As my race seasons begins to wind down with only a handful of possible events left(none of which are triathlons) I figured it would be a good time to think about this late fall/winter when I begin a new year of base training to build for next year. I love triathlons. I find the training and events to be a great challenge to me in every possible capacity. After one year of trying it out I think I can be better.
1. Swim – I would like to be able to swim the 1.2 mile distance at 30 minutes or faster. My two races I was at 33 and 34 minutes. Cutting that much time will require some serious effort on my part, but if I work on my swim technique(time to get back with the swimming coaches) I believe I can get there. I need to find my flaws. I know that I have the endurance, but now I just need to work on pushing that envelope a bit more and develop some speed.
2. Bike – I don’t really know. Time frames are tough for the bike because of the course. For me time goals make the simplest form of measuring progress. Based on my two bike splits this year in the 56 mile distance of 2:31 and 2:38 I would like to think that I can ride sub 2:30. My bike training needs some serious overhauling. I put in a lot of miles for my first year of training, but I question the efficiency and benefits of what I was doing. I really need to figure out how to best utilize my time and training when it comes to the bike. Cycling started off as my favorite of the three disciplines when I started triathlon training and I have since lost that love. I need to get that back and part of that is due to my improper training. I never really saw any improvements. I don’t know where to even begin to figure this out, but I will. I also know it is time for new bike shoes, possibly a helmet and perhaps tires if I ever am able to save up some money. These items won’t replace hard work, but they won’t hurt things either.
3. Run – This aspect of the sport has undergone so much change for me this year. Before I started tri training my running was making progress like crazy. I was loving running and enjoying everything about it. As my season went on my running has continued to slowly get worse. I don’t know what I did wrong, but something went astray. My goal for next year is to run the 13.1 miles sub 1:45. That is cutting off 15 minutes from Pigman. I ran a 1:38 at half marathon race earlier this year so I know I am capable. I have been reading about Dr. Maffetone and his method of training. I still have quite a bit left to read of his book, but starting in September or October I am going to test out his system. I want to give it at least 5 months and see what develops. If it works, I think my passion for running will return as well as helping me meet my goals without burnout. This is probably the most difficult of my three goals in terms of the three disciplines. My confidence on the run has really declined and I need to get that built back up. There are so many factors that can affect the run during a long course tri, but if things go smoothly I really do believe that I can be much faster.
4. Nutrition – still the 4th wheel of my training that needs work. I need to first and foremost train my body to burn fat and not glycogen. This will help with energy expenditure. Second, I need to continue to fine tune things. Racine I did not have enough and Pigman I felt like I had too much. On a bigger scale eating properly daily will greatly help with things. This has been a constant battle for me and one that I continue to keep on losing. Racing at my weight I raced at this year is not helpful to my goals. 215 lbs of body is a lot. I can knock off some pounds and be so much more efficient. Those extra pounds are from the poor eating choices I make on a routine basis. This is perhaps the hardest part for me in all of this.
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