Did you spot your first snowman or hear the first Christmas song on the radio and immediately fall into a holiday panic? It's okay if you did—like it or not the holiday season is here and not even the most dedicated triathlete will be immune from the time-sucking demands of family, friends, work and the like. So, take a deep breath and repeat the following: "There will be days and events that are simply out of my control over the next several weeks, but I will not let them overtake my health. Instead, I will enjoy the season while carving out a reasonable amount of time for my triathlon training." Go ahead and post this mantra on the fridge if you need to. Trust me, it helps.
In between shopping trips, holiday parties, end-of-the-year meetings and holiday cookie baking, finding an hour to work out might seem impossible. Instead of stressing about putting in 60 minutes, try one of these 30-minute swim, bike and run workouts that offer big calorie-burning benefits and keep your endurance engine humming through New Year's and beyond.
More: 8 Ways to Stay Focused This Offseason
Mini-Masters Workout
This workout focuses on time rather than distance to take into account different swimming speeds. Use RPE (rate of perceived exertion) through the intervals for a more effective aerobic workout, with RPE 1 being lying on the couch and RPE 10 being the fastest 25-yard sprint you have in you.
Warm-up- Swim 3 minutes at RPE 4
- Kick 3 minutes at RPE 5
- Pull 3 minutes at RPE 5
- Swim 3 minutes at RPE 4
- Swim 2 minutes at RPE 6
- Swim 2 minutes at RPE 7
- Swim 1 minute at RPE 4
- Kick 2 minutes at RPE 6
- Kick 2 minutes at RPE 9
- Kick 1 minute at RPE 4
- Pull 2 minutes at RPE 6
- Pull 2 minutes at RPE 8
- Pull 1 minute at RPE 4
Cooldown
Swim 3 minutes at RPE 4
