It's been four weeks since Kona and I have been enjoying the off-season/getting fat. I have been running about 40-50 miles/week (in order to stay sane) but skipping workouts or runs whenever I feel like it. It's nice, needed, and I plan on doing this through the holidays. It'll give everything a nice little re-set, and hopefully allow myself to heal a little after the 2013 races (and non-races).
The off season is a time to reflect on the past season, and plan on the next one. Triathlon, specifically long-course triathlon, has become more than a hobby for me - it has become a lifestyle, and has been a place where I put much if not almost all of my spare time doing/planning for. I made a goal for myself last season that I was not able to reach - I wasn't even able to attempt it due to injury... This has me at it again, with plans on reaching that same goal of earning the right to race as a pro in the last half of the 2014 season.
Taking a look back at the past year, I have a few things that I need to pay close attention to if I want to stay in this sport, let alone race as a (lower level) pro.
1 - Injuries
2 - Family obligations/new work obligations
3 - Injuries
4 - Realistic goals and ability to deal with setbacks
5 - Injuries
I hit the magical age of 30 this year, and now need to look at 1,3,5 with a bit more of an understanding as to what my "aging" body can take.
Over the past 365ish days, the left side of my body has experienced two stress-reactions/stress fractures. I am thinking that these ultimately stem from a biomechanical change that happened years ago when I shattered my 4th/5th metatarsal in a barefoot longboarding session. The first stress reaction happened during a speed session in December of last year - it was on the left tibia. I took 4 weeks completely off of running and was able to be back to milage somewhere in early February. The second was much more serious and happened to my left 2nd metatarsal on a long run on the 5th of July. I was in a boot for 5 weeks, then in Hokas from there 'till now. That one still hurts.
In the time between the first and second injury, I had two good races and a few okay ones. The Valley to Sea Half Marathon (1:16pr), the Boston Marathon (2:48pr), BolderBoulder (36:05), and Boise 70.3. Training was going well, and I had a very good feeling about getting my pro-card at Ironman Louisville in late August. Injury happened and I was unable to start. I kept a base of fitness through riding my bike and was able to get to the start line in Hawaii ready to give what I had.
So here comes to why I am writing this post.
I am 100% in on the goal of earning a professional license in the next year, and am in the process of planning a season that will get me there. I had signed up for the Boston Marathon again in April with intentions of going there to have a good race again. But, I don't think that this is the best idea right now. I think this is a year where I need to step away from chasing running pr's and focus on a maintenance of running, increase in my threshold power on the bike, and an increase in my swim training.
So instead of chasing a pr in the marathon, half marathon, and 10k, I am going to try for a more balanced approach towards all three sports. I am picking a few races that will "force" me to get in the pool, spend more time on the bike, and keep my running topped out around 40-45mpw. I need to stay away from a run focused training this winter. Even though I am racing long earlier in the year, I hope that by ditching lots of speed sessions and hard runs, I will avoid any injuries that may come from a run oriented winter and spring.
Any way I look at it, this sport is all about experimentation anyways. I just want to stay healthy and avoid injury for another chance at a goal.
So here's the schedule so far:
05/17/2014 - Ironman Texas, Woodlands TX
05/26/2014 - BolderBoulder 10k, Boulder, CO
08/03/2014 - Ironman Boulder, Boulder CO
08/24/2014 - Ironman Louisville, Louisville KY
10/11/2014 - Ironman World Championships, Kona HI*
11/01/2014 - Ironman Florida*
(Yeah, I know... 5 full distance races is a shit ton)
Other races that I plan on doing that I don't have dates for
Summer open sprint tri - Longmont, CO
Longmont tri - Longmont, CO
Boulder Sprint Tri - Boulder, CO
Barking Dog Duathlon
