2006-2007 Triathlon and Overall Health Objectives and Goals

Looking back, I achieved a number of things during my 2005-2006 training season that have set me up for more highly focused training goals. For many folks, these things can be major limiters to their triathlon performance, beyond the usual fitness parameters. With these things in place, I feel well prepared to go to the next level of training:

• My body composition and weight are as good as they need to be. In fact, I achieved a level I never thought possible through consistent, small changes.
• I have developed a stretching and strengthening protocol that prevents injury, enables me to train intensely in all three triathlon sports and maintains my lean muscle mass.
• While I know I could do better with my diet, it is for the most part very clean. I do have trouble when I’m training more than 15 hours a week, though, avoiding snacks like Cheetos, Pringles and gummi bears—but those treats are on top of about 2,500 calories per day of clean food, so I shouldn’t sweat it. Also, if I wanted to be a purist, I would avoid alcohol altogether, but I do enjoy a beer (sometimes 2) daily. I was on an Ultra Violence kick there for awhile, but my consumption has decreased significantly, and it’s rare that I drink it nowadays.
• I have honed my race nutrition to be quite effective for me. I know how many calories per hour I need to sustain myself, and I am fine with most race-provided substitutes when I don’t bring my own. I am very in tune with my bodily sensations telling me when I need more or less calories.
• I have a detailed history of my training so that I can review things like different taper strategies and patterns that lead to improved fitness and racing. The history also helps me to know what kinds of crazy things I can schedule and fit in with an overall racing season.
  I have a very solid, multi-year training base and detailed training knowledge, enabling me to fudge my training (usually on the higher end) without serious detriment.
  
  

If I can figure out how to get others on the same path, I think I’ll make a great coach!

All this being said, I am nearly 50 years old, and the big question is, can I continue to get faster? Based on this summer, I would say yes. Since Ironman Brazil, my run and bike fitness and speed have improved. Swimming—well, I just haven’t worked enough at it to see improvements this year, and it’s suffered (I’m told by some very good swimmers) due to my very low body fat. I’m OK with that, but I am making a commitment to improve my swim technique, as I know I have many years to work on it!

So here goes. Below is a list, in no particular order, of things I will be (or already am) doing and some quantifiable goals. Feel free to punch holes in any of my statements and to ask me along the way whether I'm performing up to snuff. After all, part of the reason for posting this to my blog is to hold me accountable!

General Physical Fitness Objectives and Goals

• Stay healthy and injury-free
• Get blood work done to check cholesterol and blood sugar readings and any other markers to ensure optimal health.
• Get OB-gyne exam (already scheduled).
  Get annual mammogram (will schedule after OB-gyne exam)
• Get an eye exam. I think my vision actually hasn't changed since a year ago, but I've got the insurance, so why not?
• I suppose I will need to get a colonoscopy, since I'm turning 50
• Retain or increase lean body mass
• Do not gain any fat mass
• Continue stretching at least 1.5 hours per week
• Continue good sleep habits
• Continue getting massage weekly
• Continue good eating habits
• Figure out the vertically oriented tightness in right glute when twisting. This is something I've had for a few years now, and while I've worked most of it out, there's a little that still persists, and I would like to eliminate it altogether.

Strength Objectives and Goals

• Add 1 lb. to each ankle weight. I use ankle weights for my VMO strengthening exercises and I also do some leg lifts while on my stomach. Currently I've got 3 lbs. in each ankle weight, so I'll move back up to 4 lbs.
• Do an additional shoulder/back workout each week through March. The purpose of this is to increase my upper body strength. I could care less about my biceps, and my triceps are very strong. I need to focus on delts, lats and traps (the swimming muscles!). Plus, it wouldn't hurt for me to add a little bit more mass to my delts (OK, so I am vain).
• Mix up the core workout a bit. I just need to try some different stuff. The current routine is a bit boring now.
• Increase from 10 lb. to 12 lb. medicine ball for my abs/core workouts. I've been using 10 lbs. for a year now and it's time to increase the resistance. Perhaps by increasing the resistance the existing workout will no longer be boring!

Swimming Objectives and Goals

• Add a 1000-1500 yard drill session on Sundays through March (cool-down swim after long run). I was doing these swims last winter, but I was just slapping on the pull buoy. It will be more effective to use this session for technique work. So maybe 400 yds. warmup, 800 yds. of drills and 300 yds. of actual swimming.
• During warmups, instead of 200 straight kick, do 50 kick, 1' vertical kick (to improve ankle flexibility and knee bend) . This is at the recommendation of my coach.
  Work with swim coach fall/winter. I've got 1 or 2 really awesome swimmers in the wings that I just need to set up some time with.
• Remember focus points from coach: head position (look down), left-hand catch, rotate more. If I can put these things together, I'll be doing well.
• Reread the freestyle stuff in the Maglischo book. Every year, more aspects of swim technique "makes sense" to me (this being my 7th year of swimming). I am sure some things will finally stick in my pea brain and hopefully translate to improved mechanics in the water.
• Complete a 1:10 IM swim. I have done 1:16, so this seems doable. However, with the increase in bodies at IM nowadays, this might not happen in a race situation, but I will still strive to achieve it in a pool TT.

