I had my alarm set for 6am this morning to head out for a 15 mile hilly run before work. I even woke up and turned the alarm off.

It's a tough call for an athlete. We love to train. But without the shuteye, all the training is useless. Plus, we have to consider our "regular" life when planning how much training we can handle. I find my life's current configuration to be more stressful than not. Managing one small business and one nonprofit, keeping up with family and volunteering, and living in the one of the most expensive areas in the US puts a price on my time and keeps the profit and loss statements lean. Money has always been one of my trigger points, and I've come to realize this kind of mental stress diminishes my ability to train well.

So this morning I took the option to sleep. I fell back asleep after I turned the alarm off. Instead, I got a couple of hours of extra sleep. If I don't wake up bright-eyed and bushy tailed and eager to train, then I probably need the sleep. That's my conclusion, anyway. Besides, how could I get out of bed with my wife and the kittens still in bed like that?

How do you manage your time and capacity for training? Post your thoughts in the comments.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to share my thoughts on designing a training program for duathlon. I hope that others will share their experiences and insights. Let's learn something.

My first insight for duathlon training: you must ride; you must run. What an insight! The question is how much running and riding do you do? In answering that question, some factors you need to consider are:

• The length of the event you're training for


• Your cycling background


• Your running background


• Your lifestyle and time commitments

In the next post, I'll discuss these factors in relation to my training plan as an example.