Saturday, November 6, 2010

End of season review


It's a beginning of November and after my end of season break it's time to get back to training and also to reflect on the last season. I took me a long time to get to write this bog entry and I actually even considered if I should.


The last season was one of the most frustrating ever. It wasn't that I was unfit, but I just was never fit enough to reach my objectives, always racing just below the level I needed to be at, all the time on the back foot. But let's start from the beginning...


At the end of last season I raced the Florida Ironman in November. I finished in 9:28, missing on a Hawaii qualifying spot, but considering I was still carrying a hamstring injury it wasn't a bad result. After coming back I felt good and very fit for November, coming off an Ironman race, and decided not to take a break, but to keep going and build on the fitness I had. That was the first mistake. Throughout November and December I felt good an was going well. Alex and I went for the New Year to Lanzarote and I did some good bike riding. When we came back an opportunity came up for me at work to go to the US and I took it up and have thrown myself at work hoping that my hard work would get some recognition in the company. I spent January, February and most of March flying between Detroit and London and when not on the plane most days were 12-14 hour work days. I tried to run most days, but did no swimming and very little biking. I would go out for a club ride if I was spending a weekend in London and we would hammer it every time as if it was a race.


In March I did the Ballbuster Duathlon and came 11th Overall and 2nd Vet, despite a puncture on the last lap. I was happy with that.


Shortly after that was the Reading Half Marathon and I actually run quite well - 1:19:20 and things seemed to be on track.


Then over the Easter weekend I did 3 races in 3 days: the Milland Hill road race, the Cutmill road race and the Steyning Duathlon. I got dropped quite early on Milland Hill, Cumill was slightly better, but I still got dropped and Steying was a struggle and I finished way off the pace.


Then came the London Marathon and after 1o miles I realised that the hamstring still wasn't right. After 16 miles it pretty much locked up and I eventually finished in 2:57:36. Oh well, at least it was under 3 hours.


After a couple of weeks break I got back into training and started my triathlon season's racing:


- 2nd overall at the Eaton Human race sprint distance in 1:05:59

- 143 in 4:31:56 at 70.3 Austria St Polten


I also did some local 10M time trials and Surrey League handicap races with mixed results but still seemed to be making progress.


My big goal for the season was Ironman Germany and a Hawaii qualification. On one of the hottest weekend of the year and with a controversy of a non-wetsuit swim and which tri suits are legal I got quite battered in the swim and finished in 10:00:21 and missed a rolldown slot by 2 minutes. It was a big disappointment, but there was no time to dwell on what could have been.


After some recovery I got back into training and did some handicap road races and I was even going quite well, just missing a little bit of a top end at the finish. In one of the races I was in a group that stayed away and was sitting 6th wheel with 600m to the finish when I heard the dreaded bang noise. I managed to stay upright but on a flat tire there was not much I could do other than walk to the finish.


In preparation for my next big goal - the World ITU Long Distance Championships I did another Eaton spring race and finished in 1:04:45 second overall again and 1st Vet.


The World Championships didn't go as planned. I strained my back before the race, swam and biked as hard as I could on a very hilly course and had nothing left for the run and finished well off the pace in 7:58:45, 98th overall and 20th in my age group. I was very dehydrated and my legs were shot, but at least I knew that I gave it absolutely all I had and there was nothing else I could have done.


It took me a very long time to recover from the World Championships, both mentally and physically.


I finished the season with a 3rd place overall and age group win at the Brighton Olympic distance triathlon (2:11:03), 4th place overall and age group win at the Long Course London Duathlon and a 3rd place overall and 2nd place age group at another Eaton Olympic distance event (2:11:05). I was relieved that the season was over.


It was a season of near misses, second places and generally lacking little bit extra. It was also a season if some classic mistakes - where do I start?


- not taking a break after the season's end

- getting into hard training/racing lacking base training

- over-racing at certain times

- changing priorities


It's clear that in order to achieve the progress I'm expecting and believe I'm capable of I need to change quite a few things for next year. More about this soon...