Tri / Triathlon / Triathlons - do they float your boat?

Pretty much decided to bail on IM Wales. I could pretend it's due to an injury but it comes down to apathy mostly; not enough training in the last few months and never shifted the weight. (And I never shifted the weight because I didn't take it all seriously enough.)

Whilst I'd be fine for the swim and the cycle I don't really want to have to haul myself around a marathon and end up finishing in 15+ hours. (I was hoping more for 1h15 / 7h / 4h30 + 15m T1/2 = 13h)

2015 was supposed to be about getting my weight down (76kg target) and training for debut marathon. I got down to 83kg at one point but then it all went back on. Currently 88kg again. The running training went ok though, despite being too heavy.

2016 was then supposed to be about getting faster, but it was just fighting the excess.

The biggest problem for me is fitting in training along side work and family life. I knew this was going to be tricky but during term time I was able to regularly fit in 10+ hours a week without any impact on family time. (Only working 4 days a week helps so I get one day for a long swim and cycle whilst my daughter is at school.) I could then top this up on the bigger weeks with a few hours at the weekend or an evening.

The summer holidays have been a killer. Can't get into a routine for training and chose to do very little when I did get the chance. Beer + cheese in France too. Having the big 4 week pre-taper block of training over the summer was just impossible, just not enough time and don't have the holiday to take (covering the 13 weeks that children aren't at school is hard enough!)

Annoying that I entered IM Wales thinking it would sell out (it still hasn't). I could have saved myself a bunch of money if I'd been my usual lazy self.

Ideally I need a race that's either:-

• before the end of the school year (Fri 21st July next year), but then it's hard for family to come and watch as a Sunday night finish isn't good for daughter being at school on a Monday morning.
  
• or that weekend or a few weekends after so I'm in the easy part of the taper by the time I've got to do more parenting, this means a race late July or early August. Might look for one further afield and build a family holiday around it.
  
  

Come September I need to focus on some good base training and get the weight down properly (no excuses). I'll do another marathon in the Spring (entered London ballot but have a Brighton place already). If I get to the right place (weight wise) I can then look at what IM distance events there are that suit the timing.

Serpentine (1 mile) Swim in September should be fun though.

Oh, forgot I'm probably doing LEL in 2017. That's July 30th to 4th August. Hmm, that might prevent me from doing anything else...

2017 goals: Weight under 76kg by April. 4h30 mara, ideally sub-4h. LEL. Possible IM.
2018: Marathon. 400 miles in 24h TT. Ironman (if not in 2017).
2019: Marathon. PBP.

[EDIT] But then part of me thinks why not just give it a try anyway? It'll just cost ~£350 for 3 nights and give me an easy PB to beat next time...