2009 Closing Thoughts

I seem to always lag on getting this blog out at the appropriate time. At least this year, I am getting around to it in the first month. This year was a testing one. I had really high expectations. I was looking forward to recovering from injury with a vengeance. Alas, that didn't happen. Instead, most of the season I dealt with frustration.

There were two primary sources of frustration this year. First, my personal life was dealt with a few game changers that certainly caused me to shift my attention away from racing. Second, my body just didn't react like it normally does. It responded in a number of different ways.

The season started with a week of training in Kona. I would suggest the opportunity to anyone who calls themselves a triathlete. I returned focused and determined to punish the upcoming season. I set my sights on NOLA 70.3 and trained through the elements. In late March my body was peaking. I felt good and headed to the Big Easy with high hopes. And then I cracked. I somehow mentally defeated myself. I came off the bike with NO desire to run. I tried for about 10 minutes before making the walk of shame back to transition. I will never quite understand what happened.

So the season's priorities shifted. I registered for Gulf Coast the following month and looked to get back on track. My body had a different plan. It didn't respond to training at all. In fact, it kinda revolted. Personally, I think I was overtraining. Despite not running the 13.1 miles in NOLA, my body still peaked and competed for 3+ hours. I didn't physically feel taxed but the body needed rest. It showed at Gulf Coast. I had a lackluster race but mentally just needed to finish the 70.3 miles and prove to myself that I can do that.

As the summer heat arrived, my body revolted. My run became abysmal and I couldn't hold my FTP during workouts. I tried to push through it, getting my ass handed to me at local sprints. My hopes for the season were quickly going down the drain. My motivation was totally gone. I had to totally restructure my season to an ad hoc schedule. I finally showed up to Age Group Nationals and despite being under a great deal of stress, I feel I had a solid race (minus a hideous swim). At that point, I called it a season.

I decided to take about a month off and get away from it all. And then I found myself itching to get back on the bike. As I did, my body responded properly. It felt wholesome again. I started to run some more and found myself running better than I have in a few years. So I ended the year on an uptick that I hope to be able to carry into 2010.

What worked:

*To some extent, going to Kona and putting in some major volume. I liked that it broke up the monotony of training.
*Changing shoes. I went through several different shoes this year and the pain seemed to go away. I think my Kayano's were giving me TOO much stability. Now I run in shoes that provide me little to no stability and I feel stronger
*Training with power. I made the switch this year. It took some time to understand (still learning) but the focus on intensity made me a better rider.
*Taking time off to refocus
*Listening to my body


What didn't work:
*Training in Kona. I do think this volume contributed to catching up to me sometime later as fatigue.
*Quitting at NOLA 70.3. That really messed me up this season
*The same training schedule EVERY week (ahem, Dan). I need to have more fun
*Focusing too much on time and placement in an early season race. I went for it all in the first race of the season.
*Not listening to my body
*Additional non-tri related stress

I hope to take the lessons learned and apply them this year. I hope the added motivation of racing for all3sports will help push me through the dark times and bring out the best in me.