Sticking with the Sprint

Originally, when I planned out my 2011 racing season, I was going wrap up this season by competing in an Olympic distance race. It seemed like a natural progression to work up to racing in a longer race, and I still look forward to completing this challenge. But, not this year.  Several things have changed for me this racing season, and for now I have decided for this year to stick with the sprint. I need more time to concentrate on career and family this year, which means less time training.
      I'll be starting a new position next fall, as a PE coach.  This is going to be a fun, but drastic change from teaching in regular classroom.   This means I'll be teaching 400 kids a week, and I'll need time to prepare lessons, games and activities for them.  After school, I'll still be coaching my running club, and my fellow coach and I have planned more races and events for our runners this year. And I'll be in charge of field day, which will take a ton of planning in order to make it a successful event.  So, I'll still be pretty active, but just not as much swimming and biking as orginally planned.
     My family is my first priority, and I want to enjoy more time time with them this summer, as well as completing some big family projects. I'm lucky to have time off  to spend with my kids,  but while they are home, I'm less likely to be able to get outside for a long bike ride or a long run. It's simpler to hop on the trainer for a short ride during their nap time, or head to the Y for a short run on the treadmill.   With my husband competing in Olympic races, I have been able to see firsthand the amount of time needed each week for training. And right now it doesn't make sense for us both to spend that amount of time in training.   With small children,  we have to take turns  training for those long rides and runs.  That means more time apart from each other. If my husband is going on a 3 hour bike ride on a Sunday, then I'm not likely to want to head out for my own 3 hour ride as soon as he gets back.  It make more sense for me to get in a shorter ride so I can spend more time with both my kids and husband.  And with one of my kids having minor surgery this month, I'll need to spend more time at home helping him recover.
     It's all about balance for me. I need to balance the amount of time I spend training with the amount of time needed to concentrate on the other areas of my life. And this year that balance means a little less time focused on triathlon.  That doesn't mean less effort in my training.   I still plan to put in my best effort training at a shorter distance. I think that by spending another season concentrating on the sprint distance I will be able to improve my performance.  In the long run it will make me a better athlete. For me, it makes sense to concentrate on the type of race where I can perform well. I've been on the podium once this season, and I'd like to get there again.  I want to train hard and smart this year.     
     Smart training means avoiding injury.  I trained for the White Rock Marathon in 2009, and ended that season be having surgery instead of competing in the marathon. In 2010, I pushed too hard and fast while trying barefoot running training for the White Rock half marathon. That season ended in injury, a very uncomfortable boot, and a lot of rehab.   It's important for me finish this season healthy and injury free.  Shorter distance training makes the most sense for me from that standpoint. 
     The 2011 racing season has been great so far. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season, starting my new job, and most importantly, all of the great things in store for my family.