Wednesday, December 28, 2011

2011 Recap: From Doughnut Holes to Stripper Poles

2011 Bling
OK, in theory my race season started underground at The Groundhog Run 10k but I also didn't see any stripper poles while I was in Vegas either.  It has a nice rhyme to it though, right?

I'm going to do my best to NOT write another novel but to bullet point this year and some goals for new year.

Highlights
  • Did my first triathlon!  That was the whole goal of this thing, right?  I followed that up with 5 more swim/bike/run events.
  • Met a TON of cool people whether that be online through Twitter and Dailymile but many of them in real life: Drew, Bryan, Kyle, Travis, Mark, Ryan, Mark, Lori, Becca, Jeff, and probably a bunch of others I can't remember right now (I'm trying to keep this short, remember!!)
  • Found the competitive bug.  By August I was really trying to compete.
  • Experienced my first race/training related injury.  Required a lot of mental adjustments.
  • Completed my first half-ironman within my main time goal, under 6 hours!
  • Completed my second full marathon under the glitz of Las Vegas.  Missed my PR by 61 seconds.  Pretty good considered I had 3.5 weeks of training + all the other fun that came with it.
  • Commuting to/from work!  Even one time by foot!
Reflections
  • Nutrition is important.  I focused on race day nutrition this year, especially for my endurance events.  Working on this during training was extremely important because I often did fairly long workouts before I left for work.  Proper nutrition kept me from passing out at work.
  • Time in the Swim/Saddle/Street.  Training for the half-ironman was crazy.  Even though I got injured and readjusted my training, I still got my largest volume weeks in.  It was the speed work weeks that got cut short.  I found out I am capable of getting up at 3:30am to get a bike ride in or 4:00am for a run so I can get to the gym for a swim at 5:30am.
  • Competitive Nature.  As mentioned above, I like the competitive nature of triathlons.  It's one thing to run a 5k but to see how you compare to other participates from an individual sport (even transitions!) to the entire event is quite driving.
  • Training partners kick ass.  I did a few training runs in the 2010 with family and friends but 90% of my miles were alone.  I really enjoyed training with friends and family in 2011, especially Joe VI.  Even though he may not realize it, but he kept me going back in September and October when I really wanted to just sit at home and "nurse" my broken rib.  Pretty much all my training during that time was with Joe.  I'm looking forward to training with Joe in 2012.... even if two months of that will be remotely (see below).
Speaking of 2012
  • BQ.  If you haven't caught on what BQ by now means... well, 2012 is my year to Boston Qualify.  That's the goal.  My entire year will be dedicated to running 26.2 at a 7 mile pace.  Note: I completed the Las Vegas Marathon with an average 8:53 pace.  I have A LOT of work to do.  My "A" race will be the Chicago Marathon on October 7th but I may target a marathon in early September if I feel like I'm ready.
  • Strength Training.  I skipped all planned strength training in 2011.  I may seek a trainer at the gym to help me with this but we'll see.  I'm still not going to be able to show you how to get to the muscle beach, but I want a nice strong core to keep me running upright.
  • Triathlons will be used for cross training.  I do enjoy them but I'm going to swim and bike as cross training.
  • Nutrition.  I'm going to STOP the mentality of "I race so I can eat".  I need to be smarter about my daily intake of foods.  Granted, I'm still eating a Z-Man post-race.  Can't break tradition.
  • Training abroad.  I will be traveling to Bangkok, Thailand for work during February and March. I'm hoping to take advantage of the warmer temperatures during that time to get some good speed and distance runs in.... that is while I'm not working or sightseeing.
  • I've got some big Big BIG plans for 2012 that will come to light soon enough. 
  • All of this will require plenty of balance and planning in my life.  A happy wife is a happy life!  
The Beach2Battleship Pint was custom made.  One of my favorite Christmas presents from TKB!

1 comment:

  1. Great year 2011, and going to be a great 2012! oh, and I was just at OKJoes. Let me blow your mind: Z-man ON TOAST!!! I thought the sandwich couldn't be better. I was wrong....

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