Where I stand (epic title, get used to it; that's how I roll)
As it relates to:
Swimming
I've now been swimming for almost exactly 2.5 years. Having never gotten in a pool to swim laps (and try to improve) until July of 2008 trying something new was scary and intimidating. I remember way back in the day Jocelyn spent about 3-4 months trying to get me to go to a masters class with her and I always turned her down, citing the fact that I'd be demolished and embarrassed. Or even better, that I didn't have any good swim apparel. That is the best excuse in the world, bar none.
My swim totals from 2008 to 2010 looked a little like this 106850 (July-December) in 2008, 358615 in 2009 and 483506 in 2010. Obviously, I've been trying to work on what has been my biggest limiter. There were some ups and downs along the way. One of my favorite swimming related trends is the fact that I've gotten slower every time I've gone to White Lake and swam 1.2 miles. Case in point: 2009 - 31:59, 2010 - 32:08, 2010 Triple T Half - 35:something. My downward spiraling trend will hopefully stop in 2011.
The only thing I can say with confidence with regard to swimming is two-fold:
1) I will be swimming a LOT in 2011. Like a lot a lot.
2) I've gotten faster, slowly. My first open water 1500m swim was in Lake Norman in 2008 and it was 32 minutes. My most recent open water 1500m was 23:38 (not a PR actually thanks to the wetsuit legal swim at OTM - 22:50) at Stumpy Creek. I'll call that some sweet improvement, albeit 2 years in the making.
Biking
I can't say many negative things about my cycling in 2010. The only thing I'd change in hindsight is biking more towards the end of the season. Last year I was doing my biggest race in mid-November so I was doing a lot of riding in September/October. This year I essentially stopped riding any decent amount after Louisville and was inconsistent with what riding I did. That really brought the ol' averages down; I was headed towards a 7k+ mileage year but ended up coming in slightly under my 2009 totals.
As far as stand-alone biking, I managed to do two bike races this year, something I hadn't done since ye ol' College days. Back at William and Mary I was a legend, the best bicycle races ever to grace the bricks at the UC. Times have changed, however, and I was glad to be able to test my legs against some "real" cyclists. Triathletes often tend to think of themselves as amazing cyclists but are quickly disproved when they foray into crits so I was expecting to be dropped in both of the crits for which I was signed up: Cat 4 and Cat 4/5 <35. The two races were at 5 and 7:30 pm (roughly) and I somehow managed to win both of them. Needless to say, I was surprised and pretty pumped up about it.
I was very pleased with my bike splits in almost all of my races this year (Cool Breeze and Over the Mountain being the exceptions) but the mantra of "There's no such thing as a good bike split and a bad run split" held true for me, which slightly marginalizes the fast bike times. I should be able to run faster than a 1:32 in a half marathon so...did I bike too hard in NOLA and WL? Those are questions that I aim to fix next year with the help of my coach, my powermeter, and another year of experience.
My expectations for riding with a powermeter in 2010:
1) Race smarter
2) Not necessarily bike a lot faster (i.e. sub 2:12:00), but be able to do close to that with less energy spent.
3) Run faster
4) Satisfy my ginormous ego with 1500+ watt sprints and 20++ watts/kg
Running
Well, where to start with running. Firstly, I've now been running for almost exactly 3 years. After swimming, it's definintely been a limiter in races this year. In New Orleans, I went from 1st AG at the start of the run to 2nd. At White Lake, I went from 5th to 7th. At a small sprint in KY I went from 2nd to 4th. Stumpy Creek was the worst, going from 1st to 4th (getting to watch Scott sprint away from me, Tom Clifford blast past me and ol' man Frank Fawcett ease on by me...). I know that I'm not a bad runner, I just haven't been able to race to what I believe is my potential.
I had a much better year of training as far as the run goes in 2010 versus 2009. Last year I took multiple weeks off due almost wholly to injuries: two severely sprained ankles in February/June and a serious bout with ITB issues in October/November. I believe I totaled almost 5-6 weeks off from running in 2009. Not so this year; anytime I took off was due to other stuff.
Most running I did this year was aerobic. "Base" zone running if you wish to use such terminology. I rarely strayed out of my comfort zone. Despite that, I managed to post some good stand-alone run times in 2010. Corporate Cup Half-Marathon was a good race; Behme and I planned on running together and the first ten miles at 6:20 pace felt very smooth and after some encouragement from John I headed out on my own and forged ahead with the last 4 miles at just under 6 minute pace. A mostly cruise-control half-marathon in 1:21:30. I was really happy with that as it promised some faster half-ironman run times (obviously, I was faster but not as fast as I thought I could be, alas!). The ING Georgia Marathon was also a good experience. The first 17 miles went by with nary a problem and then the course got hard. Really hard. Gradual, long inclines followed by incredibly short, steep downhills that absolutely murdered my quads and calves. Our only goal for that race was sub 3 so to both come in under goal pace (albeit barely) was a nice consolation for not being able to walk for two days.
