Thursday, December 24, 2015

2015 Recap

12.23.15

in 2014 I raced too much...I also drank too much beer.  My training was inconsistent, and, I was carrying a few extra pounds heading into 2015.  While I completed a record 43 events for the year, I wanted 2015 to be different.  I wanted to train more and race less.  I wanted to be mindful of my diet. I wanted to seek out race distances that would force me to train.

While my plan seemed solid, I failed in many ways...

January:

  • I was still carrying too much weight.  I'd been off from racing for a month when I ran The Einstein 10k.   I had a decent race that day and it felt great to race.  
  • My 1st 13.1 for the year was RnR NO.  Good race for me and a new PR.   This race would start a monthly 13.1 streak for me.  The PR built my confidence heading into the year.  Plus, a destination race with friends was awesome.  We signed up for 2016 whilst still in NO.  

February:
  • 1 week removed from RnR NO, I had a train wreck of a race in Irving.  I did, however, continue my 13.1 streak.  I was 2 for 2.  
  • I had a decent 10 miler and duathlon, but my training and diet were still inconsistent.  

March:
  • My motivation was still lacking and I couldn't seem to get my training jumpstarted.
  • I did complete 2 13.1's.  I had a rough day at cowtown, but, a decent day at RnR Dallas.  


April:
  • 2 more 13.1's.  Meh.
  • I did, however, get selected in the lottery to run the Chicago Marathon.  This could be just the motivation that I needed to jumpstart training.  

May:
  • An ugly 10k, a postponed 13.1, and my 1st tri of the year.  Training still lacking.
  • I did, however, begin a 30 day cleanse in late May.  That would change things for the better...

June:
  • Things really picked up in June.  I was feeling good due to the cleanse, and was running a lot.
  • I completed 9 events in June.  This is when I began the Cox Trinity 5000 series, which was a huge boost to my running and speed work.  
  • My training was back on track, I was back on the bike for long distances, etc.  
  • This month led to good training and some confidence for the next few months. 

July:
  • 8 events completed 
  • a new 5k PR : 24:27
  • weight down to 193
  • 2 more tri's  
  • continued cycling
  • 5k's getting faster

August:
  • 7 events completed
  • cycling continued, including HHH 100k
  • 2 more tri's
  • the 13.1 streak continued

September:
  • 4 events completed 
  • my running was picking up in preparation for Chicago
  • I completed my 1st 20k, and had 2 30k days
  • a new 5k PR:  23:24
  • a new 15k PR
  • another Tri.  My times continued to improve.  

October:
  • 5 total events
  • 3 more Tri's
  • the Mf'ing Chicago Marathon!  my 1st 26.2.
  • The recovery after Chicago was interesting.  I was fatigued and hungry for a few weeks.  I really had trouble picking my training back up after that.  

November:
  • 5 total events
  • USAT long course Du national championships - my longest multisport event to date
  • PR's at the 10k, 15k, and 13.1 distances
  • lack of training, and diet went south

December:
  • 3 events
  • a train wreck at Dallas Marathon due to lack of consistent training.  but, 26.2 #2 done
  • a couple of Jingle Bell Runs

So...

clearly, I did not race less.  To date, I'm at 52 events on the year, including:

  • 5 bike rallies of 40+ miles
  • 13 5k's
  • 1 6k
  • 1 4 miler
  • 4 10k's
  • 2 15k's
  • 1 10 miler
  • 1 20k
  • 2 duathlons
  • 9 triathlons
  • 11 half marathons
  • 2 marathons
But, I did:
  • complete my 1st 26.2 (2 total)
  • set a 5k PR:  23:24
  • set a 10k PR:  55:16
  • set a 15k PR:  1:28:11
  • set a 13.1 PR:  2:07:47
  • improve at all Tri's over previous years
  • swim more (mostly during summer)
  • have success with some speed work
  • commit to training for Chicago (it felt good to train for something)
while my total mileage for the year was down (yet again), I did put in more miles on foot this year than ever before, and my # of workouts was fairly consistent with previous years.:




Once again, I plan to race less next year.  I also plan to start a cleanse in January.  

My target for the 1st 3rd of the year is Galveston 70.3.  I need all racing to align with my training for that.  I'll likely target another destination 26.2, and, will seek out some longer distance options for the year...

here we go...


No comments:

Post a Comment