Welcome to off-season 2007

I was so happy to cross the finish line Saturday. Not because I has set the world on fire with some blistering pace, or had broken through some fantastic distance barrier. I just wanted the competetive season to be over. Burn out.

All in all, it was a good race. I felt strong in the water, held a decent pace on the bike (especially considering some of the monster hills on the course), and had a good run. No podium finish, but 5/17 in my competitive age group, and 18/145 overall. During the bike leg, toward the end, I realized I still had to run and was filled with dread. I had noticed the burn out building over the last few weeks, but it really peaked at that moment. Much like Paul noted recently, I've been having trouble gathering enough motivation to train like I need to be. I just wanted the season to be over.

I know I'm not alone when it comes to these end-of-season sentiments and attitude. While some people can keep charging on at a constant pace, year in and year out, I think it's a function of truly maximizing your training and ability, along with cycles of peaking, that drive an athlete to desire - almost require - a break in the intensity. Surely many elite athletes also attribute an off season to injury prevention, be it soft and connective tissues due to altering the training focus, or joints and bones due to recovering focus and intensity and reducing complacency at the limits of performance.

So, I have done nothing since Saturday's race until today. I will probably ease into some training this week, but it will be low-key. My plan at this point is to:

• Rest tired muscles, connective tissue, and brain cells
• Get/keep moving with some aerobic benefit
• Hit the gym hard to build up some muscle mass in key areas, for about a month
• Begin base mileage and aerobic capacity building
• Chart my reentry to next season's training cycle

For the last step, I will need to decide on next year's race schedule. For sure, I will be more selective than this year. I also intend to include a greater variety of events, such as more running events and a couple of purely cycling events. I think that there's a different dynamic to competing in the single event races that will help me achieve and keep an edge in multi sport. I hope to break through some barriers that I'm sure exist, wherein I'm holding some of "it" back for the next leg of the race.

There are also some exciting things brewing for next year that I will share with you guys as soon as I'm able to. For sure, it's going to be an awesome season and I will realize a hope/dream that I had toward fall of last year, around the time that cycling was forever infused with my life and running was becoming a personal challenge.

But before all of that, it's going to be a great fall and winter with my family and friends, tons of good food, and reflection on my first of many years training hard and competing in triathlons. The good people I've met and relationships I've formed this season have opened my eyes, and the community that came together to help and support me when I tested physics was incredible, as were all the well wishes, thoughts, and prayers from you awesome folks. Thanks for listening to me, laughing with me, helping me, educating me, and entertaining me. Don't go getting slack on any of it, though! ;-)

Okay, enough of the sappy stuff.

Good times, bad times

We all need reminding (none more than me, I sometimes think) that not every day can be great, and certainly not better than the last. Training just isn't always linear in an improving pace/speed value tangent. But I do believe firmly that it's important to push hard on those days that you just aren't as fast, or the miles just aren't coming along as easily.

Variables? Well, the fueling, rest, recovery from last workout, and preparation certainly play huge roles. If you have not put (the right) fuel in your body, you can't expect to do as well as you hoped, and probably shouldn't push yourself to attempt your goal. That's just reality: a car doesn't go as fast on no or low-grade gasoline. Neither do athletes. Likewise if you did nothing to come down from your last hard workout and did nothing to come up for the current workout, there is no right to expect excellent results. It may happen, but it will be the exception as opposed to the norm.

Such is the case today for me. I'm not sure the percentages of the above factors, but I know fuel was a huge portion. I drilled this morning (after sleeping less than I would have preferred) in the reserves, and afterwards decided it was far too nice a day to not ride...and run. Now, keep in mind that I plan to do a publicity ride tomorrow morning with a local Pro 1/2 race team, of which a friend of mine is a member. I hope to do the 66 mile, but may do the 35 mile ride.

Anyway, around 2pm I set off on the bike after preparing my "transition area". I was doing pretty well, but I was becoming progressively gassed on the hills. This route has several short, steep hills on the way out, and lots of long shallow hills on the way in. As I found, the return was more taxing for me without appropriate fueling prior. I did okay, but was spent for the run, and my pace was WAY off my norm, by about 1 min/mile. Anyway, the stats:

Bike: 20.92 miles in 1:00:28 @ 20.76mph (on my tri bike)
poky 1:23 trans
Run: 2.4 miles in 17.55 @ 7:28/mile

What did I learn? If I don't prepare, I'm gonna suffer, and I shouldn't give myself a hard time. Just learn from it, press on, and do a better job next time. We will have good days, we will have bad days. It just happens, and none of the people reading my blog have the luxury of tailoring each day around their athletic endeavors, like a pro athlete would. And life sure happens. Often!

Take care, all, and have a great weekend! I'm fitten' to raise up and get my movie on. :-)