This is the third time I've sat down to attempt writing this post-season review. It's proving to be infinitely more difficult than recapping a single event. For days I've given considerable thought to every moment of the 2011 season - my winter workouts, the sessions I put in over the summer, my early races, the crash and the weeks that followed, and the races that fell during my late-season peak. I've talked things over with Stephen, my coach, both as things unfolded and then again more recently as we looked at the year as a whole. Throughout the year Eileen heard me talk endlessly about every race and most workouts. This week she listened to all of it for a second (or third) time. While the specifics of those conversations are off limits - specifically the ones with Stephen, I'm sure Eileen's cool with me sharing all about her "are you kidding me? How can you be so critical after EVERY. SINGLE. RACE?" eye-rolling episodes - I'll do my best to give you an accurate picture of how I feel about the year and where it leaves me heading into next season. That part will be brief, though. It's important, but for the most part my published post-race thoughts hold true today. I won't bore you by repeating myself too much. More important are the thank you's I owe a few people. While I'm the one being showcased during races, there are a number of people behind the scenes that have made all my success possible.
Things that went well:
- Training. In general, my training was superior to previous years in every possible way. There were days I wished for a training partner just so I could have a witness to confirm how well things were going. To be specific, my track workouts and swim test sets were incredible. To a workout, things went better than I could have expected.
- The DAM Triathlon. What can I say, it was a good finish.
- Running. It's always been a (relative) weakness of mine. This year I was determined to change that and was successful in doing so. It's still not a strength, but I no longer lose races on the run. It's completely changed the way I race. I no longer have to kill myself on the bike just to hope I don't totally fall apart on the run. I have more confidence in my running ability and can race smarter because of it. I can now get off the bike and build into a run, knowing the entire time that I'll at least hold my place if not work my way through the front of the field.
- Injuries, or the lack of them. Other than crashing and a very brief and minor scare with a groin injury, I was able to make it through the season without getting hurt. No IT band issues, no lower back issues, no foot, shin or achilles problems. I've never gone through a season without ending up hurt (and missing serious training as a result). The ability to maintain my health was critical in my ability to progress at the rate I did.
- Pumpkinman. Even I didn't see my Pumpkinman performance coming. I knew I had peaked well, but I didn't expect things go do as well as they did. I was flying and everything felt effortless. This race really gave me a glimpse into how things are suppose to look when you're racing well and showed me what I have to look forward to in the future.
Things that didn't go quite as well:
- USAT AG National Championships. Sometimes things don't go your way. It happened at a bad time, but I finished the season on a much more positive note in the weeks following a lackluster performance in Burlington.
- The Crash. It hurt, but I was fortunate it wasn't worse. I was also fortunate that I recovered quickly enough to race well by the end of the season. Was it the best way to spend the middle portion of the summer? Of course not. But I didn't let it derail the entire season and that's what's important.
A few final thoughts
I took a serious step in the right direction this year. The possibilities for next year are exciting. I don't know exactly what shape the 2012 season will take, but I am confident that if I continue along the path Stephen has me on that it will be another incredibly successful year. Once decisions are made and things are set, I'll provide some insight on what to look for in terms of races, etc., but for now nothing is confirmed.
Now, it's time to thank a few people. First, Eileen deserves a lot of recognition. While I'm the one who is congratulated and patted on the back, she's the one that has to put up with my crazy schedule ALL. YEAR. LONG. Seriously, I only race 6 or 7 times a year, but she deals with this stuff daily, usually more than once a day, actually. And when I do race, my post-race moodiness is probably unbearable. Honestly, I don't know how she drives home in the same car after races (actually, now that I think of it, we seemed to take two cars on a number of occasions this season. I just thought it was just because of scheduling stuff, but maybe there's more to this...). I'm almost never in a positive mood after a race, no matter how well it went. There's always something to be critical about or upset over. I'm sure it's more than annoying to listen to, but she's gotten pretty good at putting me in my place (I think National Championships was her breakthrough performance...). And on top of everything else, this year she even had to deal with lots of blood, road rash, and even more complaining than normal. And she carries all my post-race stuff at races. While taking pictures. So, THANKS!
I also owe Stephen a great deal of credit for how well things worked out this season. If it weren't for his help, I certainly wouldn't have been nearly as successful as I was this year. When we started working together last fall I knew I was in good hands, but I never saw this level of improvement coming. Stephen is a great coach (and generally just a good guy) and I couldn't be happier about how things have worked out. I completely trust what he tells me and that's been critical for both my training and racing. There's a solid plan in place - short and long term - and he has me on an excellent track. With Stephen as my coach, I think there are many exciting things in my future as a triathlete.
My family has also been a tremendous source of support this year, as they are every year. My mom and dad are often at races, either spectating or, in my dad's case, racing. Even when I tell them not to come, that it's not worth the trip, they show up. My mom even had to wash my hair and clean out my wounds after I crashed. I admit, I wasn't the best patient, but she made sure the recovery went as well as possible. Oh, and sometimes they even give me cash. That helps. This isn't a cheap sport, you know! Craig doesn't give money, even when I ask, but otherwise he's supportive in that "you're not as big of a deal as you seem to think you are" brotherly sort of way.
And, finally, thank you to everyone who has read about and commented on my training and racing. I write this stuff because I enjoy writing and like being able to look back on my experiences every so often. The fact that some of you (well I guess all of you if you've made it this far into the post) find it interesting enough to read (or just tolerate it!) means a lot to me. I appreciate that people are following my progress and care about the things I am attempting to do.
THANK YOU!
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