Scheduling First year...

Hi James,

There really are a litany of factors to consider.  Your goals will guide your racing season.  Some people put up with races so they can train year around, others put up with training to enter and complete races.  Obviously, that is both ends of the spectrum, but I think you will find most people tend to balance it out and their race schedules largely depend on money and scheduling.  Longer, more grueling races will take longer to recover from and also may take up more time to train for, thus less time to spend on "life" (family, job, etc).  You will find people who race more than once a weekend (seriously) and some who plan a smattering of races to carry them through the season...maybe 4 or 5 races.  Doing an OLY a month after a sprint shouldn't be a problem for you, if you have any kind of base training solidified.  Schedule your races when it fits into your "life" and don't worry about over scheduling from a physiological standpoint, if you are just considering sprints and some runs.  When you get into OLY's and HIMS and IM's is when you need to consider recovery a little closer.  All that being said, here is my 2008 schedule as it stands now:

Sprint - March

HIM - April

Sprint - June

Sprint - August

Sprint - August

OLY - October

IM - November

MARY - December (IMAZ recovery dependent)

I will throw in several 5, 10 and 15k's in there as well. 

Chris

Hey again,

It looks like you spaced everything out monthly, which will give you ample recovery time.  Being DFL in the bike shouldn't be a concern, unless it was really an effort to just finish.  If you don't have a road or tri bike, I would consider that as a priority, since you have the swim and run endurance either there now, or you know you can achieve it.  Spend Time In The Saddle (you will see that referred to as 'T I T S' here, and your bike time and endurance will flourish.  Consider spin classes to increase stamina and leg strength, if your gym offers them.  It sounds like you have a great plan, and your body will tell you when and if you can or should increase distances.  There are people out there who soley race long venues, and then there are people who consistently race sprints.  It's all about personal preference. Great job getting into this way of life.  Make sure to post your race reports this coming year!

Chris