2015 plan/progress

I am a very goal oriented person. I need that structure in my life. After an 18 month layoff due to two surgeries (R rotator cuff and L distal bicep tendon graft) we can pretty much assume I am starting at ground zero again. I'm re-reading Friel's Triathlete's Training Bible and trying to develop a training plan that will work for me despite winter. The basic idea is to rebuild an aerobic base between now and the end of the year, then prep for the races I hope to complete in 2015. So far, all I have done is pick out three races for 2015 that I would like to build my season and training around. They are:

May 10th ~ Kinetic Sprint ~ Spotsylvania, VA ~ my B race
August 9th ~ Lumberjack Sprint ~ Duboistown, PA ~ my C race
September 13th ~ HITS Olympic ~ Hunter, NY ~ my A race

Each race was chosen for a specific reason. I figure May 10th in VA is about as early as I can swim open water without a wetsuit. The Lumberjack Tri is mainly because it's 4 miles from my house. I learned about it when I watched last year's participants riding by right in front of my house. And the HITS Hunter race is because it's the latest Olympic I could find without traveling an excessive distance.

I've got the local YMCA membership for pool time. My bike is a Cannondale Synapse with the Shimano 105 groupo that I bought right after my first and only tri in 2012. I use clipped pedals, not clipless. I wear a size 13EEE shoe and haven't found clipless shoes to fit me. My main training info will come from my Timex Global Trainer HRM, which should record all my swim splits too.

With the start of the new year I plan to use the C25K plan to get up to speed on running and the 0-1650 swim program. I would like to be training at Olympic distances before the Kinetic Sprint in VA. That should leave me with some energy left in the tank after a sprint. The Kinetic must be completed under 2½ hours and the HITS Olympic must be completed under 5 hours. At this point in time I have no time goals other than to beat the cutoffs.

My training calendar is public so anybody who wants to can feel free to stop by, check my progress, inspire, whatever. I'm planning to bookmark this thread so I can track significant milestones in one place. Folks with more experience or wish to motivate are welcome to comment.