When Your Job Is Physical
For most aspiring triathletes, the training schedule will represent nearly all of their physical activity, mainly because there won't be time for much else after work and family obligations are met. Prospective triathletes whose jobs involve a lot of physical activity will face different challenges from those who work in offices or are still in school.
If your regular job involves a lot of lifting or other physical activity, you could be more prone to injury from your triathlon training. If you are in, say, construction and are picking up heavy objects all day, that can count as part, or even all, of your strength training, depending on the types and frequency of the exertion.
If you come home physically exhausted from your job, cut back on the intensity of the workout you planned for that day, especially if it's a run. You can still do your workout, but you risk injury if you are already physically spent and you try to get through a hard run. If you are especially tired, just skip the run for that day.
If the physical demands of your job come in cycles, you can maintain your training schedule without significant change while in a light period at work. When the work demands on your body are heavy, you will have to make adjustments in the training schedule, perhaps adding an extra day off or eliminating one or more of the high-intensity workouts.
Hurt at Work
If you are injured on the job, you must treat it just as though you hurt yourself in training. That doesn't mean all training goes out the window, but if you hurt your shoulder on the job, you will probably have to skip your swim training until the shoulder heals. In the meantime, you can replace a swim session with a bike ride or run to maintain your fitness and keep your head in the game.
Avoid trying to train through an on-the-job injury. It will almost certainly get worse, and you could end up having to postpone the race altogether.
Inside Versus Outside
If you do a lot of your work outdoors, you will have an advantage over the athletes who sit at desks in air-conditioned buildings most of the day. Because you work outdoors, it will take little or no time for you to become acclimated to outside conditions, especially the heat.
That does not exempt you, however, from the sport-specific training you will need for your triathlon. It just means you won't suffer as much getting used to the heat and humidity if your training occurs in the late spring and summer.
