Balancing Triathlon and Family

As the training season ramps up each year, the word "balance" comes up.

I'll come right out and admit two things: 1. I couldn't do it without a wife as supportive as mine, and 2. Having a kid does make things harder.

I've heard a lot of suggestions for how to achieve balance. Some of my favorites are ones that could apply with or without kids. They're not my ideas and are not always easy to follow, but they're worth repeating.

-Be communicative. Let people you care about know when and where you plan to train each week.
-Be efficient. When possible run or ride from home, pick a pool that's close to home or work
-Be flexible. Involve family or friends, even if it ends up being different than normal "training."

Why Triathon?

I grew up swimming on club teams and then swam for my high school team. After high school I was too burned out to swim. I had never run more than a mile continuously, but eventually started running a couple of miles here and there to keep in shape. I gave up running and started biking on a Cannondale mountain bike.

Along the way, I fell in love with the girl who would some day be my wife. Biking, to which running had given way, to which swimming had given way, gave way to the fun of being a college student in a new and exciting relationship.

Fast forward several years and I had joined a gym to stay in shape. I started using the elliptical, then the treadmill. I tried spinning classes. Finally, after over a decade without swimming a lap in the pool, I found myself doing flip-turns again.

At some point, my now wife and I saw an ad for a local sprint distance triathlon, the Portland Triathlon. She said: "You're swimming, biking and running a lot. You should try to do a triathlon." I'm sure she regrets this. I signed up with about 8 weeks to buy my first road bike, train and finish. I finished and was hooked. That was about three years ago...