Hey all! I'm curious what everyone does to balance job, family, and putting in long hours on the bike. I found that I initially did a pretty poor job, but through trial and error, and a few discussions with my wife, I found a few things that worked for me:
1) I made a deal with my wife that I would complete my workouts before 0630 or start them after 1900. This ensured that I was ready to help with the kids (I have a one year old and three year old) in the morning and could cook dinner, clean, and help put the kids down at night.
2) On long rides I called my wife every couple of hours to check in with her and see how things were going at home. If I needed to cut the ride short to help out at home, I would. The little bit of training that I lost out on was a reasonable trade for the continued support of my spouse.
3) When I travel for work, I would take my bike and trainer to the maximum extent possible and try to do some longer rides when it wouldn't affect my family.
4) If I had to work on the weekend, I would pair that with a long ride before work since I was going to be away from home anyway.
What works for you?
I pre plan my riding hours monthly .First thing in the morning I ride just to get it out the way .
I am lucky to have my in-laws live only 45 miles away so when I’m riding 100+ miles I try to see if they are available for an overnight sleepover with my six year old. They are retired so they usually jump on the chance. I book this with them 3+ months in advance based on my training schedule. It gives my husband a breather on longs weekends and it also helps em get to bed earlier.