Long run yesterday, 3.5km swim the day before, I guess this snow means the long ride is going to be on the trainer. Hard work in winter yields fast racing in the summer.
The long dark blue line and I are getting acquainted. Did a baseline test yesterday. 400m time trial; 2-3 minute recovery and then 200m time trial. 7:21 and 3:30.
I could use a thousand different excuses about why I didn’t swim as well as I should have, but the bottom line is that I’m going to be better and faster in a few weeks, so why waste time wallowing in excuses?
Manuel ‘Manny’ Huerta after clinching an Olympic spot at the 2012 ITU World Series Triathlon in San Diego
Express your fitness—Simon Whitfield
So I was pretty frustrated with this week considering I had a pretty substantial block of training before that. But, the realities of work and extra hours meant that it wasn’t realistic for me to get in extra hours over the weekend. A 2:37 marathon seemed near impossible. But, while I was driving into one of those extra work days, I tuned into Competitor Radio interviewing Simon Whitfield—two time Olympic medalist and one of my favorite triathletes of all time. Whitfield talked about his motto going into the Beijing games, which was to simply, ‘express his fitness’. No expectations about time, no expectations about place, just run the best race you can and let that sort out where you finish. In 2008, it meant an Olympic Silver Medal.
Tuesday 5/1: AM-Easy 4.5 mile run; PM- Easy 4.5 mile run. Skipped a track session to rest the Achilles again. I think it’s OK, but I didn’t think getting up on my toes for a mile repeat session was going to be the smartest thing for it.
Wednesday 5/2: Easy 5 again. Achillies still a little sensitive.
Thursday 5/3: 20 miles ride
Friday 5/4: 5 mi as 1 mi w/up, 5k tempo (17:20), 1 mi cool down
Saturday 5/5: Off (work)
Sunday 5/6: Off (work)
Week Two and post Whitfield interview—workouts started getting better.
Monday 5/7: 25 mile ride, few reps with some bigger gear work
Tuesday 5/8: 12.5 mile easy run
Wednesday 5/9: Easy 5 mile run
Thursday 5/10: Track session with DC. 5x 800m @5km goal pace: 2:34, 2:34, 2:34, 2:34, 2:33. Easy 200m jog recovery. Dave did 4x hurdles on each lap for the steeple. Moving!
Friday 5/11: Easy 4 mile run
Saturday 5/12: 15 miles run through the mud and muck w/ Mike
Sunday 5/13: AM—15 mile progressive run w/ DC and Kye—averaged 6:30-ish pace, but closed last 5 miles in close to 6 min pace. PM—Easy 6 miles
Sunday 4/29: AM-9 mile run in epic wind and rain storm. Tried to push marathon effort for 18, but the wind/weather was having its way with me. Tweaked my Achilles tendon. PM-6 mile run easy easy.
Totals:
Bike: 39 miles
Run: 37.5 miles
Not a bad training week (from a running standpoint) but I should have got on the bike 2 or 3 more times. The weekend’s bad weather kept me from my long ride, so that didn’t help either. No ‘speed work’ so to speak, but the Sunday effort gave me some confidence, even though I had to cut everything short.
Check out Desiree Davila getting ready for the Olympic Marathon in London. I wouldn’t want her anywhere near me going into the last 10km.
Monday 4/16: Easy 13 mile spin on the bike, shaking out junk from the legs
Tuesday 4/17: Off—lots of time in the car and in the airport
Wednesday 4/18: Easy, easy, easy 7 mile run. This was the slowest run I’ve done in weeks.
Thursday 4/19: AM- Easy 4 mile run with Kim; PM- 8 mile run with 4 mile tempo (23:00)
Friday 4/20:
Off- weird day
Saturday 4/21: 54 mile bike with 6x 10min big gear sub-lactic intervals.
Sunday 4/22: Token 3mi (watched London Marathon from 23 mile mark)
Let’s just put it bluntly: I had a sh!tty first half of the season. I had underperformed in all of my races, I missed qualifying for two teams, and I had lost much of my racing “edge”. Cambridge was all about redemption.
Race Result: 2:14:02—20th Overall and 1st in the 25-29 Age Group.
I suppose it’s only fitting that my second entry under this title is about as delayed as my first. Such is life.
So, when we last talked, I wasn’t having a very good start to my season. I had missed out on a chance at Duathlon Worlds because of a weak bike leg and a strong field. Then I got the email saying I was left off the All-Navy team. While it was absolutely disappointing, looking back now, I don’t know that getting my doors blown off at the military champs would have been the best thing for my ego either. So, I retreated for a little while to lick my wounds and plot my return.
This is awesome. There isn’t a better way to describe it. Macca is one of the greatest triathletes ever—he’s raced and won just about every race of significance on the planet and this is the only thing that’s eluded him. I’m getting goosebumps just reading this article. I know that same raw emotion just blasting through his veins right now. Awesome. Just awesome. More to follow!
Every July, 200 cyclists roll to the start line of the Tour de France. These two hundred are probably the best cyclists in the world, but even amongst them, there are only five or ten who seriously toe the line with visions of riding into Paris in yellow.
For many, however, the race is not about Paris, but about all the stages in between. The Tour captivates France and the cycling world because of its diversity. There are mountain stages for the climbers, flats for the sprinters, time trials, and rolling, undulating monster stages that just scream for a break away. Every stage showcases a different set of talents, giving each rider a chance for a moment in the sun.
COULD WE BRING IT TO TRIATHLON?
Here too, they are recognized for their efforts. The overall leader is garbed in a very recognizable yellow. The top sprinter wears green, and the best climber in polka dots. The best young rider wears, appropriately, white, and each day, the most aggressive rider is rewarded with a bright red number. Further still, the national champions from each respective country wears the colors of their homeland, and the world champion carries the resplendent rainbow jersey for the entire year. It truly is a parade of nations.
