The Accidental Triathlete's Accidental Christmas Training "Camp"

Christmas can be one of the best times of the year - spending time with friends and family, enjoying a little extra time off work and enjoying all the Christmas goodies that seem to pop up everywhere.  It's awesome but it can also derail your training.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  A little break from structured training is perfectly fine as long as it is just a break, not the new normal.   But for those of you who love a little structure of if you just want to get in a few workouts just to make you feel yourself again (or at least to alleviate some of the guilt over too many holiday treats), you might want to consider planning few workouts with friends.   That's my plan this year:   My Accidental Christmas Training Camp.

My Accidental Christmas Training Camp 2018

With my work schedule, I have a block of 4 full days off in a row.  Believe me, since I work in retail, this is a very rare occasion.  My goal is to get in at least 2 swims, 2 bikes and 2 runs in over those 4 days. Just like my DIY  Training Progam process, I started with the the few rules or fixed things I had to work around:

1.  The pools are closed early on Christmas Eve as well Christmas Day & Boxing Day.  So, my 2 swim sessions have to be Sunday & Monday, the 23rd & 24th.
2.   I always like to get in a short run on Christmas Day.
3.   I always like to get in a bike workout on Boxing Day..
4.   My gym is open Christmas Day and usually has a yoga class at 10AM Christmas Day.
5.   I have family things in the evening on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. We just chill at home on Christmas Day.

So, here is what I started with:

For me that was pretty easy since I only had a few family/social things to work around.  If you have young children or a big family and/or more social engagements, you might find that Christmas Day is a complete write-off for you and that's absolutely fine. Do what works for you - one of  the goals of the "camp" is to provide an outlet to get away, to be an escape, a physical release and a way to work off any stress, not cause stress.  (When fitting in training sessions becomes a source of stress in other parts of my life, that defeats one of the reasons I enjoy training. Who needs more stress in this world?)

You are your own sample size of one so you find a path that works within the structure of your own life.  

So, I'll add one more of my rules or habits:  I pretty much always do my 'long' ride on Zwift every Sunday.  After that, all I have to fit into my training camp is one more run workout.  It was pretty easy to fill in the rest:

I am in Edmonton, Alberta and, if you find yourself here over Christmas, you are more than welcome to join me for any part of my Accidental Christmas Training Camp.  The more, the merrier, the fitter, the stronger we'll be and the more fun we will have.  Happy, happy.