Biking Objectives and Goals

• Improve FTP from 186 to 200 watts by 3/1/2007. Power to weight (kg) would be 3.93, This is a 7.5% improvement. If you assume this translates into equivalent speed (which is not always true, but whatever), it means I theoretically could go 21.9MPH in a 1/2 IM, which is a time of 2:34??? Hell, I'd be happy with 2:40. Hmmm.....maybe this is harder than it looks! If I meet this goal by March, then I will amend and seek to increase my FTP even more by DATTT. What the heck! 7.5% is doable, given I improved by over 15% last season.

Running Objectives and Goals

• Complete Disney marathon in 4:15 or less. Last year was 4:27 and I was basically cruising, and also wearing a costume which I stopped to adjust numerous times. This time, costume is reserved for the 1/2 mary the day before, and the marathon will be for PERFORMANCE. I've done 4:10 in a solo marathon (September, 2005), so 4:15 seems reasonable. My "out there" goal is to run 4:05 and qualify for Boston. The next 3 months of training will tell me whether I'm on track or not.
• Complete IMLP marathon in 4:45 or less. I've done 5:15 at IMC and IMH and my running is a lot better since then, only I've not been able to execute it in an IM (DNF in 2005, sick in 2006). I base this time on the fact that I ran Disney marathon in 4:27 the day after a not-too-slow 1/2 mary the day before. My "out there" goal for IM mary time is 4:30. I no longer think I lack bike muscular endurance, so I should be able to run an IM mary close to my open time.
• Complete an open half marathon in 2:00 or less. Have done this in training; guess I should prove it in a race? 2:00 is 9:10 pace; on 9/24 I ran 11.3 miles at 8:53 pace (and it wasn't a race), so on a good day, I think I can do 1:55 in a race. Well, assuming I'm tapered. So I'll stick with the 2:00 "some day" even if I'm not tapered for it. I've done 2:05 in a HIM.
• Start treadmill runs at 6.1 or 6.2MPH for "easy" running. Every fall, I have just made myself go faster on the treadmill by doing this. If you want to run faster, you need to (duh) RUN FASTER! I always run slower on the treadmill than I do outdoors, but it's a good thing for me in the winter, because I control my speed much better on the treadmill. In addition to adjusting my starting speeds, I will be upping my tempo speeds, since I've become faster over the summer.
• Stop wearing HRM through December. I have already stopped wearing it because it needs a new battery. I don't need it for biking (the SRM tells me my calorie burn and I don't care about my HR there anyway just watts), and it has just been "interesting" information for running. I can tell already in just a week that even though I *thought* I wasn't adjusting my pace based on the HR number, I probably was. I am at the point where I can run by pace and feel, and I think this will be another banner year for my running. I did buy a new *pink* Timex IM watch, so I will still time myself, but time is time and I don't care about HR now.

Racing Objectives and Goals

• Complete IMLP in under 13 hours. I think this is entirely doable. Let's assume: 1:15 swim (adjusting for the crowd factor), 6:30 bike and 4:45 run. That's 12:30, add :20 for transitions and there you go. Each sport objective is doable with hard work. But it's an IM, so you never know what's going to happen, but on paper I will be testing my fitness along the way to achieve these objectives.
• Survive DATTT and don't be DFL! I don't have particular time or placement goals for this challenge; I just don't want to be last individually or last as a team. This means I have to hold up my end of the deal, and I guess it puts some pressure on Cindy, too. REALLY good athletes tend to show up at this festival. I'm not expecting any PR's; just get through the thing in one piece and have fun at it.
  

Mental Objectives and Goals

• Don't sweat the small stuff.
• It's mostly small stuff.
• Tap into my meditative powers more.
• Continue to care about others, but don't care what they think about me.
• Push through higher effort (pain) barriers. I think this will happen naturally. In training, I am already at the point where when I get faster, the effort is not really harder--I am just faster. I do need to improve, though, on race situations where I know my body is physically capable of a pace that in a racing effort WILL feel quite hard. You know how Zone 3 feels easy in training but not so much in a race? That is my next effort nut to crack.
• Continue to seek improvement yet retain humility in my accomplishments to date. I am not a professional athlete—this is just a hobby!
• Always remember that in whatever I do or say that I am trying to represent the very best aspects of living a healthy and active life.
• Continue to ensure that my triathlon lifestyle fits into and enhances my overall life; i.e., that I don’t neglect relationships and other non-triathlon aspects of my life.