How do they do it?
I have been quiet for the past few months because I am working full time, more than full time. I actually participated in the San Diego International Triathlon in June. I did really well, but I think that was because I was training regularly and I didn't have a full time job. Fast forward to today. Since my 'taper' week before the race I have been working 40+ hour weeks. I know that some select people can train for triathlons, work full time, raise children, and keep their spouses happy, but I don't know how they pack all of that into 24 hours a day. I haven't worked full time since I started getting serious about training, now that I have to juggle, it is really challenging.
I'll go back to the race report. My results are here. I think it was one of my best races, I was closer to being in the top half of my age group than I have been since I started. The swim was great! If the course was measured correctly (which I find they rarely are) I was close to a 2 minute pace per 100 m that I swam. I can hardly do that in the pool, but I'll take it with my wetsuit. All I know is that I wasn't the last out of the water in my age group which is where I usually am. I am usually coming out of the water several minutes behind my group, this time it felt good because there were still bikes on the rack.
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See the blue caps still in the water! |
The run was LONG. It was a normal 10k, but the way the course was designed, we had to wind around the people on the short course. I think several people passed me. It wasn't my best run ever, but it was in my normal time range. I would love to participate in this race next year, just for a comparison. I thought it was a challenging course because most of the San Diego races aren't hilly. Next year I will be in the midst of training for my first half-Ironman if all goes well and this will be a good test for me.
At the finish line! |
Back to training. I signed on for a full time consulting position in Salt Lake City, for 3-4 months, it looks like it might last for 5 months. I am in SLC as we speak. I like training at altitude and I think overall it will benefit me, but I don't think I am training enough. I am running 2-3 times a week, swimming twice a week and biking once a week. I don't have a normal routine because some days I have to get up at 4 am to get to work by 5. Other days I have to stay at work for a 5:45pm meeting. You don't have to tell me it's crazy. I swim in the evenings when I can and I run on the other days. There are beautiful pools here. The firefighter and I found a great outdoor pool with 50m lanes. We loved it, but I think there are only 2-3 more weeks where we can really swim outside. I see snow in my future. We live right across the street from a wonderful urban park with a 1.5 mile loop. I have been running 3 loops regularly after work, but it is as flat as a pancake. The beach might offer more elevation changes. I have worked in some hills, but since I live in the city it is not pleasant at all. The biking is spectacular. There are a lot of biking enthusiasts here. We have been riding challenging routes and I feel like it is good for us, but I can't get on the bike enough to feel like it is really helping I have noticed that I am a much slower. I hope that I can complete this gig and get back home so that I can get back to Masters swim, circuit training and really challenging bike rides on Sunday with the girls. For those of you that can juggle life and training, I congratulate you! We'll see how the results are for my race next weekend. Hopefully I will get time in the next few weeks to send an update.
Oh - did you notice that I am planning to participate in a Half Ironman next year? It's the Soma Half Ironman in Arizona. My training buddies and I finally committed to a race and it will be in October 2015. I hope for no injuries between now and then.
If you have a good way to juggle responsibilities and training, send your tips here. I love to hear from efficient people.