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Working out on tour. Training for an Ironman whilst on tour!

 

It’s officially summer! The guns are out, and if you’re British, the pale skin is also out!! I digress. Summer always brings more motivation for working out, everyone wants the summer beach body. It’s definitely inspiring seeing everyone out and about in the sun, running or cycling, etc. But how do we stay fit when we are on tour?

In 2018 I managed to train for a half Ironman whilst being on tour. For those that don’t know, a half Ironman is a triathlon consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride followed by a half marathon. I obviously didn’t come at this from scratch, I had been running quite a lot leading up to it but deciding to train for this knowing I was going to be on the road was quite the challenge. So how did I do it?

Running is obviously the easiest of the three to do on the road. If you really want to be fit or complete a training plan, that means getting up early and running before load in (usually the venues will be open before load in so you can shower), or maybe even a run post soundcheck. I’ve done this a couple of times and it is actually pretty nice!

Days off are the best… you can fit in a workout even with a lie-in! My best days off are those that begin with a late start, followed by a run that ends at a coffee shop and finding a healthy spot for dinner. I definitely feel fulfilled on those days!

Next up is cycling. This is definitely a challenge.. it’s not very easy to carry your bike on tour, although I have toured with crew who have brought fold-up bicycles and stored them under the bus. This is a great way to see every city, but you need a full-on road bike for my kind of training. That option was out the window. I happened to ask in a store about bike rentals in different cities and they told me about a company called Rapha. Rapha is a cycling brand that has a membership that allows you to rent really high-end road bikes in different cities all over the world at a discount. The stores are called “clubhouses” and are very sharp looking, most with cafes inside too! (When I joined they would give free coffee at each clubhouse, they’ve since revoked that perk! Boo!!). These clubhouses would pop up maybe every couple of weeks on tour, so I would make sure to take advantage and get some good rides in when I could. Aside from that, I would use a stationary bike in the gym. Definitely not as good, but better than nothing.

It turned out that the swim training is actually pretty easy to do. Most Ironman races are in open water (lakes, ocean, etc) but the reality is, most people train in a pool. Every major city has a pool, and generally, the venues or hotels aren’t that far away from them. Also in a pinch, a hotel pool will do… for a pre-lobby call workout. The bonus on tour is that if you’re staying in hotels, you’ll usually have access to a gym and sauna, etc. Great for strength training and recovery.

I managed to train enough to complete the half Ironman and had no injuries and even enjoyed it! There really is no excuse for not looking after your health on tour. If you’re interested in seeing some workouts I’ve done whilst on tour, you can follow my “not-so-secret” Instagram @rocknrolltriathlete

Next month I’ll discuss how to eat well on tour. Equally important to overall wellness.

 

10 things you need to be successful (and they’re all free!)

We have made it to June! 6 months into 2021, halfway through the post-pandemic year. Things are looking a little brighter, shows are starting to get booked, calls are coming in for work. You might be thinking about getting back on track with finding yourself a job on tour. In my book, I write about the 10 qualities or attributes you need to be successful. Let’s take a look at them.

Being on time

This is huge. You need to respect everyone’s time on the tour. If 10 other people have sacrificed sleep, a coffee, a workout, or whatever else to make sure they’re on time for lobby call, then you’d better make sure you’re on time too! Oh and on time is late, make sure you’re there 15 mins before you’re meant to be. The bus WILL leave without you!

Work ethic

If someone doesn’t want to be on a tour or doesn’t want to be part of a team, they won’t last long. If you have a strong work ethic and make yourself indispensable, you’ll have a long career.

Effort

Make sure you are putting some effort in, try a little harder, it’ll get noticed. Also see point 9.

Body Language

Whether we like it or not, we all judge and are all judged on how we look or stand. Quick first impressions or even people you’ve worked with a long time. This is something totally within your control to change the attitude of the room and the people around you, which in turn will make a more pleasant experience for you too.

Energy

It can be very tiring on tour, and as the above point, it is easy to slip into a negative mindset here and there. If you aim to bring the highest energy every day, you can pick someone else up which is a win all around.

Attitude

It may be a cliche but a positive mental attitude will get you very far in life. It’s difficult out there, don’t get me wrong.. but we can try to improve our mental state with things such as meditation or working out or just making sure we get enough sleep. We can then tackle each day with the best attitude.

Passion

It’s the reason why we’re here. We love what we do. If you stop loving it, maybe try a different path, a different job on tour, but always be passionate about what you do. As the saying goes “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”.

Being coachable

Even having a lifetime of experience doesn’t mean you know everything. Be open to learning from others.

Doing extra/going the extra mile

This will always get noticed and come back to you down the road. Remember why you’re doing your job, remember the sacrifices that got you to where you are now. Keep working harder and pushing harder and you will reap the rewards.

