Getting in Over My Head (Again)

So I'm officially doing 2 tris in the next 3 weeks- NJ State Olympic next Sunday, and then August 9th I'll be in the Quakertown area racing at Steelman. I'm pretty psyched. There's also a 5k August 1st and then a 8 mile TT on August 8th- I would skip the time trial, but I figured I should really do at least one Team Somerset race this summer and it's close to home in an area I ride constantly. I'm pretty stoked.

I'm alsopretty nervous about this coming weekend but trying to take it easy. My training weekend at LBI ended up a bit milder than I expected it to, but I'm glad about that:
Saturday was a simple 1 hr run on the beach, and a quick swim (basically an ice bath!) afterwards. Then, a long walk with mom.
Sunday, after a ridiculous night of fire alarms, my cousin's house having what she thought was a gas leak which led to said firetrucks and screaming 3 year olds and infants in the living room and a slightly intoxicated loud cousin sharing the queen size bed with me, it was up at 5:30 to go on a 40 mile bike ride with Dad across the island. We averaged 16-17 mph, so it was pretty chill for me but a great aerobic workout that was finished with a 30 min run on the beach and a walk with mom, before another "ice bath." In the afternoon I tried swimming but it was basically a treadmill in the ocean, the current was so strong. Still, we played around in the water and sort of got a swim in... Plus, another short (3 mile) run with my cousin (ok, 9 min miles, but at least we ran!) It was fun, since that's an easy run for me and I could chat away the whole time.
In all it was a really fun family weekend, although I missed Robbie like crazy- my cousin had brought her boyfriend, so seeing them made me lonely, even if it was only 48 hours!

My legs are definitely sore today, but I'm going to get a short swim, a weight set, and a ride in before the day is done. Yeah, it's tapering...

Anyway, a far as the title of this post, I'm thinking a little ahead- I'm debating signing up for the Philly marathon in November- I'd like to do another one that's closer before the Shamrock on in VA in March. If I'm going to survive an Ironman, I need to learn how to run these fool things, so I figure the more the merrier... Right?

Then, of course, there's cyclocross season. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I'm kind of wishing that I didn't want to do it, because it really is going to be a lot of extra work for something that isn't my main goal. But it should be fun, and I'll be biking, so it's not counterproductive at all, just extraneous.

I'm also starting to think about planning farther out- already looking at next summer and what I want to do. Since Ironman is definitely one of the goals, I know how important it is to start getting a plan figured out now. It's also tough because Ironman is a goal but it isn't what I'm expecting to be great at. I'm getting good at short distance and I don't want to hurt that by doing all endurance stuff. Yeesh.

I was reading Triathlon Plus the other day and one pro in there was quoted as saying to get to the top of the sport, there's a formula: 4x6x48x10... 4 hours a day, 6 days a week, 48 weeks a year, for ten years. I do 3 hours a day, 6 days a week, pretty much 50 weeks a year, and have been for a year... so just 9 years to go if I add more. Yeesh.

Maybe I need a coach- it's something I've been thinking about more and more lately. I don't have a lot of spare money, but I feel so freaking scattered with all of my training, races, and types of races... I do a lot of cycling stuff but also a lot of running races just for the heck of it, and I don't know if I'm doing the right thing with how I'm training. I'd hate to think it was just a matter of paying a coach for even a consultation that was keeping me from actually achieving my full potential, especially since I'm young enough and have the time and desire to do this as not a career necessarily but something pretty serious. In the past year, I went from doing my first tri to finishing every race other than collegiate cycling in roughly the top ten women overall, so I know I have improved a lot and can improve more.

Thoughts or suggestions, anyone?