So this year I've been able to be more consistent, but I haven't necessarily improved much in 2010. I think that consistency and injury-freeness will help out a lot for next year, however. We shall see.
Next and last: Expectations for 2011 and beyonddd!!!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Year in review 2010
2010 Year in Review
Total Yards Swimming: 483,506 yards -> 2009 = 358,615 (+35%)
Total Miles Cycling: 6,714 miles -> 2009 = 6,821 (-2%)
Total Miles Running: 1,803 miles -> 2009 = 1,358 (+33%)
Average Weekly Yards: 9,300 yards
Average Weekly Bike: 129 miles
Average Weekly Run: 34.6 miles
Total Hours: 730 hours
Weekly Hours: 14:00 hours
1) Set a half-marathon PR of 1:21:29, mostly due to the fact that I had never raced a half before
2) Set a marathon PR of 2:58:55 on a tough-as-a-mother course also due to the reasons above
3) Improved half-ironman PRs (on same course as 2009's races) to 4:21:51 (4:49:00) and 4:23:33 (4:33:58) at NOLA 70.3 and WL Half, respectively.
4) Won my first two (and only two of 2010) bike races since College on the same night, garnering an astounding prize purse of 100 big ones. That same night, I rediscovered how badly I could make my legs hurt, twice!
5) DNF'd my first Ironman (and biggest race thus far) at Louisville, KY. I've said it before, but that really sucked. The rest of my year was kind of a letdown despite some good performances. Motivation was low.
6) Won my first race: Cane Creek (Try Sports Developmental Series). That was a fun race, no matter how I placed.
7) Competed in my first multi-day triathlon event with Woody, Fletch and Lisska and completed an Ironman (with extra swimming, gross) at White Lake. While the locale was not ideal for multiple attempts the race was a lot of fun (but only in hindsight).
8) Discovered that I love swimming. Sort of. With certain conditions. Depending on the day. Potentially dependent on how fast I'm going that day.
9) Set several bike split benchmarks of 2:15:57 for the 56 mile half-ironman distance and 58:03 for the almost 40k distance (NOLA and Stumpy Creek).
10) Improved half-ironman run split by about 5 minutes to 1:32:17 from 1:37:34 (both at NOLA actually).
11) Compiled an amazing year in review list
Soon to follow: Part II will be "Where I stand right now?!"
Total Yards Swimming: 483,506 yards -> 2009 = 358,615 (+35%)
Total Miles Cycling: 6,714 miles -> 2009 = 6,821 (-2%)
Total Miles Running: 1,803 miles -> 2009 = 1,358 (+33%)
Average Weekly Yards: 9,300 yards
Average Weekly Bike: 129 miles
Average Weekly Run: 34.6 miles
Total Hours: 730 hours
Weekly Hours: 14:00 hours
1) Set a half-marathon PR of 1:21:29, mostly due to the fact that I had never raced a half before
2) Set a marathon PR of 2:58:55 on a tough-as-a-mother course also due to the reasons above
3) Improved half-ironman PRs (on same course as 2009's races) to 4:21:51 (4:49:00) and 4:23:33 (4:33:58) at NOLA 70.3 and WL Half, respectively.
4) Won my first two (and only two of 2010) bike races since College on the same night, garnering an astounding prize purse of 100 big ones. That same night, I rediscovered how badly I could make my legs hurt, twice!
5) DNF'd my first Ironman (and biggest race thus far) at Louisville, KY. I've said it before, but that really sucked. The rest of my year was kind of a letdown despite some good performances. Motivation was low.
6) Won my first race: Cane Creek (Try Sports Developmental Series). That was a fun race, no matter how I placed.
7) Competed in my first multi-day triathlon event with Woody, Fletch and Lisska and completed an Ironman (with extra swimming, gross) at White Lake. While the locale was not ideal for multiple attempts the race was a lot of fun (but only in hindsight).
8) Discovered that I love swimming. Sort of. With certain conditions. Depending on the day. Potentially dependent on how fast I'm going that day.
9) Set several bike split benchmarks of 2:15:57 for the 56 mile half-ironman distance and 58:03 for the almost 40k distance (NOLA and Stumpy Creek).
