fulla wrote:
Anyone who averages 20 hours a week for 50 weeks of a year (just a 2 week break in the year! that's less than most pros have!), and is an age grouper, must have absolutely no life aside from triathlon outside of work commitments. Like, no time for anything else. How many of these people averaging 20 hours a week for basically a year have families or a partner and work full time? From what I've read of kona age group winners, some of them top out at an average of 16 hours per week during their ironman builds!
Anyone who doesn't average 20 hours a week must be lazy.
Of course I don't believe that. I'm just making the point that, between this thread and its lean cousin, we've thoroughly abused the words "anyone" and "must".
Still, I do believe that many (most?) triathletes can average 20 hours per week. Many of them choose not to (which is a fine and fair choice). Some of them then lament that they drew the short genetics straw and thus can't KQ.
I can pretty readily book 15 hours before the weekend. And I have school-age kids, stressful career, get enough sleep, etc. Get up early and knock out 1.5 hrs. Slip away during day for 30 min run if possible. Crank out 90 min on the trainer instead of 60 (all of those minutes I'm "present" and can help with kids' homework, etc.). Jump into another 30 min run to open up the hips after the trainer session. That's four planned hours per weekday (of course not every day goes as planned). On the weekends, I can be back from a 5 hr ride just as my kids are waking up. Of course my situation doesn't apply to everyone, but I believe that many people can train more if they want to (and no shame in not wanting to).
One more disclaimer: I admit this 20 hr week isn't a prescribed (nor Couzens approved) KQ 20 hr week. But I prefer simplicity/consistency over structure/variety.