A meaningful off-season and plans for 2022

Easy goes it

It was kind of nice to have no structure for a while... whether it was intentional or not. The transition from summer to fall came with a healthy dose of burnout and desire for a step back from the heavy structure and consistency. I think I just wanted a few days off or a day to spin easy! While this was my response to being burnt out, in reality those days off, and easy workouts should've been mixed in throughout the year and maybe we wouldn't have been in this spot in the first place. So I did it. Did what I wanted and even took a few days off. I also took the clear headed time to also sketch out the plan for 2022 around the races I want to do. I knew something was working because by the time my "start date" (arbitrary) came up I was starting to want more structure and more of a focus. All of that is to say that sometimes some room to breath is good.

Planning for 2022

Making sure I followed my own advice to not go to the grocery store when hungry I made sure to plan out the year when the burnout was fresh but the motivation was starting to peak back up. It's all built around a few A races... one in the early summer, one in mid-summer, one in fall, and then finally the Richmond marathon (kind of an A race but not really). There's likely to be some life stress mid summer so one of those races may become a B/C race or not happen at all... we'll see. Balance is part of the game. I've got low volume and even rest weeks built in. Total annual hours are close to what I did this year but there's more rest built in which means there's definitely a few high weeks (5 to be exact). 

General goals aren't much different than last year... 

-    At least one "workout" on the bike and run each week (intervals etc)

-    At least one "long" bike and run each week

-    Do some drills (strides etc)

-    Strength train at least twice per week

-    Swim once per week and keep it simple - just get the work done

-    Do yoga/stretching/foam rolling at least once per week (ideally more)

If all that actually happens and I can stick with the plan, 2022 should be a pretty successful year!

2022 Race Schedule

Frostbite 15k (C race) - January 16

Sort of hilly 15k in cold conditions. A chance to see where run fitness is. Also just a good way to kick off the year and fire the engine back up. Goal - under 1 hr (6:26 pace)

Sweetheart 8k (C race) - Around Valentines Day

Short, hard, fast. This race has always been painful. Lots of hills. A good mental test and a chance to run hard and feel some pain. Goal - faster pace as 15k

Rumpass in Bumpass Oly (B race) - April 23

Tune up for Chatanooga 70.3.

Chatanooga 70.3 (A race) or another if it fills up - May 22

A race for the spring. Not sure what goals will be yet but this is the day to show up.

Rev3 Williamsburg Half (B/A race) - Sunday July 10

Ideally a good day carrying on fitness from Chatanooga 70.3 but it could also be a second chance race if plan A doesn't go well.

Patriot's Half (A race) - Early September

Late summer race capitalizing on improvements from spring/summer races.

Richmond Marathon (A race) - Early-Mid November

Stretch race for the fall. Here's where we find out if I managed fatigue and burnout well.

Rev3 Williamsburg Race Report

(This is literally just a copy paste from my training notes - future race reports will be a bit more interesting hopefully, maybe not... but hopefully)

Sunday June 27th 2021

Williamsburg VA

Training

Going into race, training was consistent at 10-12 hrs/week with approx. 35-40 mpw running and 70ish mpw on bike, and 2500ish ypw swimming. Started training block out with 100 mpw on bike but cut back to fit in more running which had slipped to 30-35 mpw. Eventually bumped up mid-week runs to get mileage back up and fit in 3rd bike workout/week to get back to 90-100+ mpw. Was a bit unsure about bike fitness. Just not sure about how body would respond to straining 3 hard efforts together. Was most confident in run fitness but forecast was calling for hot/humid conditions. Swim was the biggest unknown. No injuries or aches/pains. Generally feeling healthy and confident.

Pre Race

Traveled to Williamsburg day before. Had car issues so arrived later than planned. Had Chipotle for dinner and got gear ready to go back at hotel. Had two waffles with jelly before bed. Went to bed 9:30-10ish. Could not sleep at all. Was mostly awake until 2:30 with alarm set for 4. Not sure if it was nerves or unfamiliar environment (or both). Eventually got frustrated with not being able to sleep which didn't help. Woke up at 4 feeling better than expected. Had cup of coffee and two waffles with jelly. Stomach was OK/normal. Got car loaded up and went to race site at 5 (transition closed at 6:20). Had a few odd issues with bike when we got to transition. Dropped bike in parking lot of hotel and chipped base bar and may have bumped aero bars out of place. Got these adjusted and tightened. No real warm up before race. Long walk to swim start with plenty of time to get settled and relaxed. 

