A Week In The Life Of A Professional Triathlete

Frequently, the question of “What is a week in the life of a pro triathlete like?” There are other forms of this question that arise as well. Questions surrounding what I eat and how I recover are often asked in conjunction with what a week in the life of a pro triathlete is like.

My Week Isn’t Much Different Than Your Week

The reality is, as a coach of amateur athletes, it’s not too much different than how I coach others. There may be a few more workouts, longer duration at times, but the bulk of what I do, as a triathlete, is similar for many doing longer distance events.

Here is some background on me and how this impacts training. I race and train for Ironman events and have newly ventured into some gravel racing. I coach athletes, have two teams I manage (IRACELIKEAGIRL and GIRLSGETGRITTY), work with sponsors, and of course am a co-owner of RunTriMag.com. Staying busy isn’t difficult to do especially with two awesome dogs and my with my other responsiblitlies. My workouts are my top priority and I manage my time around them along with recovery. Delegating my other fun work-related activities throughout the week allows me to focus on those workouts and recovering from them. I call it “fun” because it is fun and I love to coach, work with the community of my teams, and enjoy everything I do with my partners.

I live south of Boston. The weather is FAIR, to say the least, many months of the year. I live there with my boyfriend who also does similar things I do. We have created our lives to be based on what we both love to do. I think this is important in any relationship and personal life. Otherwise, “a week in the life” wouldn’t be something I’d even want to write about.

I work with a coach that prescribes me workouts weekly. Most weeks are similar in nature, though depending on the time of year – workouts do vary in type/duration.

A Week in the Life of a Professional Triathlete

Monday:  Recovery day. Focus is rest, after a swim workout of 3-5K. Light weights/movement and mobility exercises. Possible recovery jog and/or bike in evening.

Tuesday: Swim 3-5K strength session, Bike activation set or strength (low cadence) 2hours, Run aerobic or hills.

Wednesday: Swim 3-5K, Mid-week longer bike (4ish hours with some intensity), Run off the bike 30-45 minutes.

Thursday: Swim 3-5K, strength and mobility, recovery spin, aerobic run or strength.

Friday: Swim Recovery or short intensity; recovery spin, recovery jog.

Saturday: Long Bike (4-7hours); run off the bike.

Sunday: Long run, recovery swim OR strength swim in PM.

Recovery is key and since I do everything from home, it’s very easy for me to grab a short nap, lie down when I need to and use my recovery tools. I use Normatec Boots daily. I’m not afraid to shut everything down, and go lie down, if I’m tired.

Fueling in a week is very typical for any athlete in endurance sports. Based primarily on carbohydrates, I eat to fuel my body. My number one “rule” is a salad a day, or its equivalent. I usually have this at dinner with some protein. Throughout the day, I am fueling and using recovery fuels during workouts.

Over the years, I have found that balance in life is everything. As a professional triathlete for over a decade, finding balance with friends, and family has kept my career going. I always try to make time with friends throughout the week -whether it be an easy swim, dinner, coffee or a walk.

Strive For Balance and Keep It Fun

A week in the life of a professional triathlete looks a lot like the week of the athletes I coach and that is because we are all balancing different items. Some have kids, others have pets but we all have responsibilities outside of sport. Making sure that I am not only up to the task of my responsibilities but also having fun while doing them is important. I strive to make sure that the athletes I coach and the members of my teams do the same. My advice to you is to have fun, listen to you body and enjoy these moments.