2012 is upon us and I have gotten back into the groove of training. After my last race of the year, IM Florida in early November, I took a solid 3 weeks of nothing and then eased back into it and didn’t really do any structured training until 4 weeks later. I probably would’ve taken en even longer break, but have an early season IM on the calendar for 2012. I also put on just a few off-season pounds (to stay warm over the winter, I suppose), but hopefully they will come off as I ramp up training over the next few months to get ready for 2012 (I generally think this is a good thing, but that’s a different topic).
But before we get too far into 2012, I wanted to reflect back on my 2011 season to see what lessons there were to be had. First, let’s look at race experiences throughout the year:
- Feb: Early season half-marathon PR (only by ~5 seconds, but a PR nonetheless) coming of some good run frequency/base over the winter.
- Mar: Early season marathon PR in March – I decided to have a run focus over the winter, because at the time, I hadn’t planned on an IM until November and wanted to keep things fun and exciting and enjoy some quality running.
- Apr: Did my first sprint tri in several years in April and finished 2nd AG (just clipped at the line – ughh…)
- May: Another 2nd AG and 6th OA at the World’s Toughest Half in Auburn. Improved my bike split from 2009 by 10+ minutes and my run split by ~7 minutes. The swim was horribly slow, but it was also a really long course and not accurately measured.
- Jun: Did IM Kansas 70.3 with my wife, which was awesome. I came upon her with a flat tire, helped her fix it, and still ran my way to 16th AG. Slow swim, decent bike, sub 1:30 run split.
- Jun: Decided to do IM CDA last minute. Slower swim compared to 2010, faster bike, struggled on the run. Probably overcooked the bike a bit based on the fact I hadn’t really been training for IM. Still a solid finish, matching my PR for the distance and finishing my 4th IM.
- Aug: Had a flat in the Folsom Long Course race and lost 10 minutes, but still managed to get back to 4th AG and 16th OA.
- Aug: The day after the Long Course, I had the honor and privilege of guiding Richard Hunter, a visually-impaired triathlete, in the Folsom Olympic Distance race. We had a crash on the tandem coming out of transition (completely my fault), but he still PR’ed the distance. I gashed my knee enough to need staples and had to stop training for a week or two.
- Sep: My Dad did his first triathlon! It was awesome watching him set the goal and work towards achieving it. Not only that, he went on to do another one in October!
- Oct: Added a fun adventure by riding downtown to do the Golden State draft-legal sprint race. Had a blast and capped off a great 3-week build for IM Florida. 70 hours of training in 22 days, an all-time high for me.
- Nov: Finished IM Florida (for #5) in a new PR time of 10:33. Also had 2 other athletes racing, Justin Waller and Richard Hunter, and both had excellent days – Justin had a huge PR and Richard finished his first IM alongside his guide Alan Gulledge.
I also reviewed by 2011 training log and compared it to 2010. Here are the highlights and a few observations:
· 2011 training included 627 hours and 13 minutes, broken down like this (pure swim, bike and run time, not strength training or hiking, etc):
| | Hours | Distance | Percentage |
| Swim | 100:40:00 | 230,138 yds (130.7 miles) | 17% |
| Bike | 363:08:00 | 6269.9 miles | 57% |
| Run | 163:25:00 | 1280.8 miles | 26% |
| Total | 627:13:00 | 7680.4 miles | 100% |
· My average week in 2011 included 12 hours and 3 minutes, broken down like this:
| | Hours | Distance |
| Swim | 1:56:09 | 4,426 yds (2.5 miles) |
| Bike | 6:59:00 | 120.6 miles |
| Run | 3:08:33 | 24.6 miles |
| Total | 12:03:42 | 147.7 miles |
· 2010 training included 642 hours and 40 minutes, broken down like this (pure swim, bike and run time, not including strength training or hiking, etc):
| | Hours | Distance | Percentage |
| Swim | 107:27:54 | 311,520 yds (177 miles) | 16% |
| Bike | 368:41:53 | 6447.0 miles | 58% |
| Run | 166:30:14 | 1266.0 miles | 26% |
| Total | 642:40:01 | 7914.0 miles | 100% |
· My average week in 2010 included 12 hours and 21 minutes, broken down like this:
| | Hours | Distance |
| Swim | 2:03:59 | 5,991 yds (3.4 miles) |
| Bike | 7:05:25 | 124.0 miles |
| Run | 3:12:07 | 24.3 miles |
| Total | 12:21:31 | 147.7 miles |
- I swam almost a mile more per week in 2010 compared to 2011, which probably explains (at least part, if not all of) my swim regression that seemed to take place in 2011. I just didn’t swim as often or as hard. Plus I took the early months of the year in 2010 as a swim focus and in the early months of 2011 I was mostly running with only a little swim cross-training.
- The additional running, however, did pay off in that I was able to cover more ground in slightly less time per week and achieved PRs in the half-marathon and marathon distances.
- I was consistent between years in that my average week didn’t change all that much. I peaked around 20-22 hours in a few weeks leading to my Ironman races, but otherwise, my average weeks were/are consistent.
- About 12 hours per week seems to fit well with my current lifestyle – providing balance between family, work, and training and racing and also managing my overall stress level.
- Hard riding for about 3-4 solid years has paid off in that I am closer to the front of the AG on the bike. There is more work to be done and gains to be had, but I have made substantial improvement in biking.
- If I want to make similar gains in swimming, I will likely need to put in a multi-year effort, with more focus than I’ve had before. I have started this project by working with a swim coach, but I know it will take some time and a lot of hard yards.
- The time limitations I have in training affect swimming the most. It is just far easier, given my life balance to put on your running shoes and head out for a run. There is a lot more overhead in getting to and from the pool, etc. In spite of this, I hope to have more of a swim focus in the future.
Overall, I am quite pleased with my 2011 season. It included 2 IM finishes (which you can never take for granted), and some other great experiences with my own races, my family, and the athletes I have the privilege of helping. I intend to continue to plug away and working towards my long-term goals. My level of frustration with moving back in the pack with regards to swimming has reached a new high, so I have decided to take action in 2012. Specifically, I am going to work with a coach in-person and start swimming a lot more. I expect this “swim project” to be a multi-year effort, but you have to start somewhere. I will do my best to keep plugging away at the bike and run, too, but my 2012 pledge is to pay more attention to the swim and I am excited for the journey!
Have you considered your 2011 season and what you will change for 2012?
