2014 - Aging Up and Going Big!

Next September I turn 40.  According to the triathlon, running and cycling world, though, I'll be 40 on January 1st which means I leave behind the whippersnappers in the 35-39 age group and compete with the 40-44 year old studs.  So I've decided to get a little crazy in 2014...here's my race schedule for the big year:

May 17 - Ironman Texas

June 27 - ITU Chicago (olympic-distance)

July 20 – Ironman 70.3 Racine

August 9 – USAT Age Group National Championships

September 7 – Ironman Wisconsin

October 11 – Ironman World Championships (pending qualification)

Because of this milestone year and now that I feel that I've finally kicked the injury bug that has interrupted my training each of the last 3 seasons I've decided to set some aggressive goals for myself:

1. Place top 5 in age group (run sub-3:30 marathon) at Ironman Texas and qualify for the 2014 Ironman World Championships
2. Qualify for the 2015 olympic-distance age group world championships representing Team USA
3. Place top 3 in age group (run sub-3:20 marathon) at Ironman Wisconsin and qualify for the 2015 Ironman World Championships
4. Compete in the 2014 Ironman World Championships in October

Hitting these goals and getting through a year like this injury-free and mentally fresh is going to require some tweaks to the way I've been doing things...

Strengthening and Correcting Muscle Imbalances
My history of injury since starting long-course triathlon is at the top of my list of concerns.  So I've been spending significant time this Fall doing things I haven't traditionally done, namely strength training and working with a physio to identify and fix imbalances in the way my muscles are firing (actually NOT firing).  I've been consistent since October 1st and so far I'm feeling the benefits.  Mostly it's the sensation of actually feeling my posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings) activating when it's supposed to.  I'm hopeful this will pay off and will keep me bulletproof.  I've read study after study that confirms the importance of strength training for aging athletes, especially those above 40.  The benefits of increased bone density, increased muscle mass/reduced fat tissue and optimizing hormonal production are especially appealing.  I'm not sure all of this is happening to me right now but I'm certainly "feeling" better than ever both in training and everyday life.  I can't remember the last time I didn't groan like an 80 year old man when I pick up one of my kids or run after one of their errant football throws - normal body movements are easier now!

Body Composition
While I'm naturally lean I do want to shed a few pounds off my race weight from last year to reduce the impact forces that running has on my bones and joints.  It's obviously a fine line to walk because there is such thing as being too lean and losing power in the muscles which especially affects cycling performance.  Additionally, being too lean can fry your adrenal system among other things and with such a long season I've got to be especially mindful of not falling over that cliff.  I'm not going to get too concerned with it for Ironman Texas where the flat course rewards those with power, but I will geek out a bit going into Ironman Wisconsin to ensure I'm carrying as little excess weight up those hills as possible.

Recovery
This will be my biggest focal point in 2014.  Recovery is obviously critically important pre- and post-Ironman; but with 2 (potentially 3, fingers crossed) Iron-distance races within 5 months it will take heightened awareness and discipline to follow my own advice.  Luckily I have a coach whom I trust and has been down this road many times.  While it's great to have someone pushing you harder to achieve more from your body, in this case, I'll be looking to him to perform the more important role of seeing through my bullshit and pulling back the reins when needed.

Support Network
One of the things I've learned in this sport and in life in general is that if you want to be successful you have to build relationships and surround yourself with successful people that have a vested interest in seeing you succeed.  Family, friends, work colleagues, training partners, medical professionals, coaches and sponsors are part of my "team" that will play an important role to help me meet my goals.

Slowing down with age is, of course, inevitable but I'm not willing to accept it yet - bring on 2014 and the big 4-0!

That's a wrap!

My 2013 triathlon season is in the books.  I did decide to do one final sprint (North Shore Tri) 1 week after finishing the Ironman 70.3 World Championships to blow the rust off before a nice little break.  Here's a quick rap on how it went:

North Shore Tri Race Report

Another tri, another rainy day!  I'm getting used to this.  After nonchalantly getting myself to transition I realized I forgot my googles.  No worries, I'll just ask around...someone always has an extra pair.  This being a local sprint tri there were a lot of first-timers hence an extra pair of googles was hard to come by.  Finally I found an older dude that had some as old as he was.  With 5 minutes to race time I took 'em.

The 400m swim was in Lake Michigan from point to point.  My rib injury was top of mind but my thought was I can make it through 6ish minutes of pain one last time.  But the focus on my ribs immediately went away after the first few strokes because of the damn antique goggles I was wearing.  I ended up flipping on my back 3 times to drain the leaking bastards, then finally halfway through I ripped them off my face and went old school.  400m didn't come quickly enough!

On the bike my legs were feeling good.  I was racing without any electronics...no power meter, no Garmin, not even a stopwatch.  It was awesome!  I just went by feel.  With a 2 loop out and back course I got some good splits on the lead guys.  I was within contention at the first turn and found my self making up time as the race went on.

I came into T2 in 4th OA.  I ended up passing 3rd within the first half mile.  It felt great to push hard and not have pace on my wrist to look at.

By the final mile I figured out that 1st and 2nd had more time on me than I thought so I backed off a little.  I held onto 3rd OA and coasted in.

This was a fun little race to end the season.  I'm looking forward to a much needed break!

WTF is wrong with my ribs?

A few days after getting back from Vegas I finally followed my doctors orders and got the MRI.  I didn't do it before since I really didn't want to know if something is seriously effed up which would detract from me racing in Vegas.  I really thought it was an intercostal strain, serratus tear or lat tear.  The results shocked me...2 fractures!  One on the 6th and one on the 7th rib.  The good news is they are non-displaced (kind of like a stress fracture).  The bad news I need at least 8 weeks to let them heal.

So I've gone through pretty much the whole season training and racing with busted ribs!  WTF?!  Apparently the little bike crash I had the end of June was more serious than I thought.  What's weird is the rib pain didn't surface until a couple weeks after the crash during a hard swim in a sprint triathlon.  Never did I think I had a fracture.

Hello off-season

The plan is to give the body and mind a good rest until October 1st at which time I'll start cranking up again for 2014.  With another early season Ironman (Ironman Texas - May 2014) and some big goals I need to get started soon.  I'm also registered for Ironman Wisconsin in September 2014 with some even bigger goals.  And if I end up qualifying for Hawaii at Texas that would mean 3 Ironman races in 2014.  So I need to go into 2014 training F.R.E.S.H.

I have a few other aches and pains that I'll be addressing in this short off-season (right big toe, right hamstring and right glute).  Lots of rest, stretching, massage, strength, etc.  The hamstring is my biggest concern right now.  I've had an annoying ache in that sucker since March.  I'm calling it hamstring tendonitis (thanks Dr. Google!).

I'll check in again once the 2014 cranks up...