2 more down & 2 left

Knocked out the Tupper Lake TinMan Sprint (really an Olympic distance) at the end of June in upstate NY and recently the 14.06 Sprint in Manassas, VA.

Both races went well, but could have been better.

Tupper Lake TinMan Sprint - Great day for a race.  Swim start was in water and went very well.  I came out of the water 9th overall and left T1 quickly.  The bike leg was solid and I came into T2 3rd overall.  The run started well, but by the 5K mark, I started to shutdown.  I walked a few spots and the 2 aid stations on the way back.  I ran it in for 6th place male overall.  A better placing than last year, but a slower time due to the run.

http://www.sportstats.ca/displayResults.xhtml?racecode=107250

14.06 Sprint - A solid performance all around.  425 yard pool swim in a TT format.  11.2 mile flat and fast bike course.  2.6 mile flat run course with a short section in the woods.  I knew it would be close when I saw a few guys chasing me on the run.  It was. 2nd place overall and lost to 1st by 6 seconds.

http://www.amazingracetiming.com/results/2014/the-14-06/327-results-triathlon.html

  

A solid week off, aka no workouts, was my greatest prize.  2 races looking to finish out the season.  Twinbrook Tri in Rockville, MD and the Luray Sprint.  The latter is my first opportunity race head to head against the pros via an OPEN division.

The Intro and Plan

I've put one solid year of racing and training behind me.  Being fully into the training months, I now acknowledge that 2013 was my "base year" of training and getting to understand how to race.  Sure I was ambitious throughout last year and even posted some good finishes, but in reality, I was just figuring it all out.

Now is the time to take that rookie coat off and get into how to win.  This blog will be my journey to getting on the podium each and every race.

First step is planning.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” 
― Abraham Lincoln

I'm realistic in setting my goals for 2014.  Last year, I was so enthralled with racing that I wanted to race everything and thought I could.  This did not work out well.  Between triathlons, duathlons, and USAC bike racing season, it would (and did) not work.  With that said, pick your "A" race.  The one that you would do if you couldn't do any others.  From there, back up your schedule with a number of smaller and less stress races.  I've chosen the USAT Olympic-Distance National Championships in Milwakuee, WI this year as I qualified with a top age group finish in a triathlon in 2013.  From there I fill in my calendar backwards off it's August 9th date with 1 (maybe 2) triathlons a month until the end of March.  So the list looks like this:

Tune Up Tri 
Manassas, VA, USA
Sun Mar 30 2014

East Coast Super Sprint
Glen Allen, VA, USA
Sun May 04 2014

Naylors Beach Triathlon
Warsaw, VA, USA
Sun Jun 08 2014

Tupper Lake Tinman Sprint
Tupper Lake, NY, USA
Sat Jun 28 2014

The 14.06 - TIN
Manassas, VA, USA
Sun Jul 27 2014

USA Triathlon’s Age Group Olympic-Distance National Championships
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Sat Aug 09 2014

6.  That's right, 6 races. All but the last are sprint or super sprint distance races.  Why?  To limit injury.  By not training for Olympic (or even longer) distance races all year, I reduce the fatigue and injury on my body.  Through this blog, I'll share how recovery and rest, along with focused workouts on speed, will increase the overall goal of being faster and winning.

Remember, I'm no expert, this is what works for me.  But hey, I just started a year ago, so I've got to be doing something right.