Being prepared

As they say, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. Know what you are doing, where you’re supposed to be, what’s happening tomorrow, the week ahead. Be on top of things. Carry a notepad, make notes, set reminders, whatever you need to do.

You see, you don’t need to be an expert at your job to start with, you just need the right attitude and to arm yourself with these attributes and you’ll do just fine.

To read more about breaking into the world of touring, check out my book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Road-Touring-Female-Perspective/dp/B084QGRKVW

Should You Work For Free?

 

There has been some discussion recently on the topic of should you work for free? I often say to those looking to get into touring that they should try to get on a tour for the experience or ask if they can help someone who is doing the job they want to do. More times than not, when you are in a position of limited knowledge but have lots of enthusiasm to learn, you are not going to get paid for offering your services. In my opinion, and it is only my opinion, there is nothing wrong with offering your time in exchange for knowledge from someone else. You are giving them an extra pair of hands and hopefully making their life a little easier that day, and in return, you are learning. There is an exchange of commodities here, but neither involves money.

We need money to survive of course, and I suggest offering your time for free in the beginning when you are in a position to do so. In my book, Girl on The Road, my strategy is to set yourself up with six months of living expenses for this exact situation. If you really want to learn how to do a job on tour, you need to actually go and do the job. Learning from a book or a course is great and the more knowledge you have going into it, the less overwhelmed you will feel. However, for a job like this (on tour), there is no substitute for going and doing the real thing. Unless you work for a sound company and get sent out on the road, paid, it is unlikely you will be able to tour and get paid from the start. Some people believe you should not do anything for free, it devalues you. I disagree. I believe that you won’t be working or as I see it “learning” for free for long. In this industry, its connections. Once you show competence and a good attitude, it is likely you will get more work and very quickly. Once you can offer your services and know the basics of what you are doing, you will get paid. You don’t need to know everything immediately but you can’t be purely learning and expecting to get paid. If you do, that’s a bonus and a wonderful one at that.

I would say everyone needs to take their own path. If you feel comfortable doing as I said above, then go for it. If you don’t feel comfortable giving your time and not being compensated with money, so be it. Whatever is comfortable for you. It doesn’t mean you won’t get to where you want to be, this is just my experience and advice.

I would invite anyone with questions or comments to reach out to me and we can discuss further!

More on Working for Free

Should You Work For Free? No Pay / Low Pay – Is It Ethical?

Working For Free


 

Try to Make the Best of Every Situation

 

We start 2021 with most crew wondering if they remember how to do their jobs. Isn’t that crazy!? I didn’t work a single show during 2020. I was coming off a Christmas break, as is usual in our industry when COVID hit. And because I live in the USA on a visa, I couldn’t pick up any other job. This meant that if I wanted to keep my life as I know it, I have to buckle up and dip into those savings. There have been sacrifices and most definitely a dwindling of my financial safety net. However, I have made sure over the years to be financially savvy so that if I was ever faced with a situation like this (or simply breaking a wrist and not being able to do my job), that I would be able to survive and not have to completely pivot out of my career and potentially risk everything I’ve worked to get to where I am.

I guess the point of this post is that we never know what is coming ahead so we need to make sure we set ourselves up for success. We are a culture that wants everything now. We find it hard to see the bigger picture. We lack patience. These all apply to trying to break into the industry as well. It can be a long, hard road but with patience, you will get there, whatever “there” is for you personally.

There is light at the end of the tunnel and I am grateful that I am in a position to be able to step back on tour when the machine starts back up again. Remember your greatest tool to being successful is the ability to say yes to an opportunity when it arises. Make sure you position yourself to be able to do that and now is the best time to get set up for that!

Here are some actionable items for you to do right now

Do you have a mentor?

Finding a mentor is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself. And you know what else? It’s free! There are plenty of people who would be happy to mentor you. Find someone doing what you want to do and reach out to them with a polite email or DM asking if they would mind answering some questions or having a chat over zoom.

Do you have a job?

Whilst it may not be necessary or possible for you personally to take a job right now, if you are able and willing, this is a great time to save up money so you can be ready to jump on any opportunity that arises when touring starts again.

Skills

Are you using this time to brush up on your skills and knowledge? There are tons of free resources online to learn the basics of almost anything!

If this starts to feel overwhelming, refer back to the first action point; find a mentor. They will be able to steer you in the right direction when it comes to all aspects of getting on tour or getting a job in the industry. This is especially crucial post-COVID. There is no better time than now to find a mentor as people have a lot of time on their hands!

Whilst 2020 was a bit of a blowout, hopefully, you can turn it to your advantage. Here’s to the roaring 20’s!

Over the coming months, I will touch on a topic I have gone into more detail on in my handbook “Girl On The Road: How to Break into Touring From a Female Perspective”.

As always, anyone can reach out to me to chat about their journey into touring or if you have any other questions: claire@trash-tours.com

 

 

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