10) Improved half-ironman run split by about 5 minutes to 1:32:17 from 1:37:34 (both at NOLA actually).
11) Compiled an amazing year in review list
Soon to follow: Part II will be "Where I stand right now?!"
Monday, December 20, 2010
Dropping Bombs
S: 8500 yds
B: 63 mi
R: 37.5 mi
Time: 10.7 hrs
Not a lot to report this week other than on Sunday I hit my 26th birthday. I missed one run this week but got in an extra ride (accidentally). I got a little excited about having a new piece of cycling gear to use and geek out over (as if I needed more!). This particular little item will hopefully allow both myself and my coach to really bring out the best in me in terms of my cycling abilities next year. Not just my cycling abilities actually, but also my ability to run well off the bike due to better bike pacing in long course racing. That way I can run like Woodbury and not like Behme! Or maybe find a happy medium in between the two...
B: 63 mi
R: 37.5 mi
Time: 10.7 hrs
Not a lot to report this week other than on Sunday I hit my 26th birthday. I missed one run this week but got in an extra ride (accidentally). I got a little excited about having a new piece of cycling gear to use and geek out over (as if I needed more!). This particular little item will hopefully allow both myself and my coach to really bring out the best in me in terms of my cycling abilities next year. Not just my cycling abilities actually, but also my ability to run well off the bike due to better bike pacing in long course racing. That way I can run like Woodbury and not like Behme! Or maybe find a happy medium in between the two...
Monday, December 13, 2010
Last week of being 25
S: 5500 yds
B: 37 mi
R: 42 mi
Time: 9 hours
I don't usually like to make excuses but I think this week's numbers were directly affected by my lack of ability to see properly on Monday on Tuesday. Most people would like describe vision as their most important and dearest sense and when that is jeopardized everything else becomes less important. When I was buying new contact solution last Friday I inexplicably chose the store brand when for the last 15 years I have ALWAYS purchased the "name" brand recommended to me by my doctor. Apparently some store brands use different preservatives and as luck would have it on Sunday of last week I began to experience the downside of being cheap.
Monday was pretty bad as my right eye (and left eye as well but not as strongly) suffered an allergic reaction to the preservatives found in the solution. Sunday had also been a pain but I assumed it was because I had stayed up late with my contacts in and so consequently wasn't overly worried about it. I went to bed at 10pm on Monday night with the hope that sleep would heal all evils. Consequently I did not work out at all on Monday. Tuesday morning brought with it similar feelings and I realized I had to go to the eye doctor. As much as I hate going to the doctor my eyes are pretty important to me and are worth keeping healthy.
Luckily, the fix was easy (steroid drops) and by Tuesday afternoon I was feeling MUCH better. I went for a swim and then my week progressed as it normally would (except for less swimming than normal). I crammed a bit with running (ran Wed-Sunday but had one double) only had one bike ride (~2 hours for 37 miles with 3x2 minutes of very hard work) but felt like I salvaged what could have been a much worse week (in terms of training and health).
On a happier note, it looks like I'll be joining the Cervelo squad for 2011 (sadly not as a sponsored rider - surprising I know - but as a customer) so hopefully my bike splits will to continue to amaze all those around me.
B: 37 mi
R: 42 mi
Time: 9 hours
I don't usually like to make excuses but I think this week's numbers were directly affected by my lack of ability to see properly on Monday on Tuesday. Most people would like describe vision as their most important and dearest sense and when that is jeopardized everything else becomes less important. When I was buying new contact solution last Friday I inexplicably chose the store brand when for the last 15 years I have ALWAYS purchased the "name" brand recommended to me by my doctor. Apparently some store brands use different preservatives and as luck would have it on Sunday of last week I began to experience the downside of being cheap.
Monday was pretty bad as my right eye (and left eye as well but not as strongly) suffered an allergic reaction to the preservatives found in the solution. Sunday had also been a pain but I assumed it was because I had stayed up late with my contacts in and so consequently wasn't overly worried about it. I went to bed at 10pm on Monday night with the hope that sleep would heal all evils. Consequently I did not work out at all on Monday. Tuesday morning brought with it similar feelings and I realized I had to go to the eye doctor. As much as I hate going to the doctor my eyes are pretty important to me and are worth keeping healthy.
Luckily, the fix was easy (steroid drops) and by Tuesday afternoon I was feeling MUCH better. I went for a swim and then my week progressed as it normally would (except for less swimming than normal). I crammed a bit with running (ran Wed-Sunday but had one double) only had one bike ride (~2 hours for 37 miles with 3x2 minutes of very hard work) but felt like I salvaged what could have been a much worse week (in terms of training and health).
