While I don't work 6a-8p, 85% of my training (during the week) has to happen either before work, or during lunch. I do allocate 2 session (on tues and thur) for a 30 minute run after I get home. I don't want to be one of those guys that never hangs out with his family b/c I'm training all the time. On weekends, I wake up before everyone else and can knock out a 2 hour bike or 90 min run and be done in time to make breakfast for my kids.

I can fit in anywhere from 6 - 10 hours a week of training like this. It's more than enough to be competitive at HIM or below.

It's hard at first, but as you manage your time better, and get used to the early workouts, it gets easier.

I can't speak from my experience because I have a pretty flexible schedule.. However a friend of mine does all of his bike/run training at 3am. I think he sneaks his swims in at lunch occasionally. He's a trooper and soldiers through. Family of 4 and he's doing the best he can based on his time.

Good luck.. You might have to be creative but there is always a way if you're up for it.

I hope you are curing cancer or landing on Mars, because no amount of money is worth that kind of work schedule. No amount.

Came here to suggest alternating swimming before work (pools usually open 5:30 AM) and riding on the trainer (quality FTP work) before work, and to run after work every evening. But with that schedule is it even possible?

I have a friend who, for a while, was able to get in some very effective trainer sessions at work. Especially during conference calls where he had to listen - but rarely speak. Not sure if that's an option for you.

Other thoughts would be if you could bring a phone with you with a BT headset for easy runs where you are going at what should be a "conversational" pace anyway.

I would NOT train 4am/10pm. It's a bad trade for both work life and training if you don't sleep. I'd see if you could figure out how to get some training in while working. Otherwise, I'd just shelve the racing. Or at least modify your goals.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

I was in a similar position when I started consulting. Early travel on mondays, working full days 7am-8pm during the week, but I did get to work from home on Fridays. After a while, my wife started noticing how moody/depressed I was since I wasn't able to train, so she signed me up for an Ironman for my Christmas present and said, get to training. Over-time I've gotten into a rhythm of early 4:30am workouts, work from 7-7, then 30-60 minutes in the evening, in bed by 10pm so I get 7 hrs of sleep. On the weekends, I get in 1-3 hrs early in the morning.

I don't have kids yet (1st is due in 6 weeks!) but you could easily push your evening workout to be after their bed-time.

The hardest part for you will be making sure you give your spouse enough attention. I'd recommend finding time for meaningful phone calls or lunches during the day, and getting a date night in once a week.

Other than that, you can probably still get 8-10 hrs per week of good training, enough to keep racing and keep your health up. A funny thing about exercise, it gives you more energy and makes you more productive.

Just out of curiosity, what are you doing that's going to take up so much of your day?

Don't worrying 6 am to 8 pm is not sustainable for any length of time if you also have a commute. You will quit soon unless they are paying you a fortune so you can retire soon.

Or you love the work more than anything else in the world.

I wouldn't take the new job, even for double my salary. Not worth it, IMO, even just thinking about the family aspect.

6am-8pm: work / travel to meetings
10pm-5am: 7 hours of sleep

This leaves 2 hours available on weekdays to be with family / talk to your wife and kids / change light bulbs / train.

Then try to cram in all of the other family responsibilities (outside of paycheck) on weekends, I just don't know.

I just don't see the numbers adding up to even sustain family life let alone add in training - unless you are exaggerating the amount and lateness of meetings.

I do wish you luck in your career, family, and hobby.

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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal

I work 6-4 (or 5) M-Th and have 4 young kids. The last thing I want to do in the evening, after the kids go up, is workout. I'm just too tired. I do not want to get up before work to workout, it's just too early.

I got to a point where the (self imposed) stress of missing a workout zapped all of the fun. I was bummed that I missed a beautiful day of training because I was too tired. Then I was further bummed to realize that trying to make it up tomorrow may not be doable because of a family conflict, or something else.

In the end, this is just a hobby for me. I don't do it for a paycheck, which is good because I'm not that good anyway. It has to be enjoyable, this is my introvert/"me" time that I require to function. It can't contribute to my stress in life. I'm down to training (seriously) Fri-Sun, and I try to workout once or twice M-Th, but it's not a fixed day/workout. I do what I can when I can fit it in.

Don't forget that your wife needs "off" time too.

Yeah i don't know how people can do it and on top of that consider triathlon as a hobby, it just can't work.

Agree, those are Sarah '90 hour work week' Piampiano hours

First off, since you're likely only having these late night meetings "several times per week." You'll probably just have to make your schedule week to week. On days with late meetings, do your workout in the morning. The day following the late meeting, plan to do your workout after work so you can sleep in a bit - assuming you don't have another meeting.

Not sure where you are in your career, but if you have some seniority, do your best to dictate days and times that you can have meetings.

I work "early" (in at 7:45/8am, which means I'm out the door around 7:15am) and more often than not I don't head home until about 7pm, which gets me home around 7:45/8pm.

