Jumping Into 2012

It's finally time to start thinking about jumping into some serious training again and I feel like I haven't done a thing in months. I've kept up with my swimming but my biking and running are really poor right now. I'm okay with feeling a little out of shape but now that I'm fully recovered and rested I need to get some structure back in my life again. Amber and I have decided to start a 5 mile indoor running race series and it's going to be incredibly fun. There are quite a few people interested and I need to get myself back in that VO2 max zone to start improving my threshold again. I'm having a tough time dealing with the fact that I'm not in good shape but as I get older I'm accepting the fact that I have to get out of shape to have some longevity in the sport.

So 2012 is a 1/2 IM year and I'm planning on starting off the year with some tough running races and then Stony Plain 1/2 IM, Calgary 70.3, and hopefully Vegas 70.3. It'll be nice to not have to think about having long, long training swims, rides, and runs and just keep training fun and fresh. We have some plans to start a family and fix up the house so this is the transition year and we'll see how everything pans out. I'm really excited to start 2012 and I think it's going to be a fantastic year for both Amber and myself.

Happy Holidays Everyone

It's a great time of year when training is on the back burner and rest is a priority. I've been spending a fair amount of time in the pool lately and it's great fun to just do workouts that I "want" to do as opposed to "have" to do. Yesterday Robert and I were kicked out of the Leisure Centre pool so we hustled to the Multiplex and got in a good 1750m with 25 x 50m all under 45sec with a couple sets going under 40sec! That's pretty good for a couple guys who aren't swimmers to be doing in the off-season. Training is fun right now as it should be but I am itching to get back to some structure again.

This year Amber and I have decided to host a 5 mile indoor running race series, on treadmills and we have quite a few people interested. It's going to be different to be doing a race on a treadmill but I want everyone to go into next year thinking more about achieving their own 'personal best' as opposed to racing and comparing yourself to other people. The idea is to slowly be able to see improvements in your own 5 mile race times from January to April and by the time May comes around we'll all hit the ground running (faster than usual).

So have a great Christmas and New Year and I'll look forward to hurting with everyone in 2012!

Enough Rest Already!

For someone like me who loves to train and race it's tough to HAVE to rest after a hard year of racing. 2011 turned out to be a fantastic year, especially after a disappointing 2010 when I was sick at least once a month. However I started training pretty hard in January this year for Puerto Rico and it just continued through to Kona in October. The toughest time was after Ironman Canada when everyone was pretty much done with their season and I had to keep training. I didn't have the same motivation going into Kona as I did going into IMC. I'd love to do Kona again some day but I think I would try to qualify at an earlier race like St. George or Coeur d'Alene.

The past couple of months have been pretty nice, training when I want to train and resting when I want to rest. I've started to look at rest, recovery and nutrition as the 4th discipline in being a successful triathele. I realized in 2010 that I was 'getting away' with a lot of bad habits and now that I'm a little older it's no longer easy to let those bad habits continue and still be a successful athlete. I know that if I don't eat such and such at this time, I don't get this much sleep, don't spend this much time with weights and I don't take vitamins everyday then I'm going to feel like crap and I won't be able to train the way I need to to race the way I want to. It might sound like I'm living a military lifestyle but I'm not that strict, especially in the off season. However, if I don't have some reasonable order in my life then I don't feel like I'm making forward progress and I'm not growing as an athelte and essentially as a person. One thing about being an athlete is you are always striving to be at your peak potential and be the best person possible and that translates into everything you do; work, family, friends you name it.

So the time since Kona has been great, I'm a little fatter and happier which I'm beginning to realize that it's okay to gain a few pounds in the off season. All of the nagging injuries I've been struggling with are slowly getting better and I'm feeling again like I want to get back into some structured training. I'm going to just keep things relaxed for December and try not to do too much but now I don't feel like training is a second job, it's something that I love to do and I'm eager to get back into come January.

I've also thought about my 2012 race schedule and I'm going to try to keep next year closer to home. Other than the Vegas 70.3 Worlds all of my races are going to be in Alberta next year, it's exciting to be doing GWN and Calgary 70.3 in the same year and I may even organize a team for the Death Race.

No Ordinary World

Time to Start Getting Our Priorities Straight

Kona Memories

There were some great memories in Kona this year, here are a few images from Robert and Annette.

Don't Let Anyone Tell You- "You Can't"

Thanks for the reminder Nadine;