On a happier note, it looks like I'll be joining the Cervelo squad for 2011 (sadly not as a sponsored rider - surprising I know - but as a customer) so hopefully my bike splits will to continue to amaze all those around me.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Week 49
S: 11,200 yards
B: 0 :(
R: 43 mi
Time: 9 hours
Well, not a whole lot to report this week. My running went great; I had four weekday runs totaling 31 miles including one little "workout" of 4x400 in 1:28-1:30 done on the roads using my garmin as a guide for stopping and going. Also got in a great long run with a huge group on Saturday morning at Mcalpine. There were some faster miles in there but it was mostly a nice loping pace on the soft surfaces.
I inexcusably missed riding my bike this week; this is the first time all year where I haven't logged any saddle time at all. I was supposed to ride on Sunday but due to the combination of several factors: allergic reaction in my eyeball (because I stupidly changed my contact solution), super cold day on Sunday morning, and last but not least staying up a bit too late on Saturday night.
Pool time was good but not great and I had one pretty stellar workout with Scott on Thursday. Unfortunately on Thursday through Sunday the MCAC was closed due to a weekend swim meet so I missed out on all that time in the pool. Gee darn!
B: 0 :(
R: 43 mi
Time: 9 hours
Well, not a whole lot to report this week. My running went great; I had four weekday runs totaling 31 miles including one little "workout" of 4x400 in 1:28-1:30 done on the roads using my garmin as a guide for stopping and going. Also got in a great long run with a huge group on Saturday morning at Mcalpine. There were some faster miles in there but it was mostly a nice loping pace on the soft surfaces.
I inexcusably missed riding my bike this week; this is the first time all year where I haven't logged any saddle time at all. I was supposed to ride on Sunday but due to the combination of several factors: allergic reaction in my eyeball (because I stupidly changed my contact solution), super cold day on Sunday morning, and last but not least staying up a bit too late on Saturday night.
Pool time was good but not great and I had one pretty stellar workout with Scott on Thursday. Unfortunately on Thursday through Sunday the MCAC was closed due to a weekend swim meet so I missed out on all that time in the pool. Gee darn!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Laziness abounds
S: 11,500 yards
B: 30 miles
R: 21 miles
Time: 8.3 hours
Well, this week was all about indulging in the greatest of human abilities: apathy. I had a lot of intertia this week and refused to get off the couch on Thursday and Friday. Had two good swims on M/Tues and a great run on Tuesday as I helped out Jackie with a marathon workout (3x3 miles at 6:50 pace) that ended up being a few more miles than I really wanted (14) but it all worked out ok in the end...
On another note, I've been talking a lot with Brian Stover of Accelerate3 coaching and I think that is a route I'd like to take for next year (http://www.accelerate3.com/). If my end goal in triathlon is to reach whatever potential I may or may not have then I think it's best - especially in these early "formative" years - to put my training in the hands of someone more capable than I (as impossible as it is for me to admit that ANYONE knows more about anything than I do I think I should in this instance...) and hopefully my "abilities" (loosely used ) will increase exponentially. Nothing formal as of yet but I'm pretty excited about the possibility of working with a coach as it's always something I've wanted but could never justify. Even now it's tough to justify the expense of a coach as triathlon is still just a hobby (and maybe it always will be) but if the goal is to improve then it's important to take steps to reach that goal.
This next week will be about getting back into a regular routine and just kind of enjoying unstructured training, as when Brian gets in control that will change quickly!
B: 30 miles
R: 21 miles
Time: 8.3 hours
Well, this week was all about indulging in the greatest of human abilities: apathy. I had a lot of intertia this week and refused to get off the couch on Thursday and Friday. Had two good swims on M/Tues and a great run on Tuesday as I helped out Jackie with a marathon workout (3x3 miles at 6:50 pace) that ended up being a few more miles than I really wanted (14) but it all worked out ok in the end...
On another note, I've been talking a lot with Brian Stover of Accelerate3 coaching and I think that is a route I'd like to take for next year (http://www.accelerate3.com/). If my end goal in triathlon is to reach whatever potential I may or may not have then I think it's best - especially in these early "formative" years - to put my training in the hands of someone more capable than I (as impossible as it is for me to admit that ANYONE knows more about anything than I do I think I should in this instance...) and hopefully my "abilities" (loosely used ) will increase exponentially. Nothing formal as of yet but I'm pretty excited about the possibility of working with a coach as it's always something I've wanted but could never justify. Even now it's tough to justify the expense of a coach as triathlon is still just a hobby (and maybe it always will be) but if the goal is to improve then it's important to take steps to reach that goal.
