Revisiting My Goals for the 2012 Season…

I thought it would be a good time to review my goals for this season as I approach my  “B” and “A” races for the year. Although most of the work is behind me now and there isn’t a whole lot of time to do anything about these now, it is always good to see how I have done with these.

1. Run 9 min/mi or less pace for half-iron distance runs(8:30 for olympic dist). – I think I have definitely increased my run pace with a good loss of weight and an increase in speed/tempo runs. A recent 5k during 100 degree heat , on a course that I usually run fairly slow on, produced one of my faster 5k times. I also feel like my average LSD run pace has increased as well. One of the keys to this will be holding back a little on the bike leg, which I will get to in a latter goal. Looking at my long runs(> 8 miles) for 2011 vs. 2012, I had run 166 miles for 27:48 hours in 2011 resulting in a 10:02 avg pace overall and in 2012 I have run 145 miles for 23:33 hours for a 9:45 avg pace. This improvement in my slow runs will hopefully translate into an improvement in this discipline. Not sure if I can get to 9:00min/mi but anything under 10 I will be very happy about.
2. Get down to 165 lbs. – As of this writing, I am weighing in at a solid 169.0 lbs. While not the 165lbs of my goal weight, 4 lbs away is a pretty successful attempt at getting there. I was weighing upwards of 197lbs back in January of 2012, so a 32lb weight loss in 7 months is nothing to sneeze at. So, I just saved 4 lbs to feed off of during the 6 hours I will be racing on September 9th.  One other positive improvement has come along with this weight loss : a extremely healthy diet. I have now transitioned to a primarily plant-based diet in the last 2.5 months and am feeling the benefits of it. Despite the loss of weight I feel really good overall, my performance is increasing and (knock on wood) no injuries.

1. Consistent strength training and especially core work throughout the season. This goal still needs some work next season as I prepare for Ironman Lake Placid. I did increase my strength training and core work, but it still leaves much more to be desired.
2. Maintain 20+ mph average speed for all races. This one is up for debate. One thing I realized as I gained more experience, is that I need to keep my bike effort in check in order to save my legs for a good run off the bike. This may mean conceding to ride over 20MPH and depending on the course that may not be attainable under normal conditions. I did do a good amount of quality bike efforts and hill repeats throughout the season, so I do feel like I improved as a cyclist. The IMLP Training Camp surely demonstrated this in my ability to easily do the full IMLP Bike Course in 7 hrs and still have good legs during a brick run afterwards. We will see how this turns out on race day.
3. Decrease Transition times by 20%. – I have been practicing my T1 bike mounts and trying to get the whole rubber-banding of my shoes dialed in to eliminate any more bad mount experiences(Ironman Miami 70.3 and Independence Sprint Triathlon). Think I have found a good pair of sockless running shoes with the New Balance Minimus Zero’s and have got them outfitted with a pair of Yankz laces for a superfast T2. If the Independence Sprint Triathlon I did earlier in the season is an indicator of this goal, I think I can say I have easily met it with a T1 time of 53 secs and a T2 time of 1:03 min. That was with a wetsuit too.
4. 2:00 min/100 yds pace or less for swims. I am feeling very confident in this goal as well. My pace for the .25 mile swim during the Independence Sprint Triathlon was ~1:27/100 yds given the time of 6:23. Additionally, the two 30 min swims I did during the Troy Jacobson IMLP Training Camp produced swim distances of just over a mile both times. The pace for these were 1:39/100yds and 1:38/100yds respectively. Far and below the 2:00 pace of my goal. Granted not all races will not be wetsuit swims and have a Mirror Lake surface with a rope running 4 ft below the surface, but I do have some leeway here.
5. Dial-in on long course nutrition. The IMLP Training Camp really helped with this goal. The ability to do a 7 hour ride and come off the bike with fresh, non-cramping legs was proof of this. One big breakthrough was the learning of my need for salt supplementation from Troy Jacobson to eliminate cramping, especially during warmer weather events. I am a big sweater and there is always a nice coating of salt that comes along with that(which is why my dog enjoys licking my legs when I get home from a long run or ride). During the 7 hour ride in Lake Placid I was constantly nibbling on salty corn/flaxseed chips(natural Doritos) and hydrating with Skratch Labs Hydration mix, which has a higher than normal sodium, potassium, and magnesium content.
6. Continue to Have Fun! I am definitely still having fun and am enjoying this journey, so I would say this goal is still “in the bag!”

My third Steelman Triathlon(1 sprint, 2nd Olympic) will be this weekend. Despite a changed bike course it should be a close “apples-to-apples” comparison to last year and further indication of whether I have successfully met these goals or not. Regardless of the outcome, Meeting that last goal is ultimately the one that matters to me the most, because when it all boils down nobody cares about what the times you got. It is all about enjoying the journey and constantly seeking to “Find Your Greatness.”