Early season ups and downs...and Ishigaki WC
This early season, late winter/early spring time is always the hardest part of the year for me. Over the winter anything is possible. It seems like you have unlimited time to train and plan and imagine everything that's possible. Yet, once spring starts sneaking up on you all of the sudden the questions start popping up. Should I have done more? What about this or that?
It's all just the apprehension of the coming season and I have to focus on the fact that I sat down several months ago and made a plan. I've followed the plan very well and I'm happy with where I'm at right now. The down side for me is that my plan was aimed at kicking ass in September-November when the championship races are. That means that in March I'm strong, not super fast, and frankly, a bit tired.
This all culminated in my race last week in Mazatlan. My swim was a bit stale. I wasn't aggressive enough, I was strong on the bike but not strong enough to jump from group to group. And my run, while training has been great, didn't pan out due to cramps most likely caused by not hydrating enough on the bike.
It's very easy to come away from that race thinking everything is wrong, I've wasted the winter, I'm too slow, and start panicking about how to fix things. So now what...
At this point the one thing I do have is experience. And after taking a deep breath and looking over the past months. I know I'm ready. It's just a matter of fixing the mistakes in the details. And that's really what makes ITU racing difficult. The details are key. The racing is so fast and everyone is at such a high level that little mistakes here an there can't be tolerated.
So, the solution. Don't make those little mistakes. I know what I can do, what I did, and what needs to change. And I'm excited for the next race.
The big news now is that I just got into the Ishigaki World Cup race on April 25th.
Anyone looking at Mazatlan or for that matter my last 5 years of results will think I'm just plane stupid to even consider going to a WC. And to tell you the truth, looking at those statistics I would agree. However, I also have seen what I can do every morning in the pool, snowy afternoons on the track, and killer session on the computrainer.
I'm not saying I'm expecting to win at Ishigaki but I know I can get points and continue to climb the ladder toward 2012.
It's exciting, and scary, and nerve wracking to think of my first WC coming off a crap race in Mazatlan. But every day I feel stronger in training the little voice in the back of my head is saying you can do this instead of questioning, and that hasn't happened for a long time.
Jimmy
It's all just the apprehension of the coming season and I have to focus on the fact that I sat down several months ago and made a plan. I've followed the plan very well and I'm happy with where I'm at right now. The down side for me is that my plan was aimed at kicking ass in September-November when the championship races are. That means that in March I'm strong, not super fast, and frankly, a bit tired.
This all culminated in my race last week in Mazatlan. My swim was a bit stale. I wasn't aggressive enough, I was strong on the bike but not strong enough to jump from group to group. And my run, while training has been great, didn't pan out due to cramps most likely caused by not hydrating enough on the bike.
It's very easy to come away from that race thinking everything is wrong, I've wasted the winter, I'm too slow, and start panicking about how to fix things. So now what...
At this point the one thing I do have is experience. And after taking a deep breath and looking over the past months. I know I'm ready. It's just a matter of fixing the mistakes in the details. And that's really what makes ITU racing difficult. The details are key. The racing is so fast and everyone is at such a high level that little mistakes here an there can't be tolerated.
So, the solution. Don't make those little mistakes. I know what I can do, what I did, and what needs to change. And I'm excited for the next race.
The big news now is that I just got into the Ishigaki World Cup race on April 25th.
Anyone looking at Mazatlan or for that matter my last 5 years of results will think I'm just plane stupid to even consider going to a WC. And to tell you the truth, looking at those statistics I would agree. However, I also have seen what I can do every morning in the pool, snowy afternoons on the track, and killer session on the computrainer.
I'm not saying I'm expecting to win at Ishigaki but I know I can get points and continue to climb the ladder toward 2012.
It's exciting, and scary, and nerve wracking to think of my first WC coming off a crap race in Mazatlan. But every day I feel stronger in training the little voice in the back of my head is saying you can do this instead of questioning, and that hasn't happened for a long time.
Jimmy
1 comments:
Word. I'm sitting down today to do the next phase in my plan. In december I was a 215lbs smoker and yesterday I rode 4 hours and weighed 177lbs. see you at the races!
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