After Sea Otter Classic this year—the most hectic 4 days in the cycling industry—it got me thinking about work trips. So many of the athletes that we work with are also busy executives who are often on 3-7 day business trips, and it can get really tricky, especially for cyclists, to get their training in and feel like they’re staying healthy and training. Here’s the thing: It’s not easy. It’s often no even possible. But does that mean you should just assume you won’t be able to train and write off the week as a fitness loss? Of course not!
This year at Sea Otter was the most balanced one that I’ve had in years, and it got me thinking about finding that correct balance between trying to do some training, do the “healthy stuff,” but also lean into the work nature of the trip, do the after-work meals and happy hours that are part of the reason to be there in the first place, and basically have the best of both worlds. Here’s the few things I’ve come to terms with:
Hydration is everything.
There’s the joke that when you’re 21, the ‘adult’ drink is alcohol. When you’re 30, it’s coffee. When you’re in your late 30s, you finally realize that the real adult drink is water. This was the first year at Sea Otter that I prioritized water over both coffee and beer. I still did not come anywhere close to hydrating enough, but I came closer than I have in past years. It’s something I will definitely set reminders in my phone for the next time I’m at a work thing like this.
Keep a close eye on alcohol and caffeine consumption
The corollary to the hydration one is that it turns out, cutting down on caffeine and alcohol also really helps feel better and more even-keeled. I know, who would have thought? But at work events, often it’s actually easier to get a cup of coffee or a beer versus a glass of water. And certainly more tempting to have that fourth cup of coffee when you’re feeling like you’re in the afternoon slump. Which then leads to…
Have a semblance of a nutrition plan
I’ll first say that it is, in my experience, a terrible idea to try to have rigid control of your nutrition in weeks like these. It’s nearly impossible, first of all, and second, it leads to huge amounts of stress if you’re eating out or with groups. So hold a nutrition plan loosely, but give yourself some guardrails. This year, we were big on salad kits with pre-cooked chicken for dinners that we were eating at home, then just enjoying whatever we wanted on the menu when we went out. At the actual all day event that was Sea Otter, I added in things like protein shakes and packs of almonds where I could to counteract the excess of simple carbs that I was eating in addition. I think a great goal is that at every meal, aim for a protein and a fiber component. You won’t always win on both, but it’s a good place to shoot for. And have easy protein options in your bag, like a whey protein powder or my current favorite, a packet of tuna.
Have a couple of non-training movement goals
Most of you who’ve been following us for a while know about my morning yoga/strength routine that I do almost without fail. For busy week and work events, it becomes even more important… even as it gets harder to sneak in. I prioritize getting at least part of it done. Ideally, the entire 15 minute routine of planks, core work and a yoga flow with pushups happens. At minimum, it’s either the yoga flow with or without pushups, or a minute or two of planks just to wake my body up.
Walk, walk, walk
This can be part of the non-training movement goals, but I wanted to isolate it because I think it’s important, especially if you’re at a work event that doesn’t have a lot of built in movement. Sea Otter is exhausted but great because it’s all about constantly walking and standing, with very minimal sitting.
Sleep
There’s a fine line between prioritizing sleep versus any other healthy habit—do you get up extra early to train even though that means only getting 5 hours of sleep, or do you snooze to get 7? It depends, but rarely am I a fan of getting anything under 6 hours of sleep in favor of training… and if the training isn’t going to feel decent, or is going to set me up to feel like crap for the next day, I skip it.
Hold your training plan loosely
Look, you can try to stick to your training plan. That’s a great goal, and probably a good one to have… as long as you can let go of it enough to allow for flexibility on the trip. I think going into a work trip planning to do some (or all) of your training is a great idea, especially if you’ve chatted through what that can look like with your coach if it’s going to require some modifications (i.e if you’re somewhere sans bike). But I also have been guilty of being way too rigid about my training at these events in the past, missing out on valuable conversations and connections, making myself more stressed out and tired, and ultimately, probably hurting my overall fitness and training in the process because I stretched myself far too thin. It’s better to take a few easy days where you finish the trip feeling like you were able to do the work you needed to do, while moving your body enough to feel good but not exhausted, even if that means a few hours less training that week.
Don’t let this become your new default
I think the overarching theme here is to do your best to keep your healthy habits and routines, but don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t hitting them all. These busy times are tough, and you only make it worse if you stress yourself out over what you should be doing. At the same time, don’t fall into the trap of once you’re off the wagon for a few days, you’re off forever. Have a plan in place for when you do get home: When we returned from Sea Otter, we hit the grocery store before we even got back to the house so we could get all of our usual staples, and despite the fact that it was later in the day, we both went out for quick workouts, just to get ourselves back in the swing of things. A few days away from your usual routine doesn’t mean your fitness has vanished… but if you let yourself stay in that ‘busy at work’ mindset, that’s when you run the risk of losing your hard-earned watt gains.
