With the racing season coming to an end- especially triathlons- I take some time to begin looking at the upcoming season. My third season of triathlon will be my time to take the next step in my racing- from structure, to training, and to the races themselves.
My goal will be to complete Ironman Louisville again, and with a more structured, intense training schedule, get closer and closer to that Kona qualification. This year will require lots of sacrifice, not as much of a social life, early morning runs, and nights on the trainer. Before, I could get by on unstructured training to finish mid pack in smaller races, and sub 13 hour Ironmans. Not any more. So here it is- my 2014 race schedule. It could change due to recovery, venue changes, or qualification into other races.
January
January 1 Hanover Classic 10 miler Louisville, Ky
February
February 8 Louisville Loving the Hills 15 mile trail run Jefferson Memorial Forest
February 22 Anthem 5k Louisville, Ky
March
March 8 Rhodes 10k Louisville, Ky
March 22 Papa Johns 10 miler Louisville, Ky
April
April 13 Shelbyville Triathlon Shelbyville, Ky
April 19 Derby Festival Marathon Louisville, Ky
May
May 18 Tri-Fest 70.3 Taylorsville, Ky
May 24 Buffalo Trails Triatlon Maysville, Ky
June
June 1 Southern Indiana Triathlon Jeffersonville, In
July
July 12 Affresh Ironman Muncie 70.3 Muncie, In
July 20 Buckhead Border Challenge Jeffersonville, In
August
August 25 Norton Sports Health Ironman Louisville 140.6 Louisville, Ky
September
September 8 E-town Dolphins Triathlon Elizabethtown, Ky
October
Ocotber 11 Go Pro Ironman World Championship (pending qualification) Kai-lua Kona, Hawa'ii.
October 18 LSC Parklands 10k Floyds Fork, Ky
October 26 Citybikes Ironman Miami 70.3 Miami, Fl
November
November 9 Louisville Sports Commission 13.1 Louisville, Ky
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
As I transition into fall and winter mode here in Kentucky, I begin to look at my season- the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good: I finished every race I started this year, including Ironman Louisville. Six weeks before Louisville, I suffered a stress fracture to my right foot at the Cardinal Half Distance triathlon. The river was flooded so, we had no swim, therefore the race was shortened to a 69.1
In this race, my bike was giving me fits as my back wheel was not properly inflated, rather the tube had a lump in it. This zapped my energy for the run and caused me carmping as I rolled into T2. On the run, the cramps continued as I was forced to walk. This is a race I should have DNF'd. However, being the stubborn athlete that I am I continued. I then noticed severe pain in my foot from trying to compensate for the cramping. I finished the race but paid for it the next two weeks, with swelling, tenderness of my foot, and walking became difficult. Forget trying to even run. At this point, Ironman Louisville was the furthest thing from my thoughts as I just wanted to heal.
So for the next 6 weeks, I healed. I swam and biked but didnt run. I started to feel better and said if there were still spots for Louisville, then I would sign up. Well, lucky me, there was less than 100 spots by August 10, 2 weeks before the race.
Race day came and I felt great. I was about 10 lbs heavier than last year but my swimming had improved as well as my running in the early season. I was hoping that the 6 week layoff from running would actually help me during the marathon. And did it ever!
I completed the swim in 1:21, biked the rolling course in 5:51, and ran between aid stations for the entire 26.2 miles and managed a 5:24 marathon, which was 22 minutes faster than 2012. I crossed the line in 12:48 nearly 30 minutes better than 2012.
The Bad: Ever since, I have been nursing my foot. Somedays, it feels great and I can run for long distances and not feel pain. Other days, it gives me trouble. I have been running shorter distances and allowing for more recovery but my endurance is slowly drifting away. I have the Louisville Sports
Commission Half Marathon on November 10th, which will be my next race. I am hopeful I can toe the line but it will be a day before decision.
The ugly: My swim is where I must make improvements in the off season. Being a middle of the pack swimmer is okay if you want to finish Ironman however, I would like to qualify for Kona one day. I realize that my swimming must improve by 20 minutes or more over the 2.4 mile distance to allow my speed on the bike to give me an advantage. My winter program will consist of early masters swims at Mary T. Meagher pool with spin classes at Louisville Athletic Club. This will allow me to be in solid shape as my race season ramps up in February 2014.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be finalizing my 2014 race schedule which will include Ironman Louisville for a 3rd time and Citybikes Ironman Miami 70.3. Ironman Muncie will most likely be my prep race for Louisville as it is usually very hot and humid- perfect for Louisvilles hot and humid August temperatures.
Thats it for now.
Linden
The Good: I finished every race I started this year, including Ironman Louisville. Six weeks before Louisville, I suffered a stress fracture to my right foot at the Cardinal Half Distance triathlon. The river was flooded so, we had no swim, therefore the race was shortened to a 69.1
In this race, my bike was giving me fits as my back wheel was not properly inflated, rather the tube had a lump in it. This zapped my energy for the run and caused me carmping as I rolled into T2. On the run, the cramps continued as I was forced to walk. This is a race I should have DNF'd. However, being the stubborn athlete that I am I continued. I then noticed severe pain in my foot from trying to compensate for the cramping. I finished the race but paid for it the next two weeks, with swelling, tenderness of my foot, and walking became difficult. Forget trying to even run. At this point, Ironman Louisville was the furthest thing from my thoughts as I just wanted to heal.
So for the next 6 weeks, I healed. I swam and biked but didnt run. I started to feel better and said if there were still spots for Louisville, then I would sign up. Well, lucky me, there was less than 100 spots by August 10, 2 weeks before the race.
Race day came and I felt great. I was about 10 lbs heavier than last year but my swimming had improved as well as my running in the early season. I was hoping that the 6 week layoff from running would actually help me during the marathon. And did it ever!
I completed the swim in 1:21, biked the rolling course in 5:51, and ran between aid stations for the entire 26.2 miles and managed a 5:24 marathon, which was 22 minutes faster than 2012. I crossed the line in 12:48 nearly 30 minutes better than 2012.
The Bad: Ever since, I have been nursing my foot. Somedays, it feels great and I can run for long distances and not feel pain. Other days, it gives me trouble. I have been running shorter distances and allowing for more recovery but my endurance is slowly drifting away. I have the Louisville Sports
Commission Half Marathon on November 10th, which will be my next race. I am hopeful I can toe the line but it will be a day before decision.
The ugly: My swim is where I must make improvements in the off season. Being a middle of the pack swimmer is okay if you want to finish Ironman however, I would like to qualify for Kona one day. I realize that my swimming must improve by 20 minutes or more over the 2.4 mile distance to allow my speed on the bike to give me an advantage. My winter program will consist of early masters swims at Mary T. Meagher pool with spin classes at Louisville Athletic Club. This will allow me to be in solid shape as my race season ramps up in February 2014.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be finalizing my 2014 race schedule which will include Ironman Louisville for a 3rd time and Citybikes Ironman Miami 70.3. Ironman Muncie will most likely be my prep race for Louisville as it is usually very hot and humid- perfect for Louisvilles hot and humid August temperatures.
Thats it for now.
Linden
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