Swim

Swim was TT start 2 at a time. 1.2 miles with 2/3 down then turn to finish. Strong current. Swam well under 1:30/100m pace. Got a bit disoriented a few times since it was first open water swim in a long time. Slowed down, got stroke back under control, and settled back in. Tried to surge a few times to pick up pace and then settle back. Overall swim was good and maybe even better than expected. Not 100% sure how to proceed since pace was so much faster than expected. Need to get a swim skin or a wet suit.

T1

Felt sluggish. Need to do ride barefoot as getting socks on was tricky with wet feet. Overall T1 was better than T2 but probably could’ve shaved off 30sec-1min. Should probably take a swig of Gatorade Endurance here as well to start ride with some calories/electrolytes.

Bike

Started out bike at target watts - around 245. Felt really good. First 20ish miles of race were ~24 mph and felt good. Had 2 bottles of Gatorade Endurance (2 scoops/180 calories in each bottle) and 3 gels (Maurten, 300 calories total). Lost a bit of rhythm after halfway point and watts and avg speed dropped to 23.3 although it seemed like others faded as well. Dropped a full bottle around mile 35. Was able to get a bottle from aid station but it was dilute and no electrolytes. Came into T2 feeling pretty cooked and dehydrated. Approx. 200 cal/hour because of dropped bottle. Plan going in was 280/hr (45 g/hour actual - 65 g/hour plan). Position felt OK but had low back pain and some glute/hamstring discomfort. Was not HHT type pain but more of a soreness. Adjusting position on saddle helped. While watts and speed weren’t quite what I wanted it was still a B+ ride and was 8th overall coming into T2.

T2

Felt cooked the second I got off the bike. Heat and humidity from bike set in quickly. Was a bit wobbly. Need to figure out solution to running shoes (elastic laces?). Also forgot to grab gels so had to turn back. In general not all together in execution. Had large drink of Gatorade because of lost bottle on bike. Also took in an extra gel. Lost a place or two in T2. Probably could’ve cut 1 min of T2.

Run

Started run feeling tired with heavy legs but tried to push forward. Cramped early and made decision to slow down and walk aid stations. Was able to maintain 8-8:30ish miles. Cramps went away but body never felt good. Felt like I was on E and each aid station was just enough to get to the next one. Mentally had to focus on getting from one aid station to the next. Was OK until mile 10. Really slowed down but still kept moving. Had 2 gels during run along with aid station drinks. Thought race was lost on run but everyone suffered so maintained 2nd AG and 15th overall. 

Results

15th OA and 2nd AG. A good race with tough conditions. Would’ve rather had a good run but bottle loss really threw things off. Clearly under-fueled on bike. Am happy to have adjusted and keep moving forward. Bike was B+ but need to figure out why 245 didn’t happen because I could’ve gotten 4-5 min back with those extra 10 watts. Feeling grateful areas for opportunity are somewhat obvious or easy to fix. 

Swim - 28:43 (goal 31-32)

T1 - 3:12

Bike - 2:24:50 (goal 2:20)

T2 - 2:24

Run - 1:49:41 (goal 1:29-1:35)

Post Race

Felt pretty nauseous for a while and was quite sore. Took a while to rehydrate. Stomach not in good shape for a few days. Took Monday off and did some yoga. Easy ride Tuesday and slow easy run Wednesday. Back to normal training Thurs/Fri. Still tired but able to get back to normal workouts.

Action Plan

1. More bike miles - 100+/week

2. More hard efforts in aero position - even on trainer

3. More calories on bike - 350-400 target

4. Better hydration set up - bar holder, maybe rear mount

5. Better transitions - barefoot bike shoes, roll socks, elastic laces

6. More hard bike/hard run bricks

7. Adjust bike position - Raise seat? Move seat back?

8. Keep up with swimming with long efforts with surges

9. Keep up with hard Wednesday runs

10. Do a few 15 milers between now and Patriots.

2022 Goals

Race more - A, B, and C races

More races. More fun. Also more chances to gauge progress and reduce stress on A race day. Plus, what good is all of the hard work if you don't have some good results to show for it?

