OK friends--here are the Headline News from my so called triathlon life....
I continue to struggle with lower leg strength and pain issues--left side naturally. I purchased a Compex EMS unit and that does seem to help a bit. Still, I'm perplexed by my chronic (at this point) leg pain and weakness. I'm hoping it's due to something I can correct (although I don't know what that is) and dreading it may be my latest getting older gift....
Anyways, i did compete in and finish my 142nd triathlon yesterday--the 19th Jersey Genesis (0.5/15/4) Sprint. I had the race that I expected to have which is (I suppose) good news. But my expectations were really low (which is fundamentally bad news). My swim, was respectable. My bike was as expected pretty weak (by my standards--I'm still 20+ watts light). The good news is that my lower leg issues didn't seem to hold me back--just my general being out of shape thing....My run was unbelievably slow--probably one of the worse of my career. This was due to my extreme lack of run fitness and this really weird deficit of lower leg strength. My leg was threatening to give out over the last mile or so of the run but it did hold together. I finished 3rd in my AG. Had I been at my peak I would have finished 3rd as well so no problem there....but I am worried about how poorly my bod is rounding into shape this year....more on that later--as well as a Jersey Genesis race report.
So May--how was it? Here are the numbers:
Swim: 43,000 yards
Bike: 746 miles
Run: 77 miles
Other: 11 hours
Total: 82 hours
So how do we feel about this? Back on May 1st I set the following aggregate volume goals for May:
Swim: 35,000 yards--obviously I had a great swim Month this May. Probably a bit overdue given my last couple of years underinvestment in my swim. I think my swim is in a pretty good place at this point in the year and I intend to continue to invest more aggressively in it.
Bike: 900 miles--obviously way short. The impact of my on-going 2014 under-training in my bike is very obvious in my race results and in how I feel when I'm out training. I was very motivated to train more but my on-going leg issues really have held me back--this is a big concern for me now.
Run: 120 miles--obviously a big disaster on the run this month. My run right now is as bad as it ever has been in my triathlon career--no two ways about it. My lower left leg continues to be an issue--I need to fix it or deal with being a really, really poor runner....
Time: 86 hours--even with all of my "extra" stuff at Canyon Ranch I really fell short in May. I'm very motivated but my bod is not cooperating unfortunately.
So, what to do? I still have a bunch of time before Kona--but I need to convert that "June Time" into "July Fitness". I need my bod to step up. I hope that I can get back to what I've come to expect over my prior years--but I'm worried. Something to monitor closely.
I have decided to go ahead and race at the USAT LC Nationals next Sunday. It's in Grand Rapids, MI and I'll drive the 800 miles both way. I've decided I'd like to make the US team for LC Worlds in Sweeden next year--to do so I'll need to finish in the top 20 in my AG (out of about 50). Normally, I'd be very confident about that but given my issues I know I'll have to carefully naviagate the race to meet the qualification hurdle (I'd guessing that the NQ time will be around 5:45). I'm disappointed that this is where I'm at--but it is what is....
I keep reminding myself that in 10 years these will be the good old days....
I continue to struggle with lower leg strength and pain issues--left side naturally. I purchased a Compex EMS unit and that does seem to help a bit. Still, I'm perplexed by my chronic (at this point) leg pain and weakness. I'm hoping it's due to something I can correct (although I don't know what that is) and dreading it may be my latest getting older gift....
Anyways, i did compete in and finish my 142nd triathlon yesterday--the 19th Jersey Genesis (0.5/15/4) Sprint. I had the race that I expected to have which is (I suppose) good news. But my expectations were really low (which is fundamentally bad news). My swim, was respectable. My bike was as expected pretty weak (by my standards--I'm still 20+ watts light). The good news is that my lower leg issues didn't seem to hold me back--just my general being out of shape thing....My run was unbelievably slow--probably one of the worse of my career. This was due to my extreme lack of run fitness and this really weird deficit of lower leg strength. My leg was threatening to give out over the last mile or so of the run but it did hold together. I finished 3rd in my AG. Had I been at my peak I would have finished 3rd as well so no problem there....but I am worried about how poorly my bod is rounding into shape this year....more on that later--as well as a Jersey Genesis race report.
So May--how was it? Here are the numbers:
Swim: 43,000 yards
Bike: 746 miles
Run: 77 miles
Other: 11 hours
Total: 82 hours
So how do we feel about this? Back on May 1st I set the following aggregate volume goals for May:
Swim: 35,000 yards--obviously I had a great swim Month this May. Probably a bit overdue given my last couple of years underinvestment in my swim. I think my swim is in a pretty good place at this point in the year and I intend to continue to invest more aggressively in it.
Bike: 900 miles--obviously way short. The impact of my on-going 2014 under-training in my bike is very obvious in my race results and in how I feel when I'm out training. I was very motivated to train more but my on-going leg issues really have held me back--this is a big concern for me now.
Run: 120 miles--obviously a big disaster on the run this month. My run right now is as bad as it ever has been in my triathlon career--no two ways about it. My lower left leg continues to be an issue--I need to fix it or deal with being a really, really poor runner....
Time: 86 hours--even with all of my "extra" stuff at Canyon Ranch I really fell short in May. I'm very motivated but my bod is not cooperating unfortunately.
So, what to do? I still have a bunch of time before Kona--but I need to convert that "June Time" into "July Fitness". I need my bod to step up. I hope that I can get back to what I've come to expect over my prior years--but I'm worried. Something to monitor closely.
I have decided to go ahead and race at the USAT LC Nationals next Sunday. It's in Grand Rapids, MI and I'll drive the 800 miles both way. I've decided I'd like to make the US team for LC Worlds in Sweeden next year--to do so I'll need to finish in the top 20 in my AG (out of about 50). Normally, I'd be very confident about that but given my issues I know I'll have to carefully naviagate the race to meet the qualification hurdle (I'd guessing that the NQ time will be around 5:45). I'm disappointed that this is where I'm at--but it is what is....
I keep reminding myself that in 10 years these will be the good old days....
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