US Age Group National Championship?

I logged on to USAT's website today to renew my membership and got a nice little surprise...

Obviously I hadn't logged in for a while since I qualified at IMLP (over 6 months ago!). This race is very tempting, so I haven't made up my mind one way or another yet. On one hand, it's cool to qualify for and race a national event of this caliber. It's also an olympic distance race, which is what I said wanted to improve this year. It's in August, which is a good time to race for me because I have the summer to train. And lastly, it's not very expensive (~$150+travel+lodging), nothing compared to an IM...

But on the other hand, it's a little far (Burglington, VT), and I wasn't planning on any "big" races this year. Also, I think I'll be able to qualify again, I'll be working and taking classes this summer as well, and while it isn't expensive, it's still not cheap. Plus I should really be saving all my pennies for the wedding. Lastly, there are going to be A LOT of fast guys there... REALLY fast guys, so I won't do very well in my AG anyway... I know that might sound kind of odd to some people, but I don't really want to drive 10hours, pay for a hotel and all that jazz to compete in a race where I think my best day will land me ~15/90 in my AG and ~80th overall... (I think I could do 2:05 on a pretty good day, and compared to the 2011 results that is where I would land). Meanwhile I could do a race at the Jersey shore or somewhere in PA that same weekend (that I could wake up and drive to) for less money, and I might get on a podium with a sub 2:10 performance.

So the wheels are turning, but I'm leaning toward not doing the race this year. The decision hasn't been set in stone yet, maybe if I get some serious bday money I'll treat myself...vamos a ver! I still don't have any tris on the calendar for 2012, and I think I will sign up for one as a birthday present to myself within the next couple days.

Two posts in one day, crazy right? Well I have about 120 pages of Gabriela Mistral poetry to read for tomorrow night's class, and I'm procrastinating... I also wrote out a nice program I'm going to try to follow over the next couple weeks into my April Fool's Day half marathon. I'll post that some time later.

Racing season is coming...

I'm slowly starting to realize that the racing season is knocking at the door. I also know that real results are achieved by the work we do during these winter months. For some reason the way I was remembering my winter training last year was much different than it actually was... Before I went and looked up some of my training hours from Jan/Feb 2011, if someone had asked me what sort of training I was doing, I would have probably said ~10hrs a week broken up between 2-3 swims, 2-3 rides and 3-4 runs - not a whole lot different from what I'm doing now. However, looking back over my training log I saw that I was putting in 13-18hrs/week! And that continued all throughout baseball season. These aren't monster numbers that some top tier age groupers are putting up, but it's significantly more than I'm doing right now. I know I said I was going to ease off a little this year because of grad school, and I'm glad I have because the mental stress of both has a strong negative effect on my performance and mood, but the bottom line is that if I want to see some results this summer, I need to kick it into gear a little bit ASAP!

I guess I really started thinking about this when Maddy asked me what my goals for the AC half marathon are. My currently 13.1 PR is 1:30, which came in the Jerseyman 70.3 (after a 1.2mile swim and 56mile bike). I also went sub 17:40 in a 5k in the fall while only running 3x per week. I should easily be able to better my 1:30 PR in a straight running race. However, I have no idea where my run fitness is right now because I've only been running 2-3 times a week, and all of the runs have been ~1hr at a moderate pace. I know that to get in running shape I need to do speed/interval work mixed with long, slow runs, and some good work on the bike.

What does this all mean? Well I'm taking some time to write out a training plan for the next couple weeks leading up to my race April 1. Hopefully scheduling workouts ahead of time will help me avoid falling into the trap of just doing what I feel like doing when I feel like doing it. Just because I'm not racing an Ironman doesn't mean I don't want to see improvement this year!

One last note - yesterday was my 27th birthday. Despite the fact that I had to trek out to 'nova to talk about postmodern Spanish literature for a couple hours after work, it was a great day. Mad and I went out to dinner after class, and she surprised me with a 3 day ski/romantic trip to Vermont over our spring break! Let's hope it's cold enough for snow in March!

Joining a tri club

Tonight is the Philly Tri Club social and annual kick off event. And I'm going. The past 2 years I've been very much a one-man wolf pack. For a variety of reasons I decided it wasn't worth the money to join a club and all that jazz. I had personal goals, and I didn't want anyone else influencing the outcome of those goals. I also get a little nervous meeting new people, but who doesn't?