I manage to squeeze in lunch hour + workouts during the week with one or two early mornings during the week.

Sunday is my off day and I usually do next to nothing...except laundry.

Totally agree here too. I just can't see how you could juggle everything and still stay sane. Work to live not the other way around.

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Tomorrow is not promised. Increase the Peace.

Offload the family

They are holding you back

I'm gonna risk getting flamed, but I gotta call "BS" on the 6AM-8PM schedule with no downtime whatsoever in between for 5 days per week straight. There's either going to be fairly significant blocks of inefficiently-used office time in there where you actually can take a break and/or sneak it a 45-60 minute workout, or everyone else has got it way better than you. Even medical residency programs don't make you go 6AM-8PM nonstop, no breaks, no downtime for 5 days in a row.

The job description might SAY it's 6AM in the office to 8PM, but there's no way anyone is going to keep that up 5 days per week with a family, which means most employees.

I'm on a normal 8AM-5PM work schedule and it's hard enough, but I do make it work at 10+hrs/wk regularly without my family even noticing that I'm training. This does mean early training sessions at anywhere between 2AM-4AM start time (I got back to sleep for an hour afterwards) and as many lunch sessions as I can get in, which lately has been pretty much every day. My wife is getting a bit spoiled about it though - I'm getting some flak from her if I schedule my weekend run to start at 6AM-8AM since there's a chance my daughter might be awake at 7:30-8AM and she wants me to take care of her while she sleeps in, never mind that I've run 10-18 miles at that point!

Hmmm . . . sounds like you may have to play it by an ear a bit to dial in a schedule. . . . You seriously have regularly scheduled and regulated 14 hour work days? How much hyperbole is in that? I have regularly worked approx 60 hours a week, albeit with some flexibility, for the past 32 years and have continued to race every single year including birth of kids (now 3 teenagers), etc. It takes work, but i have a pretty good work/training/family balance and perform age-wise at a pretty high level (sometimes ;-)). I have yet to see anyone with a job who couldn't figure it out if they wanted to. I see lots who don't want to and use the job as an excuse. On the flip side, if you REALLY have regularly scheduled and regulated 14 hour days and seriously have no time, then you have the wrong job whether training or not.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

My advice is not too get sucked into thinking you need to do a certain type of training to be competitive. There may be ways for you to do significantly​ different training and remain competitive, you won't know without trying. Maybe you've got enough of a base at this point that 4 targeted days of training is enough to keep in shape. Maybe not. Maybe interview some coaches and find someone willing to be flexible and fit a training plan into your new life. If you still have passion for racing, there's nothing to lose in trying. Or maybe your passions are work and family now, no shame in that.

have you considered other athletic outlets that could fulfill your needs but are less time consuming than triathlon? I made that change about 5 years back (just bike racing) and am as happy as ever. You lose out on the social training side of things by being focused, but you can get really fit off 5-7 hrs a week and structured intervals. I know guys that decided to focus on 5K runs for the same reason.

Thanks all for the responses.
Sorry for the late reply ……………….. I’ve been working- lol.

Yes- I think the 3 am gig ain’t gonna happen for me. I tried that several years back and started getting sick often (lack of rest). So I stopped and ….. became healthy again. I can do (and currently deal with) training 3 x / week at around 5am but that’s about as early as I can go ……..

I already have races scheduled / paid for during 2017 so I’ll just do what I can do / when I can do it and let the chips fall where they may. Enjoy triathlon too much to give it up. Just may not shine like I use to. That’s ok too.

To answer some of the other direct questions:
Hospital administration is the field.
No- I don’t “love” what I do but I’m getting there. It’s a job and pays the bills.
My guess is no- it will not continue to be 6am – 8am forever but only for the 1st several months to year as I get up to speed …… if it continues …….. yes- I’d bag it. I am told it will be rigorous (thus the long hours) getting “submersed” into the position. Thereafter, not as bad. It (the new job offer) will be a discussion between myself and the wife).

Thanks all.

I faced the exact same situation a few years back. I am a hospital administrator with long commute and 3 kids. Year 1 I took entire year off--no chance at all to train. Since that time I limit my racing to mostly sprints and a few olympics with training occurring mostly before 7am and bed by 9p. Busy season at work will be September through May so you can make it work but not likely this season.

Good luck

I would really just not do triathlon!

It is hard getting used to the fact if it is something you like. But deep down inside i think you know the answer already, its just not gonna work!

1) Having so many hours of work is insane in itself. I hope you love the job!
2) Think of your familiy with 7h sleep, you have only 2 hours to family, i guess you only have a wife but not kids (otherwise i really dont know why you even made this thread). But even your wife needs some attention!
3) My proposal: Skip triathlon, do running instead! you could do a decen marathon with 3 runs a week. without using more than max 4 hours.