One of the hazards that is never really talked about, besides the potential of Erectile Dysfunction from hours on the bike, is the effect that the hours of triathlon training can have on a marriage. This Wall Street Journal article is a pretty good look at the phenomenon. I know from my own experience that during the core training season during mid-summer, when you are spending upwards 4-8 hours a day training on the weekend, that it can take it toll. There are things you can do that help, like get up really early on the weekend so you are home by noon on the really long days. Other things I try to do is never workout during core family hours. If I miss a morning or noon time workout I will wait until everyone is in bed and then make the workout up or, worst case, I will just miss my second workout all together.
When I first started doing Ironman a couple years back I got some advice from a 15 time Ironman who told me "Don't let training get in the way of family time, it's just not worth it." He also told me that sometimes you are going to miss a workout because of work, family or other stuff and as long as you are getting your key long workouts in it's not that big of deal. I suppose if I ever want to be a Kona bound athlete this attitude is the wrong attitude to have but if I want to keep my family happy it's the exact right attitude. Just remember that triathlon is a hobby, a very obsessive hobby but a hobby non-the-less, and you need to keep things in perspective. There are plenty of other things that can cause issues in a marriage triathlon shouldn't be one of them.
Here is the link to the article, Enjoy!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703439504576116083514534672.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read
