Well, it's been a while since I've written in here! The remainder of the 2009 season went well. I won a couple race towards the end of the year and placed 53rd overall (8th in my age group) at the Duathlon World Championships down in North Carolina this past September. I was hoping for a little better finish, but overall we had a good trip and got to see some old friends I hadn't seen in a while. I took 2 months to really relax and do things I don't normally get to do as often as I'd like (hiking, watching movies, spending more time with my wife and family, and of course drinking beer with buddies). I slowly started to work back into a rythm in December and then really dropped the hammer on the training again in January. Things are coming along quite well at this point and I'm excited for what 2010 will bring. Lacey is also getting back into the training after taking last season off due to some reoccuring stress fractures in her lower leg. We finally found a doctor that told her more than just "don't run so much". This doctor did some tests and found she had low bone density and her body wasn't absorbing calcium like it was supposed to (duhhh)......I thought this was kind of a no brainer and should have been taken care of about 3 doctors ago, but at least we finally found a doctor that cares. So now Lacey is feeling healthy and training strong (crossing our fingers for no more injuries).
So bring on 2010!!! My goals for this year are a bit different than in the past. I'm looking to really start training for the 70.3 (Half Ironman) distance. I've done a couple of these races in the past with sub par results. I always seemed to face some nasty stomach and nausea problems about half way though the run. I think a lot of this has to do with the lack of long rides (4+ hours) and/or long bricks. These 4-5 hour workouts train your muscles AND digestive system to handle the rigors of long distance racing. In the past, I've just trained for olympic distance races, so my workouts were very intense, but were rarely longer than 2-3 hours at a time....so my body really didn't have to do a lot of digesting during the workout. So although Ironman or half ironman racing/training isn't necessarily harder than racing/training for an olympic distance race, it is definitely different in how nutrition is handled and how the intensity/volume ratio is figured. So I basically have 1 goal for 2010 with a number of "supporting goals" to get there.
1) Sub 4:15 Half Ironman at the Rev3 race in Sandusky, OH in September
So bring on 2010!!! My goals for this year are a bit different than in the past. I'm looking to really start training for the 70.3 (Half Ironman) distance. I've done a couple of these races in the past with sub par results. I always seemed to face some nasty stomach and nausea problems about half way though the run. I think a lot of this has to do with the lack of long rides (4+ hours) and/or long bricks. These 4-5 hour workouts train your muscles AND digestive system to handle the rigors of long distance racing. In the past, I've just trained for olympic distance races, so my workouts were very intense, but were rarely longer than 2-3 hours at a time....so my body really didn't have to do a lot of digesting during the workout. So although Ironman or half ironman racing/training isn't necessarily harder than racing/training for an olympic distance race, it is definitely different in how nutrition is handled and how the intensity/volume ratio is figured. So I basically have 1 goal for 2010 with a number of "supporting goals" to get there.
1) Sub 4:15 Half Ironman at the Rev3 race in Sandusky, OH in September
a. Drop the anchor and swim faster (sub 31:00 for 1.2 miles)...need to be swimming 4-5 days a week (12-15 kilometers per week). I have a fast group to swim with, so my swimming is going to continue to improve.
b. Need to be doing more long rides especially this spring (100-120 mile rides) and continue with most of the TT intensity workouts.
c. Sub 1:20 during the half marathon segment (just under 6 min/mile).
d. Nutrition- teach the stomach to quit being a little bitch and absorb the fucking food so that things don't fall apart half way through the run segment of the race! This is actually the ultimate question mark in racing strong in Ohio next fall.
e. Stay healthy and stay motivated!
So that's it! I'll be training 15-20+ hours a week, so my training schedule will be busy.....but I'll still try to find time to blabber on the blog whenever I can. All the best and goodnight!
b. Need to be doing more long rides especially this spring (100-120 mile rides) and continue with most of the TT intensity workouts.
c. Sub 1:20 during the half marathon segment (just under 6 min/mile).
d. Nutrition- teach the stomach to quit being a little bitch and absorb the fucking food so that things don't fall apart half way through the run segment of the race! This is actually the ultimate question mark in racing strong in Ohio next fall.
e. Stay healthy and stay motivated!
So that's it! I'll be training 15-20+ hours a week, so my training schedule will be busy.....but I'll still try to find time to blabber on the blog whenever I can. All the best and goodnight!
