Typically, I ride my bike three times during the day. It’s not what you think though. I’m not obsessed with riding, I’m not putting in 100’s of miles each day, and yes, I do have a job. Two in fact! In addition to coaching, I am the Content Manager for TrainingPeaks. I handle our blog, work with our partners like USA Triathlon, British Cycling, Team Sky and others, create website content and more. It’s a great job and I love it (as much as coaching athletes!). So, how am I fitting in so much riding? It’s actually pretty easy.A typical day for me means that I am up at 6 with my daughter, who is almost 2 years old. After making us breakfast, I try to sneak in some quality playtime before I head to work around 7:30 am. Now that the weather is good enough, I commute in to TrainingPeaks on my bike. The trip is just over 10 miles if I go directly in, but often I’ll take some side dirt roads to avoid high traffic, and get some better scenery. There is a pair of bald eagles I see every day in the same tree, and I pass by several horse pastures and beautiful farms. I love commuting to work on my bike because I feel like I am getting something in, and it puts me in a good mood to start the day.
D3 Coaches Summit June 2013 014When I hit my desk, I open my calendar to see what meetings I have and check the tasks that I have to get done by the end of the day. From this, I see where my best window of opportunity is to get in my hour-long ride, which is usually around lunch time. If my workout is specific, like intervals, I’ll go on my own. If I have some flexibility, I can usually get out with some other strong riders in the office for a fast group ride. We’ll hammer each other in sprints and climbing for an hour or so, and then enjoy lunch at our desk while we get back to the real work. Either way, the lunch ride is usually pretty tough.
Of course there are days when the meetings and tasks are heavy, and the ride is pushed back in order to get the day’s work done. When this happens, I can typically adjust by simply doing my workout on my commute home. I don’t like to cut into my family time, so I’ll truncate the workout to something I can do in 45 minutes. This is typically a 5 to 10 minute than an all-out 30 minute TT home. I like to think of it as the “must get home now” time trial. Even on days when I’ve ridden at lunch I often push on the way home just to get home that much quicker.
Between the three rides, I can fit in about 2:30 a day of riding. It’s a good total, and it’s interesting to be able to often go hard twice in a day. Of course, some days I just don’t have it, and I drive in to work, spin easy at lunch and drive home. But, once I get in the rhythm it’s pretty easy to just get out and ride rather than start up the car. My legs are stronger, and I haven’t seen a gas station in months.
Coach AJ Johnson says, “one of the things I love about coaching is that no two athletes are the same – even when their goals are. I view each person that I work with as a puzzle with unique abilities, motivators, lifestyle and potential. There’s nothing I enjoy more than helping someone incorporate the individual pieces to get the results they looking for – because when it all comes together, it’s amazing!”
