Being in the Army has always put a major strain on my triathlon racing and training program. With all the time spent in the field for training exercises, as well as the early mornings and late nights in the office, it’s always hard to find the time to effectively train.


Now that I have been deployed to Afghanistan for the next 12 months or so, I have run into more obstacles. Here I am working about 14 hour days. When I am not working, I try to catch up on correspondence with family members, and things of that nature. I have come up with a pretty good routine here that if I stick to it, I won’t loose fitness. With the elevation here (about 4000ft), I may even leave here being a little more fit! I have also come up with a pretty effective way to use my time wisely when I am stationed at my home base. Here’s a look at how I train at home.

In the morning my first formation is at 0630 for physical training. My house is about 20km from work with some rather decent climbs. I usually leave my home at around 0500, and make it to the office at about 0545. From there, I either head to the gym for a quick strength workout or right into my running shoes for a quick transition run of about 25 to 30 minutes. I spend the last few minutes changing into my physical training uniform, and quickly choking down a power bar.

Once formation is over, I take my guys out for a five-to-eight mile run, or we do some core strengthening. Our physical training session usually lasts for about an hour and fifteen minutes, and I do everything I can to get the most out of it. On a normal day I usually get about an hour and a half for a lunch break, which is very nice compared to most jobs. I am extremely lucky to have an indoor pool on my base that soldiers can use for free. During lunch I try to get in a swim workout about three times a week. Normally it’s nothing more than 1,000mt, but at least I am getting in the water. Sometimes it’s longer or shorter depending on what I have going on that day.

Once the work day is over, I am back on the bike for my evening ride home. Depending on the time I get off work and how tired I am, sometimes I take the long way home just to get a little bit more. This is normally my Monday through Friday routine. Once the weekend comes I try very hard to take Saturdays off, and do either a long run (30Km) or long ride (80Km) Sunday morning. Being married with a nine-month-old takes priority on the weekend, but usually I can get something in.

Now here’s what life and training has been like for me in Afghanistan. Although our Forward Operating Base (FOB) is very small, we have a track that’s a little less than a quarter mile, and a decent gravel trail that goes around the whole perimeter (about 1mile). Because of the extreme heat here, if I don’t get up at about 0400, I won’t get a good run in. I have been averaging 30-35 miles a week; which is not too bad considering the number of laps it takes. I usually make one run a week of about 10-12 miles, and fill the rest of the days in with 5-7 miles. I honestly think that because of the boredom of running laps, I concentrate on stride and technique more. I hope that once I get back on paved roads this will increase my speed.

I am very lucky that I have my bike here with my stationary trainer. Before I left home I downloaded all my Spinnarval workouts as well as some motivational movies like “What it Takes” to my Ipod. I have been very consistent in my riding. I usually hit the bike for an hour and a half spin everyday right after lunch. If I don’t get it in after lunch I try to squeeze it in before heading to bed. I think the big key to being able to continue my training out here has been time management, and the determination to train.

The Army has made it hard on my training and racing, but it has also helped me in many ways. I do enjoy what I do, and being physically fit is part of every day life as a soldier. I just wish that I could train more like the rest of my civilian triathlon buddies.