Win Some Sweet Schwagg from RoadID, Ryders and Gu

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• for me I always look forward to the feel of after workout and push myself to just get started. Once I start everything is much easier. lunch breaks are great because I can go for a run and then eat during work or snacks. I have a family so whenever possible I incorporate the family into my evening workout routine. this is either by going to a park and doing laps or pushing the kids on the running stroller until they are ready to go back to the play ground. my wife enjoys runnning as well so ofthen time we take turns playing with kids in the playground and doing our own drills. for bike rides I try to get a friend so it can be more pleasant and ofthen time we have a final bakery destination for a reward. swimming is probably the hardest, specially in the winter and fall where you are limited to a swimming pool, I just push myself out of bed early in the monring at least twice a week and join one of the local groups or clubs, I always get more motivation and better workout swimming with a group than on my own.

• Morning has never been my thing so I avoid those early morning workouts. NO sense fighting with myself. I use schedulers extensively to plan my training days. I even have a door in the house painted with chalkboard paint with my schedule on it, that way everybody in the house knows my schedule too. I try to maintain flexibility with my scheduling to accomodate those days that just go remarkably off side, by switching training days with others if its required. Motivation comes from many different places, new gear is always exciting and you have to keep training to "earn" it. I post sayings and pictures that inspire me in our house gym. I always feel better after training it is its own reward, hokey but true. I have difficulty honoring the "off day" I always want to do something on that day. I am learning to do it by scheduling friend time where we go for a leisurely stroll for a catch up. My family is starting to join in on my workouts so it has become beneficial to them too, and the training time pays double 'cause I am still with them. And lastly treat yourself to a massage every once in awhile, your muscles deserve it!

• Just started following your blog, love it so far! Well, I'm a stay at home mom of a 3 year old, and a full time online student. I also do taxes during tax season. So my situation is a little different, as I don't have full time conventional work. However, I still struggle to balance. I have a tendency to put too much on my plate so I've started to prioritize my days. In my quiet morning time, I figure out what I want to get done today. Working out is always a priority. I also work with a trainer a couple times a week, which I love! She helps keep me focused and motivated. I cook my meals before hand if I'm going to have an evening workout, that way all I have to do is heat it up when I get home. I also try to remain flexible about my workouts. If I can't get it in the morning, when I prefer, it's okay to do it in the afternoon. If I can only do 45 minutes instead of an hour, then that's better than not working out at all.

• I find that the portion of my workout that I tend to slack on if I know I will have a busy week is biking. To overcome this, I've committed to biking to and from work. I live only 3 miles from work so when I have my bike at work, I love to bike during my lunch hour. Taking that break at noon not only allows me to get some miles in, but I also get my mind of my work, and when I get back at it, I'm more productive. I even work in a bike/run brick at lunch once a week. I am NOT a morning worker-outer, so sometimes I'll go to work a half hour or hour early and take an extra long lunch to get in a longer ride or run.
  Food-wise/meal planning for the family consists of planning meals on Sunday for the week. If I have a meal schedule for dinner, then if I am running late, the family knows what we are having and they can get it started (if I'm lucky :))

• I can't force myself to get up in the mornings anymore. So I take it easy in the mornings, get in a good lunchtime bike or swim, and a nice hard after work bike or run. I want a pair of those sunglasses! yowsa!

  the key motivator for me is seeing how my pants fit. I've lost a few inches over the last few months, and that keeps my tri training ramped! It's time to HTFU!

• I find 2 things key to squeezing in workouts into a sometimes busy schedule.

  1) combine the workouts with something else. I live 8 miles from where I work. So I ride my bike to work when I can and then on the way home I'll tack on a hill or two, or an extra loop to get a few more miles in. Or, if I need to run that day, I'll bus into work then run all the way, or get off on a stop that is x miles from home and run the rest of the way.

  2) quality over quantity. for the 8 mile bike rides home, if conditions are good, I'll TT it and try to beat my best time. Again, hills are your friend. Put on the hurt going uphill to improve flat/windy riding. Plus it's fun to descend!

• I recently started working with a cycling coach and he has had me training harder than I ever thought I could train. That being said, it was a challenge the first month trying to figure out how to fit all the extra workouts in with the family schedule. My partner is training for her first triathlon and I am training for a multi day charity cycling event and we have a teenage son.

  It took some trial and error, but now we have it set so that we alternate early morning workout days so that one of us is available in the morning for our son. Then I ride at lunch 3 days a week. I worked it out with my boss so that I could take a half hour longer lunch and I make it up at the end of the day.

  Also, my rest days are never the same as my partners, so that's 4 days a week that one of us is available to do errands, car pool duties and whatever else needs to be done.

  I think one thing we do that saves us both a bunch of time since we both take our lunch to work every day is that on Sunday's we either grill up enough chicken or whatever for the week and prepack it for lunches. The crockpot is also great for this. We both try and stay away from sugar and processed foods, so making a roast or some really great pulled pork in the crockpot really helps.

  Last but not least, we decided a while ago that it was worth the $80 every two weeks to have someone come in and do the house cleaning (we do the daily stuff). That alone saved our relationship. :)

• Ummmm.....when I do my bike, I put one in the hitchhiker, and behind that, one in the trailer with the dog. I ride until they complain, but figure I am pulling enough weight to accomplish something! My husband helps out a lot when he is home, but he is leaving for Afghanistan this summer (his 5th year long tour overseas), so I'll have to workout smarter, not more.

• I have a totally different issue. As a Trophy Husband (stay @ home dad) of a wife that travels 4/5 nights a week. My daughter is in first grade. Instead of not enough time, I find I have too much time and I find it's just as hard to get motivated. I have always signed up for races as soon as they open, giving me something to look forward to. The simple need to have something to talk about with my wife when she comes home from a trip helps motivate me to train. I will break up my workouts in a day. Running for an hour in the morning and an hour before the bus comes. Carol your blog title says it all: My Journey from Couch Potato to Triathlete.
  Thanks

• I find that the best motivation is to sign up for a race. I have my first half marathon coming up in October, so I have no choice but to train. I think the best plan is to have a plan. Something that you can realistically do. You know how it goes, you have an over aggressive schedule and you start missing training. Then you start to give up because the week is a loss or whatever. So make a plan that you can stick to. Then, when something comes up that forces you to miss a training session (and that will happen no matter how well you plan) don't get discouraged.

  The other part to keep in mind is to make time in your schedule to do the things you need to. I make time for my wife and kids.

  About getting up early, I think that may work for some people, but I'm just not that kind of guy. For me, I am better off working out at night. So that is where I squeeze things in.

  I have three small children, and I work full time. I work hard to make time to workout. It isn't easy, but it is doable because I have a decent plan that I can get back to.