Limiting factors

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This is going to be an entry about triathlon training. I have 68 days until the NYC Triathlon. Last night I rode 10 miles in 43.5 minutes, and it felt fine, though I was sore from the 10 mile run on Saturday.  At the end of the ride, I was feeling sad that I can only manage 25-30 miles per week on the bike, 1500-2000 meters/week in the pool and 15-20 miles a week running.  I started reminding myself of my limiting factors…here they are:

1. I work 5 days/week.
2. I sleep 8 hours/night.
3. I need to make sure to run three days/weekly so that when I start marathon training in 10 weeks, I don’t want to kill myself.
4. There is traffic in Prospect Park, where I bike, from 7-9AM and from 5-7PM. I try to avoid riding when there are cars in the park. This schedule makes mornings almost impossible, since in order to get in 10 miles before traffic, I would have to get out of bed at 5:30. 5:30 is WAY TOO EARLY!
5. Swimming is a big pain in the ass to do before work, especially since my allergies are kicking up.

All of these limitations mean that I will devote 7-9 hours per week to these work outs, though probably 10-12 would be better preparation. These times are the workout times, and exclude the amount of time it takes me to get to and from, shower and change, etc. 

In 2005, I did this race in just over 3 hours 45 minutes. If I could do it this year in 3:40:xx, I would be thrilled! But just crossing the finish line would be OK too.

That’s my plan for the next 68 days and counting. Tick, tock.

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