This week was a little disorienting...I figured out mid week that the race was on Saturday instead of Sunday but my prep workouts were already in place so I was not feeling race-normal morning of. Just the same I swam my heart out and missed the lead groups then loosing six minutes on the bike and by the time I was half way through the run I was so far back that I didn't feel like there was any point so I just jogged the last couple of miles.
This was the last big race of the year and I feel like this year has not produced much in the way of great results or even great improvements and that is hard to swallow. It is hard what to know what to do now as I am thinking about next year but with an extra day on sunday I went out with a buddy, had two double cappuccinos and and rode five hours on a caffeine high which always feels spectacular. Now I am just wiggly and have a lot to think about.
Anyone that reads this and has any suggestions about training methods/structure, coaching, nutrition, rest, periodization, sponsorship/endorsement or offseason racing that you think I might benefit from let me know!
Swim 9,700 yds
Bike 12 hrs
Run 22 mi
I would humbly offer my services.
ReplyDeleteI really like reading your posts every week. I wont offer any advice since I'm in the exact same situation you're in. I will however, encourage you to stick with it. I know EXACTLY how you feel. I didn't have one race this year where I felt good. I actually feel like I got slower as the season rolled along. I struggled to recover from the training load and the increased race intensity, the greater number of races, and the longer season. I think you should look at this season as a learning year. Wasn't this your first year as "PRO"? I find it hard to believe you didn't make any improvements throughout the year. Maybe you're not putting your training in perspective? Think about how big of a load you handled this year in comparison to previous years. Was it the biggest? Was it the hardest? More races? More intensity? This year could have been a plateau year. Maybe next year is your break out year? Suddenly your race pace this year is your training pace next year. Instead of struggling to handle your training load and recover in time for the big races you're finding yourself almost completely recovered between training sessions! Your racing in the top 10 positions and you feel like attacking instead of conserving. It's easy to get discouraged when you are tired and getting smoked. Competitive athletes set challenging goals for themselves because they take pride in achieving those goals. So it makes sense to feel disappointment when you come up short. If you don't feel disappointed, then how invested are you in what you're doing? History shows us the most committed of the talented are the ones to succeed. -rob
ReplyDeleteIt's a fuckin' hard sport man!!!
ReplyDeleteThat being said, do you have any interest in getting a coach? I've found that the "outside" perspective can really help, not only in terms of planning and training, but providing tangible signs of improvement, progression and mostly importantly, feedback, that cannot be seen merely from "race results".
I remember when we did that run together last summer you said that you don't really like taking supplements or anything that isn't natural, even caffeine. I couldn't help but notice that in your last paragraph, you mentioned literally everything except for supplements. I not advocating taking anything crazy or illegal, but I do think legal supplements have their place in enhancing performance. Colostrum and glutamine are two I would look into to improve recovery. Colostrum is the first milk produced by mammals and is extremely nutrient rich. Biestmilch is a company that makes it in supplement form and is a sponsor of macca, and pretty much all the top triathletes. You can actually buy it in milk form (organic pastures is a local farm that produces it), but powdered supplement form is more popular/cheaper. Colostrum also boosts your immune system, which can keep you healthy for those times when your in heavy training. Beta-alanine is another one I'd look into for before training sessions. Creatine helps build muscle as well.
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