Look back to move ahead

Every year when the race season concludes, I am always tempted to launch right into the planning of the next season. However before I can really plan ahead, I must first look back and provide an honest assessment of how the year went. What went well and what was more challenging (areas for improvement)?

By far the most challenging part of any season (including off-season) is achieving the proper balance between the sport and the rest of your life (family, work, play, travel, etc.). Every athlete faces this challenge and every athlete has different measures for what constitutes equilibrium between these two areas; rarely are the measures quantitative. For me I met that challenge better than in previous years and with a more relaxed approach to training/racing. That approach went a long way to keeping my stress level lower. The key is being able to set goals that stretch and challenge you, but being realistic knowing the constraints one must work with. I am sure the wine didn’t hurt with keeping a relaxed approach through the season.

Although I had a more relaxed approach, I still worked hard to succeed. I put a lot of effort into running off the bike this year. However that effort didn’t always pay off. Again this year I struggled in my triathlon runs (primarily at half iron distance). The solution to this problem continues to elude me so I have sought to find answers from former triathlon pros like teammate Nate Llerandi and from 5x world champion Simon Lessing. Both have provided valuable information for me to chew on in the off-season and incorporate into my planning for next year. Now having said that, I posted PRs for my run in triathlons at every distance I raced in this year. I have just happened to have had more bad runs than good runs.

To balance the bad with the good, there were several bright spots to this season that I hope to carry into 2010. Racing in more hill climbs may not seem like a bright spot, especially if you find fighting gravity a challenge. For me (and almost every other sprinter), hill climbs are very much like time trials; you are often alone and always in pain. However due to my travel schedule this year, I would either race hill climbs or not at all. In racing in hill climbs, I found that while I suck, I could suck a lot worse. Yep, that’s what I call motivation!

The only crits I raced in this year was Louisville where I placed 5th and Bannock where I placed 25th. Although I found Bannock to be a sketchier than normal for a 3s race, I was reminded of how racers fight for every place in a race, whether it was for 5th or for 25th. After all, you spend an hour racing your ass off, why stop 200m from the finish line? For me it’s just for pride; going out and finishing what you started.

That same sentiment was applied to the 5430 Long Course when my derailleur cable came loose. I lost precious minutes trying to get to an aid station to have it fixed, however I didn’t let that become an excuse to soft pedal the rest of the course. I continued to race hard until the end. Even to the point of blowing up on the run (I told you my runs could use some improvement).

All in all, I would consider the year a success. Whether in triathlon or cycling, I learned a few things this year that will hopefully lead to greater things in 2010. I narrowly missed out on a qualifying slot for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, which has really given me a focus and determination through the off season that I have probably lacked in previous seasons. While I was unable to score any victories, I had fun and performed to a level that continues to drive me to want to succeed even more.