More recovery days/weeks - avoid late season burnout

See 2021 recap. The trick here is to actually do it. Sometimes the ego can squash a recovery week/day. When that happens (it will), I'm going to try to remind myself that I wrote these goals and the 2021 recap when the burnout was fading and the motivation was coming back and thinking was clear.

More mobility, dynamic strength work, core strength

Strength work is good so this year the goal is to do more functional, sport specific work. I've been using, and loving the Wahoo Systm app which has a mix of workouts of varying difficulty and length. I'm also going to try to do more adjustment of intensity around races. 2021 strength work had 1 circuit with 1 intensity. It worked, but it could've been better.

More focus on in race nutrition - hydration, electrolytes, calories

This isn't something I did wrong in 2021, just something I didn't put a ton of energy into. Lots of tools and info available to get this dialed in and race day nutrition can be the difference between a good day and a long walk after a bike ride.

Quality over quantity - don't get fixated on volume goals

This ties into avoiding late season burnout. No junk miles. Everything has a purpose. In past years I had focussed on hitting a volume goal, which at the time was reasonable because it was a way to force some consistency. But now consistency isn't the problem. 2022 will be about focussing where the work is needed and making sure the work is intenional.

2021 Recap

Huge progress, great results

From where I started back in 2020 I can't complain at all. I had been running but hadn't ridden seriously in several years, or swam in 5+. To go from that to riding at a high level and swimming well enough to have a chance at races was a huge accomplishment that I'm willing to accept. As nice as it was, I'm also realistic that 2022 will be about much more marginal gains. 

Back where I want to be

When I made the decision to get back into the sport my main goal was to get back to training and racing at a high level. Unfortunately I was only able to race once but I'm comfortable saying I've gotten back to a high level, or at least what I viewed as a high level.

Burnt out late summer/early fall

This was the big theme that I'm carrying into 2022. I was starting to burn out late summer and when I found out my fork was cracked it was the final straw. Prior to that I was getting the workouts done but it was starting to get harder and harder to get going and harder to find the mental motivation to do the structured work. Instead of feeling bad about it, we'll just turn this into a positive for 2022. More rest, recovery, and focus on how things feel. Hopefully the plan I've built out will do some of this but if things start to get miserable again I'll be ready to adjust. 

A lot to work with

2021 was a great foundation for a successful 2022. I know what I can do. I sort of know how it shakes out at a local mid-level race. I know where I need to improve. And, most importantly, I'm starting to get motivated to do so again.

Don't go to the grocery store when you're hungry

This is the best metaphor I could think of for planning 2022... When I'm fit I tend to get overly excited and plan massive volume or imagine that I'll somehow find 20 hrs/week to train. So instead of translating these pipe dreams into a training plan, I'm putting together a rough plan now... while 2021 burnout is still fresh, but my motivation is coming back. The result will hopefully be a plan that balances needed recovery but also reaches a little. The two have to coexist for a successful year. And come spring when fitness is settling in? I'll refer back to this post to remind myself that the recovery weeks were built in with a purpose... to make it through the whole year. 

Humble beginnings

I don't do well keeping up with these so this may be one of only a few posts. My intent is to have a place to reflect on training, racing, and how those two things fit into a fulfilling life as a Dad, husband, friend, chemist... and a bunch of other things that don't involve training zones, bikes, spandex, and interval workouts.

After 10 years away from triathlon, a gentle nudge and a dose of confidence from my superhero training buddies was all I needed to get back to the sport. I love it and after making the decision to jump back in I realized it was a void in my life that extended beyond just an athletic hobby. Triathlon is a sport that requires balance, discipline, and lots hard work - things that translate well to daily life.

I live in the Richmond Virginia area. I'm fortunate to have some very strong training partners who push me to be better and have more confidence in me than I do in myself. I've always been a strong cyclist but in past years I've kinda sorta become a runner although I'm still not sure I believe it. My first go round with the sport was in college and was mostly shorter distance racing. I did well but I could've done better. This time the goal is longer distance with a focus on building something with a strong foundation.

Time will tell how well I keep up with this... 

Race reports? Definitely. Training thoughts? Probably. Other stuff? Maybe.

If you're one of the three people I send this to, thank you for reading!