The holidays are a busy time of year for all of us. Between parties, filling wishlists, and family gatherings it can be challenging to stay on track with your training. Thinking back, I remember many holiday seasons when I’d have the best intentions to complete every scheduled workout, only to wake at the end of a long holiday weekend feeling guilty and severely off track. It happens to the most organized and dedicated of athletes.

However, the busy holiday season does not mean your workouts and goals need to be sacrificed! Together, here at Organic Coaching, we’ve come up with our best, tried and tested tips so that you can get in your workouts, make them out all without having to skip a single celebratory event!

We pride ourselves on supporting our athletes to balance their biggest athletic goals with their busiest months. So that’s what we’re here to do!

Remember These 4 Things When Training During The Holidays:

1. Consistency is key
2. Stay focused on your plan
3. Quality over quantity
4. Always know that something is better than nothing at all – even if it’s just a 20-30 minute run or a 15-minute bodyweight workout.  

The Go-To Activity For Busy Athletes

Running is the perfect activity for time-crunched athletes as there is minimal prep time and you can run from basically anywhere. Also, when you are pressed for time high-intensity intervals will give you the most bang for your buck because it helps maintain your base aerobic conditioning, pace at lactate threshold, and your ability to push at maximal efforts.  {Grab more time-saving triathlon workouts}

Top 3 Tips for Getting Your Workouts In and Making Them Count:

Plan Ahead: Don’t set yourself up for failure by scheduling a 20 miler on the day you know you are going to be with family the whole time. That would be a good day to squeeze in a short run or even take a rest day. When planning ahead

“Remember that often the first and best defence is getting up early and just simply getting the run done before the day gets derailed and you miss your opportunity to workout.”

-Coach Tyler

Make It Count:  Training, especially around the holidays, should always be about high quality over quantity. Whether you are running easy or doing a harder workout stay within yourself and your prescribed zones/efforts. Just because you may be going shorter distances, doesn’t mean you should be going at a harder effort every run.

Pack Accordingly: Traveling over the holidays? Make sure to take a few minutes to pack the appropriate running clothes for where you are going to be. Don’t set yourself up for failure from the start! Make sure you have running shoes, good running socks, the correct tights or shorts, shirts, etc. and that your fuel makes it into your bag. You want to get in high-quality training right? Then you need to plan for it!

Need a Quick and Effective 20 – 30 Minute Run For The Holidays?

• Warm up at an easy effort for 10 minutes
• 1 min hard, 1 min easy (repeat 3-5 times)
• Cool down at an easy effort 5 -10 minutes 

Ever wish you could buy more time over the holidays so that you can training? After years of training busy high-performing athletes, we can show you exactly how to find more time within the obligations and time restraints you already have. The Organic Coaching Triathlon Google Calendar is where we share the art of schedule and training. This calendar is customizable, realistic and fits into even the busiest schedules. Learn more and buy your easy-to-use copy here.

Happy Training!

-Coach Tyler