Anyway, this year things are different. It's all about having fun. I want to get to know some people interested in the sport(s) and not have to do all my training alone. I also hear they get great deals from some of the local shops, which is a selfish perk... Nevertheless, it should be fun tonight.

On the topic of fun, I found a couple things this week that made me smile.

With the wedding coming in a mere 9 months, I have started to think about attire. I'm not sure if I'm going to go with a french cuffed shirt or not, but if I do rock the french cuffs, I'm definitely wearing these sweet cufflinks!

www.tiebar.com

I am 100% serious by the way. If I wear a shirt that requires cuff links, these are them. This is not a joke.

And I found this clip over at Steve in a speedo's blog. He's always good for a laugh, and if you haven't seen this clip yet, it's hilarious. I will be the first to admit (shamefully), I've said a few of these lines before...

Happy training people! It's in the 50's in Philly today, so I'll be out on a nice long ride this afternoon.

Each day something learned

I find myself constantly collecting data from my trials training and racing. Input, input, input...hopefully this will lead to some great results in the future. My favorite form of input is that which I can deposit in the "pain bank". When I do something that is uncomfortable while I'm doing it, but I come out alive and hopefully in better shape than when I went into it.

I made a deposit in the "pain bank", and maybe the stupid bank, this morning. Despite the temperature at a chilly 20 degrees with 15mph winds, I was up at 5am, bundled up, and out the door with my bike. It was freezing. Less than a mile into the ride I had to put on my sunglasses to stop my eyes from watering and the tears from freezing on my face. I have pretty good gear, but I should have worn an extra pair of gloves and tights. The first 35 minutes of the ride were straight into the wind. It was cold and painful, but one thing that drives me is knowing that I can put this workout in the bank. It makes it easier to overcome discomfort and adversity when you have "savings" (memories of uncomfortable situations that you worked through and came out of OK). It also makes me smile when I don't see anyone else out there in the morning. Philadelphia is a populous city with a lot of endurance athletes that workout on Kelly Dr. I didn't see anyone else on a bike this morning during my 75min ride. I know they are probably on the trainer indoors because it was SO cold, but nevertheless, I was out and they weren't - I win.

Something else I can take away from this morning is that I probably could have gotten a better workout on the trainer... I'll set the threshold at ~30 without sun and ~20 with sun for my rides now. I struggled last year to get good rides in while on the trainer. Perhaps the solution is not to get outside for every ride, but rather to focus on the mental fortitude I need to get it done indoors.

To end on a positive note - I had a pretty good swim last night. I ran for 45min before hitting the pool, and for some reason my swim seemed easier than it normally does... Breathing was easy, and I felt smooth... I can't really explain it, but I'll take it. That's all for now.

Happy training!!

Winter training

Winter is here. It only hit 32F today with winds of 15-25mph (but I still got out for a good 2hr ride). Grad classes haven't started yet, although they do next week, and with no coaching responsibilities, life has been good. There has been little to no stress as of late - the way it should be.

Training has been going, but nothing crazy. I'm enjoying (most of) it. My typical week is: Monday ride easy, Tuesday pool and core/weights, Wednesday ride, Thursday pool and core/weights, Friday run, Saturday longer ride, Sunday longer run. The bike/run feel great. Even in the cold I'm getting out and getting it done. I'm running faster that I ever have on my longer runs, averaging between 7:00-7:15min/mile without feeling like I'm really pushing. I haven't put the HR monitor on, so I'm not sure what my body is really saying, but it feels good. Getting outside on the bike is 1000x better than riding the trainer for me. I hope to develop some better top end speed by keeping a strong base through the winter. Last year I think my trainer rides really just helped spin the gunk out of my legs.

Swimming continues to be a struggle... I've been easing into it. Probably easier than I should. But I've decided to go with this approach because I feel like I hit the swim hard last winter and then kind of tired myself out by the time the race season came around. I figure I'll start really ramping up my workouts/yardage in the pool in March/April so that I can peak in July/Aug. Realistically I know if I want my swim to see improvements I'll need to join a masters team and get in the water 4-5 times per week, but with my schedule this semester it really isn't an option.