This next week will be about getting back into a regular routine and just kind of enjoying unstructured training, as when Brian gets in control that will change quickly!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Another super duper exciting weekly review!!
S: 15,200 yards
B: 80.5 mi
R: 40 mi
Time: 14.9 hrs
MMMMmmmm, some delicious swimming this week. When I say delicious I really mean it because the taste of chlorine is so good once it hits your lips; SO GOOD! I had one real workout that had me seeing some stars and the rest was a mixture of filler, drills and light workout type stuff. One of my favorite swims was on Sunday when I was at the Dowd YMCA and saw a lady who I haven't see in some time. It's always nice to see a familiar face and this time was no different. She looks middle-aged (maybe around 50?) and she's pretty short and wears a one-piece bathing-suit that looks like it's from the 1950s. Unlike most "swim suits" this "bathing suit" had a lot of coverage. She walked in and - as usual - jumped into the lane (no goggles or cap) on the wall and began her regular workout of holding on to the side of the pool and dipping her head under and coming back up, simulating what I assume to be pull-ups (I'm probably being very generous here...). She completed some number of these and then left to go back to the women's locker room. Several minutes later, she reappeared and began the process anew. She has the strangest routine of any regular "swimmer" I've seen at the Y. Makes me glad I now have the option to go to the MCAC.
Dominated some roller action on Tuesday night while spectating the Inside-Out trainer ride. I averaged a staggering 23 mph! Unfortunately for my ego, with no resistance it's rather easy to average a high rate of speed on rollers. I also got back on a mountain bike on Saturday morning with Behme and Fletch. Due to my lack of experience (both long-term and recently) on the mountain bike my legs felt fine but my hands got so tired after only an hour-ish of riding! I was practically cramping at the end of our third lap on non-technical, albeit rooty, trails. I also did a longer ride on Sunday with a nice group that was nice and easy with amazing weather.
Running this week was just about building the volume back up a little bit; no workouts of any sort and a long run of only 10 miles (although the average pace for this 10 miles was under 7 min/mi...).
All in all it was a good week, hopefully more swimming and running building will come in the future. If I don't go crazy or die first, I'd like to string together 5-6 weeks of 20k+ swimming and 55-65 miles of running before February. That'd be some excellent building for a fruitful 2011 season!! w00t
B: 80.5 mi
R: 40 mi
Time: 14.9 hrs
MMMMmmmm, some delicious swimming this week. When I say delicious I really mean it because the taste of chlorine is so good once it hits your lips; SO GOOD! I had one real workout that had me seeing some stars and the rest was a mixture of filler, drills and light workout type stuff. One of my favorite swims was on Sunday when I was at the Dowd YMCA and saw a lady who I haven't see in some time. It's always nice to see a familiar face and this time was no different. She looks middle-aged (maybe around 50?) and she's pretty short and wears a one-piece bathing-suit that looks like it's from the 1950s. Unlike most "swim suits" this "bathing suit" had a lot of coverage. She walked in and - as usual - jumped into the lane (no goggles or cap) on the wall and began her regular workout of holding on to the side of the pool and dipping her head under and coming back up, simulating what I assume to be pull-ups (I'm probably being very generous here...). She completed some number of these and then left to go back to the women's locker room. Several minutes later, she reappeared and began the process anew. She has the strangest routine of any regular "swimmer" I've seen at the Y. Makes me glad I now have the option to go to the MCAC.
Dominated some roller action on Tuesday night while spectating the Inside-Out trainer ride. I averaged a staggering 23 mph! Unfortunately for my ego, with no resistance it's rather easy to average a high rate of speed on rollers. I also got back on a mountain bike on Saturday morning with Behme and Fletch. Due to my lack of experience (both long-term and recently) on the mountain bike my legs felt fine but my hands got so tired after only an hour-ish of riding! I was practically cramping at the end of our third lap on non-technical, albeit rooty, trails. I also did a longer ride on Sunday with a nice group that was nice and easy with amazing weather.
Running this week was just about building the volume back up a little bit; no workouts of any sort and a long run of only 10 miles (although the average pace for this 10 miles was under 7 min/mi...).
All in all it was a good week, hopefully more swimming and running building will come in the future. If I don't go crazy or die first, I'd like to string together 5-6 weeks of 20k+ swimming and 55-65 miles of running before February. That'd be some excellent building for a fruitful 2011 season!! w00t
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