at home sitting on the couch but I kept at it and at it any chance I got I was out on the bike and it was starting to pay off, eventually completing a few shorter charity spins (60k ish), this started the weight loss which led me to be fit enough to get out running which with diet change really made the big difference,

So anyhow now I'm fitter I'm healthier and I'd like to start taking it all a bit more serious, I have completed 2 sprint distance tris at this stage both times it was a case of surrviving the swim managing the bike and a run/jog/walk to the finish. So the end of this year I joined a club and started with their swim group which has seen a massive change to my swimming so much that I love getting to the pool now been getting 3 times a week for the last ten weeks, I believe now that I can swim thought I could before this but now I know the difference.

So what now I seen the difference some proper training and structure can do for swimming, I'd like to complement it by improving bike and run so now we're at the point of this log,
I need help I don't know what I should really be doing now. Time restraints with the we ones means I have to do this bit on my own away from the club early mornings late nights and trying not to impact on family life to much.

I have no plans for any races this year just that I'd like to get some solid training in and build on it and try to get to a few races when it suits and possibly a half marathon towards the end of the year

So if you have taking the time to read this I thank you and if you have any advice or questions for me please post as I tri to move forward faster

gofasterdad

Best of luck with it. You've shown a fair amount of determination to turn things around and get to this point. Keep tipping away at it and you might surprise yourself how much further you can go.

I'm in a similar situation with small kids and restricted time, for me, early mornings are the key. At 6 am, your time is your own, the kids are usually in bed and you aren't really impacting upon family life. I now do about 90% of my training on my own. This has allowed me to continue to to train without impacting upon the family. It is a compromise and I do miss the group sessions, but family life comes first.

If you don't already have one, get yourself a turbo trainer. Most importantly, if you're going to get up at 6 a.m. to train, don't waste that commitment by just sitting there spinning your legs, hook it up to Trainerroad, follow one of the training programs and and get more out of your sessions.

joey100

Good luck with your training, good to see another new log in here. Try use your lunch break's in work if you can too. Only recently started doing it myself and a great way to get training in that doesn't impact on home time. Nice break during the day too, find the days I run at lunch go a lot quicker.

Dory Dory

Welcome, and good luck to you!! I agree with the two boys above, a turbo and time management are among the keys to success. And just have some fun with this!