My problems in the pool seem to be based around breathing and efficiency. I'm finding that regardless of how "easy" I go, I end up grasping for breath. I also find that during my kickboard sets I'm gasping for breath... This tells me that my legs just suck up all the oxygen in my body. Not really ideal in the pool, but I'm not sure how to address it.

More to come later. Maybe something of more substance. Thanks for checking in. Happy training!

Building the race calendar for 2012

Some (moderately) exciting news is beginning to surface as I plan out my race calendar for 2012. A couple days ago I got an email from Schwaggle! (like groupon for active.com members), which promoted a half marathon in Atlantic City on April Fool's Day for less than $30. How could I pass that up?! It will be my first go at the 13.1 distance without a 1.2 mile swim and 56 mile bike before it. I'm excited to have something real on the calendar, and it doesn't carry as much stress because it's a distance I know I can handle without changing my routine too much, plus it only cost $30 so even if I end up missing it for some reason, it won't hurt me financially. An early season running race should definitely keep me motivated as grad school starts back up. I didn't do a single workout in the fall semester on days when I had class. I might have to start doing the early morning thing again a couple times a week.

Signing up for one race has made my mind start racing looking for other races this summer. I want to do 2 Olympic distance races and just let it rip. I'm thinking I'll do some smaller local races rather than something big and expensive. I would love to do the Philly tri again because it's an awesome race, well run, and right in my backyard. But it's also $185, and I found a couple smaller races for less than $100. There's also no way I'll podium at the Philly Tri - there are some FAST elites there, not to mention the pros... It's also in June, which isn't ideal. Training in the spring with work, school, and coaching baseball is going to be pretty difficult. I'm thinking a mid-late July race and then one more in August before XC starts up again. ¡Vamos a ver!

Lastly, I made a list of books I'm going to try to get my hands on over the coming months. I sent them to my mom for birthday present suggestions. It's coming up in February if any of you readers out there feel like getting me one.

What do you think of the list? Have you read them? Other recommendations?



Racing Weight: How to get lean for peak performance by Matt Fitzgerald

Strength Training for Triathletes by Patrick Hagerman

Going Long: Training for Triathlon's Ultimate Challenge by Joe Friel

Iron War: Dave Scott, Mark Allen, & the Greatest Race Ever Run by Matt Fitzgerald

Triathlete Magazine's Essential Week-by-WeekTraining by Matt Fitzgerald

Triathlon Swimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way by Terry Laughlin

The Paleo Diet for Athletes: A Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic Performance by Joe Friel

2012 Goals!

I can't believe how quickly this winter break has flown by. I'm back in school teaching tomorrow, and back at Villanova 2 nights/week starting Jan. 17. And for the many weeks following that, I'll lay out my goals for 2012...

1 - Have fun living life to the fullest, spending time with those I love, balancing work with play, and, of course, staying healthy and fit! A couple things were listed here, but they all tie together. I got pretty tied up with myself in 2011, and I just want to make sure I spread the love. If there is one thing I have learned from this past year it is that there is always time to do everything you want, you just need to schedule properly and want to do it.

2 - Be confident/competitive in my swim come summertime. This is going to require discipline and consistency. I need to make sure I get to the pool, do workouts with a purpose, and push myself. I'll be shortening up my race distance this summer, so I won't have to worry so much about making the distance (something that weighed heavily on me leading up to IMLP). I have some numbers/times in mind, but for right now I'll keep them to myself. The goal is just to be confident and competitive in my swim. I don't need to be winning out of the water, but if I need to be within striking distance.

3 - Get on an overall podium and/or win my AG. I've had a couple AG podium appearances in smaller local races, but I haven't gotten top 3 overall yet. That would be pretty cool. Realistically I won't be racing a ton in 2012. I only have 1 race on the calendar thus far, and on top of my own wedding, Maddy and I are going to 5 others. They are going to be a blast, don't get me wrong, but they eat up a few weekends.

I think I'll keep it at three simple goals for 2012. I have almost everything I could ask for right now, so as long as things keep going the way they are going it should be a good year.

In the next couple days I'll try to lay out my 2012 season vision - how I'm going to structure my training and racing.

Happy New Year, all!! Live it up!