Qualify for Boston with a sub 3:10 @ Ottawa Marathon in May.
Become a roadie & participate in at least 10 outdoor group rides.
4:40 or faster @ The Canadian Iron 113 Duathlon in September.
BUDGET:
running shoes = 240
winter marathon relay in february = 50
trainer tire = 50
new front tire = 50
ottawa marathon in may = 100
marathon training plan = 110 (paid)
bike parts and repairs = 50
ottawa bicycle club membership = 60
bike fit (i need one desperately) = 80
half iron duathlon in september = 150
sports nutrition = 20
misc/unanticipated expenses = 40
TOTAL = 1000
How does this look? Money spent wisely? Would you adjust anything?
If you need a fit as bad as you say you do, what about expenses for new parts (ie bars, stem, etc) that may be needed in order to get you into the correct position. I don’t know if you 100 bucks for bicycle parts and repairs is enough to cover normal wear and tear stuff and new stuff needed post fit.
after two years of mostly road racing though I don’t see how you could get away with $100 for bike parts and repairs. 2 new tires and you are close to your budget already.
ah crap, you guys are right. i know for a fact i will be needing a new tire next year for sure. looks like i might have to drop the half iron du registration and put that towards more parts.
i really like that half iron du though.
maybe i could get away with just dropping the april half marathon. that’s not an ESSENTIAL part of my year, given my goals.
alright i’m dropping the april half marathon. my training plan has me doing a 34 km run with 19 @ marathon pace on that weekend, which is probably a better training day & better predictor of marathon performance than 21.1 @ half marathon pace anyway.
i’m also thinking a trainer tire might be a good investment. i bought a continental ultra gatorskin last year for my rear wheel. i can probably get another year out of it, especially with the investment in a trainer tire. i will need to replace my front tire at some point next year, so that gets added to the budget.
i should also add that i get free tune-ups at my LBS because i bought my bike brand new there a few years ago. labour is free and i only pay for replacement parts.
$100 for bike parts seems low. How can you get fast if you aren’t riding hard enough to break stuff? Well, at least say it’s broken so you can get better stuff.
i actually dropped the bike parts budget down to 50 (tires not included). i take really good care of my bike (clean & lube chain frequently) to prevent major mechanical breakdowns. i’ve been riding it for 2-3 years now and have only needed to replace the chain and bar tape .
I take better care of my bike than most, but I also ride a lot… Things break and need replacement…and it’s always better to replace things with QUALITY items. Skimp now, pay later. As for the marathon training plan, Advanced Marathoning is an awesome book. Used on Amazon for about $12. Don’t forget to account for all the extra food that gets consumed during heavy training, the ‘stealth cost’ of endurance sports…
good thinking on the nutrition. fortunately that won’t be a huge expense for me. i am old skool when it comes to nutrition. for sports drink i buy the 3 pound tubs of gatorade for $13.50 CDN. if i need solid food i usually go with bananas or a sesame seed bagel with PB and honey cut into quarters.
gatorade, bananas, bagels, PB and honey are “groceries” so they aren’t accounted for here.
for the marathon i will be using gels. i’ll also practice using gels during 3 of my longest long runs. so that’s about 20 gels to buy for the whole training year. that’s the kind of thing that i usually dump into “misc expenses” but i should probably create a separate category for it. done.
the training plan has already been purchased so there’s no going back.
advanced marathoning is a great book, as is daniel’s running formula. i’ve been self-coached up until this year, during which i purchased a half iron training plan for the first time. my performance shot through the roof. i’ve decided that buying a training plan put together by an experienced coach is an excellent investment of my money, given my lofty goals and limited time/money.
gatorade, bananas, bagels, PB and honey are “groceries” so they aren’t accounted for here.
Some good old fashioned corporate budgeting going on here. Move as many costs as possible to a different cost center so your project/department comes in under budget. Nice work.
gatorade, bananas, bagels, PB and honey are “groceries” so they aren’t accounted for here.
Some good old fashioned corporate budgeting going on here. Move as many costs as possible to a different cost center so your project/department comes in under budget. Nice work.
and i’m only 25 years old! just wait until i’m a department manager in my mid 40s.
but in all seriousness, it’s amazing how meticulous you have to be to keep S/B/R spending from spiraling out of control.
