On October 16th I wrapped up another season of racing. I had big goals this year. I accomplished the biggest of them but fell short on others leaving me with more goals to hit next year.
My race schedule this year looked something like this...
Training started in late December with the addition of more running miles and a core class.
April 30th - 1st 1/2 Marathon - Minneapolis, MN - Running in a lite rain for 2 hours 20 minutes and real discomfort for the rest of the day with inflamed IT bands.
May 22nd - 1st Olympic Triathlon of the season - Ogden, IA - water temps in the high 50s so the swim was shortened and a huge set of hills on the bike reaffirmed I need to spend more time in the saddle, but had a strong run.
Jul 9th - Midnight Madness, Ames IA - 5k as a family pushing the kids in a buggy and it wasn't half bad.
July 24th - 1st 1/2 Ironman - Chisago Lakes in MN - Swim was foggy and slow, Bike was bumpy and had some serious mental issues the second half. reaffirmed I need to do the distance I am racing in training as my longest bike was only 45 miles and the race was 56. My run was four minutes faster than in April but over all missed my time goal by 10 minutes. It was an amazing experience and I have already signed up to do it again next August at the Wisconsin Dells.
Sept 3rd - 10k run - Clear Lake IA - Course was .5 miles too short but was a fast run for me even so.
Sept 25th - Peregrine Charity Olympic Triathlon - Set a goal of 2:45... last years time was 3hrs and 1 minute. Pounded through the swim (gasping for air in transition), road hard on the bike 17.5 mph ave, and had an ok run. Final time 2:48 so did go a bit faster than last year.
Oct 16th - Des Moines 1/2 marathon - My goal was to run 10 minutes miles or faster. Got jumbled up at the start and was behind the pace sign for 2:20. The first three miles were a bit slow because of all the people running. Then I just got faster and faster and faster... I kept looking at my watch in disbelief when all my splits after three miles were between 9:45 and 9:15 with one at 8:45. I blew away my two earlier time with a 2:06. Next year I want to break 2 hours.
Lessons learned...
* I trained harder than my body could handle at the beginning for the first 1/2 marathon and felt the pain. Once I got into a more mixed training plan (1-2 swims a week - one sprints and one distance, 3 runs a week - one sprints, one hills and one distance, 2 bikes a week - one 25-30 miles and one 35 - 45 miles, one yoga/Pilates core class) my body responded with more speed and less discomfort.
* I still have deficiencies so I need to work on strengthening my left ankle, hip and shoulder so I am more balanced. I rolled my left ankle re-injuring a 16 year old tear 5 weeks before my 1/2 ironman which messed with my swim training but was able to run through it.
* There is always room to improve. I fell a few minutes short on a couple of time goals and with some hard work and focused energy I know I can reach those goals next season. I need to have a ride training plan to work on speed and distance. I need to keep working on my running strength to improve my speed and learn how to have consistent splits mile after mile. I can't slack off on the swimming just because I am good at it.
* I can achieve my goals even when people think I am crazy. It just takes planning, family coordination, a little luck and hard work.
* I get really lazy after my season is over so I need a better maintenance plan to keep the body moving so I don't loose my fitness or pick up extra pounds.
* I have to listen to my body. I put a lot of strain on my thyroid and adrenals this season because I didn't balance my stressors and my training.
Yes I am already looking forward to next years season. Formulating a race plan gets a little more complicated these days though because I have to factor in travel, Kiddo activities, and other events. It is crazy to have things on the calendar already into August of next year. So with that I leave you with the message that with a plan and some follow through you too can achieve your goals. Happy fitness to you.
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