Except for a brief two year period in my late teens when I was disenchanted with post-secondary education, and not sure of my "life direction" I lifeguarded and instructed swimming lessons full time. It was a 9-5, sometimes 7-5 job. The pool had no windows, and in the winter there were days when I went to work in the dark, and came home in the dark.
After that my career in aviation took off(pun intended) and it hasn't been "normal" since. During my first Ironman in 2000 I was flying for a regional airline, and worked pretty much every weekend, and it consisted of what we call a 4 or 5 day pairing. Leave on Thursday come back on Monday or Tuesday. So needless to say except for the odd time, most of my long runs and rides were solo affairs during the middle of the week.
For the last 13 years I have flown a corporate jet for a large family owned business. I have more time at home, but it involves a LOT of on call with frequent schedule changes. Thus making it hard to plan a week of training.
For example this week. I have been essentially off all week, however I found out yesterday I have a day trip on Saturday (long bike day), leave at 7am, get home around 4pm. Then I leave again Sunday (long run day) at 1:30pm get home on Thursday, to leave again on Friday for seven days.
Being involved in a sport that requires a 25m pool and a bicycle, air travel to places your boss wants to go to can make training a bit of challenge.
So I have some juggling to do. I know on Saturday I will not feel like sitting on the bike trainer for 2 hours after working all day. So I'll move long ride day to Friday, and easy run day to Saturday.
Sunday I'll get my long run in before work.
Next week will be a write off for swimming. I'm in hotels all week (White Plains, NY, and Washington DC), and lets face it the only thing you can do in hotel pool is practice flip turns, or tread water. As long as I don't have to do a long ride on hotel gym exercise bike. I can suffer an hour on one, but after that it just sucks. If I'm lucky some will actually have spin bike with clips. (Hotel Saskatchewan has two spin bikes with clipless pedals)
The good news....... on Friday I head to Fort Lauderdale, and Miami for a week. Can you say company paid training camp. There's a 50m pool behind our hotel (Swimming Hall of Fame), and there is a Trek dealer that rents bikes in Lauderdale. So that week is covered.
my hotel is tall building on the left
I actually have two trips to Florida, the second trip has us sitting in Lauderdale for a few days, so if there's not too much luggage I'll throw my bike in for that one.
Unfortunately these Florida trips are kinda rare. I mean once every two or three years does this happen. Usually it's drop the boss and family off, and if we are lucky get a night or two in the south before heading back to the frozen wasteland we call Canada. #wintersucks
Oh, and the best part.......this could all change the day of departure, and I could end up out in North Dakota or heaven knows where. So I have learned it's best to pack for all four seasons. Then the juggling of the training sched starts all over again.
Most of our trips are rather mundane, exotic destinations like Auburn, Maine, Bedford, Mass, North Dakota, Minnesota, Toronto, etc, etc. Airport hotels begin to look the same after awhile. It's pretty bad when you pick your hotel based on the quality of fitness centre, or available outdoor running areas.
Wait a minute, we do get the odd European trip. In the winter. I mean Finland in December is awesome. Five hours of daylight, wet, cold, windy and dreary. Not to mention the 6hr time zone change. Trying to drag your arse out of bed for breakfast when your brain is screaming, "hey it's f'ing 2am!"
So this will be a constant process of juggling workouts around, not unlike some of you in the same boat, or plane.
You do a lot of reflecting and daydreaming when your boss is 3 hours late showing up.
Despite everything, I'll take this office any day over a cubicle and 9 to 5 hours.
It's still early in my training program, and my coach says if I get in 85% of the planned workouts, especially the key ones I'm good to go. I'm not too worried, it's pretty typical to have a pile of trips come up all together. There will be weeks when I'm hardly doing anything, and training will actually go as planned.
Hopefully I'll be writing you from the Sunshine State after a couple of days of great workouts in the heat and sun.
Cheers.
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