One day i was sitting in my front yard speaking with my father about triathlon, and we stumbled upon the topic of winning Kona. We talked about how much of an accomplishment finishing an Ironman is, let alone winning Kona. I had always wanted to make something out of myself and I found this was the way I could do just that. From that point on, i have had my mind set not only winning Kona, but to do it in the fastest time, at the youngest age.
My first month of training for 2012 has concluded, and I beginning my “real” training for the year. The month of January was really about getting back into the swing of things, and getting to know my new coach. Even though the past month wasn’t necessarily focused around any fitness gains I feel that I have still made improvements. Last Saturday I was able to hang on the the pack for the duration of the Swami’s ride, and then continued to have one of my best times for a 40 mile TT. Purely based on what I’ve seen so far, Steve is definitely the man to get me to where I need to be; Kona.
Training is started to get more serious now that my intro period has ended and it feels great! Workouts are now structured and I am feeling my muscles being forced to adapt to new conditions. In all of my time training for triathlon I have never really been one to do track workouts regularly but it looks like that is all going to change. Hopefully this change up will make challenge my body in new ways and make me stronger. I have also been doing bike workouts on the trainer for the first time. However, these workouts are from the 80’s! They are the old CTS workouts on VHS. No matter how old they are though, they still kick my ass!
My first race of the season is this coming Sunday and I’m not sure if I should be excited or worried. It is the XTERRA Trail Run here in San Diego andI am doing the 15K. I’ve heard it’s a pretty nasty course, but I think it will be fun. Check back next week for a race report!
So this past week was my first week of the 2012 season. I am fortunate enough to be part of the training squad know as Tri-Soul, led by former Marine, Steve Hazlett. I am confident that Steve can get me to where I want to be.
My first day of training consisted of taking part in the Swamis ride, where I was absolutely eaten alive. These guys are the best of the best in the San Diego area. Yesterday, when I rode with them for the second time, I was able to stick in the pack much longer, and I was very proud of myself.
Overall, I feel pretty good so far. It is taking a little while to brush of the cobwebs, but I’m getting back into the grave of things quite nicely. Most of my injuries have healed entirely, enabling me to give it my all. I am going to be very careful this season to not be plagued by more overuse injuries.
I am super stoked to be able to say I will be remaining on the FLUID Recovery team for 2012. Those guys are the best! I have received nothing but support from them! Be sure to check them out at LiveFluid.com
2011 was truly one of the best years on record, especially in the face of triathlon. I set 3 PR’s, and became an IronMan.
One of my favorite parts of the year was setting a PR at the half IM distance, and the fact that it was on one of the toughest courses in the country made it that much better. The race was Showdown At Sundown at Lake Mead in southern Nevada. Though the swim was canceled due to 30+ mph winds, I still consider this my best race. The same winds that ended the swim, proved to be a huge challenge out on the bike. The winds only got stronger as the day went on, topping out with 50 MPH gusts in the canyons. Coupled with over 5000 ft of climbing, the bike leg was extremely challenging, but I managed to pull a 3:31 split which I found impressive. I was worried that my all out attack on the bike would hamper my ability to put out a strong run. Miraculously, I ran my strongest run leg ever! I was in a lot of pain for the first half, but decided at the turn around that I owned this race. I picked up the pace for the 6.5 miles of uphill. I was amazed when I looked at my watch as I crossed the finish line and saw that I had ran a 1:55 half marathon. Considering PR for a stand alone 13.1 mile was 1:50, I was very pleased. This race is by far the best race I’ve ever had; everything just went swimmingly.
And then there was Vineman… I can’t even put into words the experience I had. I gathered an insane amount of Knowledge, felt pain I didn’t know existed, and learned so much about myself and what I am capable of. Without a doubt it was the experience of a lifetime! Soon I will have a multi-page recap of the day.
Of course, the great pilgrimage back to San Diego, California. I am so happy to be back and have so many awesome opportunities here!
I would really like to thank the FLUID team for all the support they have given me this season, and I hope to be with them again next year! Without them, this season year would have not been the same. Thank you!
I can only hope that 2012 is as great as this year has been! I am going to have a great coaching program and a some amazing companies supporting me through the season.
The problem with skipped workouts isn’t the workout that was skipped. It’s the future workouts that become a lot easier to skip.
(Source: michelelash, via swimbikemarathon)
Well, it is almost time to start training again. Full time triathlon training will begin on January first, focussing specifically on Ironman Arizona.
As of now, I am only registered for two races in 2012; IMAZ and a local half marathon. Hopefully I will be able to race in one or two half-irons before Arizona. I feel that is important to stay on the race scene to keep me motivated, as well as remind me how different racing is from training.
My off-season has been spent mostly on the mountain bike, with absolutely no running. Hopefully this will help me come into 2012 feeling completely healed up. On my mountain bike rides, I have been trying my best to be out of the saddle for all climbing - usually 45 minutes to an hour. I have used this as my strength training for now. It is a whole lot more fun than being in the gym doing a quad workout.
I am hoping that I can come back into training feeling decently strong. It will be difficult to come to terms with the fact that I am not currently in as good of shape as I could be. I fear that this will lead me to going too hard, too early. If I’m lucky, I’ll actually listen to my coach Steve and all will go well!
Last weekend, I made a trip out to AZ to volunteer at Ironman in order to secure my spot for next year. I volunteered in the morning as a lifeuard, and in the evening as a catcher in the finish area.
Acting as a catcher really gave me a new outlook on what it means to be an ironman. It was amazing to see people from every walk of life come across that finish line. School teachers, military men, old people, young people… Ordinary people doing something extraordinary! It’s great to know that even an ordinary person can become a hero for a few moments. That is the feeling that keeps me racing. I refuse to be just another person on earth, I will be remembered.
Raelert v Macca - Best Ever!
