Wow, putting together a training plan that covers a 10 mile race in April, a sprint tri in May and an Olympic tri in June that still leaves time for things like my volleyball and softball leagues is much, much harder than I expected.

In fact, it took me pretty much the entire afternoon while I was home yesterday.

I wasn't sure how to approach it and with training dates that didn't line up nicely it was challenging.

• Training for the 10 miler needed to start in the middle of February.
• Training for the sprint needed to start at the end of Feb.
• Training for the Oly needed to start at the end of March.

I looked at a ton of different running and tri training plans, and finally came up with a hybrid that I think will work.


If you're interested in seeing the full training plan, shoot me an email and I can share the Google calendar with you.

I selected a 10-miler training program from Runner's World that only has you running three days. That leaves four days for cross-training or possible rest. In the beginning of my training the emphasis will be on running to get me ready for the 10 miler. I'll bike and swim on the cross-training days to build a solid base.

Then once my 10 miler is over in April, the training plan shifts focus to more tri-centric workouts. Running times get shorter while swim and bike times increase. And bricks will be added to the plan on a more regular basis.

Looking at the training plan seems a little overwhelming at times, but I think mixing it up with swimming and biking will keep things from getting stale.

When I'm training for road races, I tend to run into the problem of getting bored or burnt out half way through training, I'm hoping a plan with this much variety prevents that from happening.

But it will certainly be a test of my time management skills. The pools around here don't open early enough for me to swim before work, and getting to bike trails takes time, but I'm confident I'll be able to make it work. it won't be as easy as slipping on my shoes and heading out for a run, but I'll get it done.

Triathletes, how do you make time to fit in all your training?

I can't believe it's been almost four months since I've been on some sort of training plan. I'm used to spending the summer in hardcore training mode for an early fall race, but it's been really nice this year to kick back, relax and not stress about training.

But with the Philadelphia half marathon about 12 weeks away, it's time to get back on the training wagon.


I spent a lot of time yesterday trying to craft a training plan that was challenging enough, but realistic. I made sure to take into consideration the start of football and soccer season, which means I spend a ton of time tailgating.



I also made sure to use my schedule to my advantage. Since I spend Saturdays tailgating, I'll be doing my long runs on Fridays when I work from home.

I also know I'll lose Sunday mornings to my flag football league. Tentatively the schedule has me doing a few three mile runs on Sundays before football. If that seems manageable, I'll keep it up, but if not I'll dump the run in favor of the football cross training.





My plan also has a good mix of speed work, tempo runs and hill workouts to keep me challenged. The Philadelphia half course isn't extremely hilly but there is a long climb between miles 8 and 9 near the zoo that really took it out of me last year. There's also a really short, steep climb right near the finish that slays me every year. I'm hoping with some dedicated hill training I'll be a bit more prepared for those.

I'm really excited for this race. I'm excited to train in some cooler temperatures and I'm excited to be back on a running schedule.

I'm not so excited for the start of 4:30 a.m. wake up calls during the work week, but I love morning running, so it won't be all that bad.