End of the Year Reflections

Today is 12/28/2011 and as I sit here, I amazed at how fast the year has blown by.  And like many, this the end of December is often a time to think about the what has happened in the past year, as well as outline some goals for 2012.  2011 was a mixed year for me; racing, work and family. So here we go:

2011 Race Performance
Jan- Spa 23 Indoor Tri- 1st place Overall.  Not sure I am a fan of the indoor racing format, but it was good to push my body up to race pace.

April- Sandy Hook Time Trial- 7 miles on a flat and windy course.  I was happy with my effort- about 26MPH, but got crushed and finished in the 50s.

April- MainStreet 10k- 10th overall and 2nd in my AG- rainy day, but I ran pretty well- about 41:20.

May- JerseyMan Half 70.3- 29th overall, 5th in my AG - 5:15:21.  Nutrition was a bit off on the bike which hurt on the run.  But overall I was happy- first race of the season (not including the indoor) & things went pretty well.

June- DC Olympic Tri- 164 Overall, 13th in my AG (and Qualified for the 5150 Championships & 2011USAT AG National Championships) 2:23:29

July- Ironman Rhode Island 70.3- 213 Overall, 39 in my AG- 5:14:00.  Raced a solid race- nutrition & Pacing were very good (swim sucked)

July Muddy Buddy with my son.  Fun!

August- TriRock NY Sprint- 10th overall, 2nd in MY AG (Qualified for the 2012 USAT AG National Championships- 1:24

September- Toughman Half 70.3- 210 Overall, 27th in my AG- a TERRIBLE race.  My nutrition was off- not enough pre race eating, and I walked on the run.  But I learned a lot from this race (which I had very high hopes for since I did so well last year).  Worst and best race of the year. 5:37:40

October- Ironman Pocono Mtn 70.3 (well 66.xx) No swim and a slightly shorter bike due to very bad weather.  But I really did well.  111 Overall, 21 AG.  4:22.  Likely would  have PR'd and broke 5 hrs for a 70.3.  The good news is everything I needed to learn from past races - taper, pre race eating and hydrating, in race nutrition, pacing, etc worked & worked well.

October Beach to Battleship 140.6- MY FIRST FULL IRON.  141 Overall, 27 in my AG.  11:38:13.  I hurt my knee at a potty stop at mile 100 or so of the bike- just twisted it a bit, but it hurt on the run and forced me to walk about 8 miles of the run.  (lesson learned- bring tylenol just in case).  But it was a great experience and I am looking forward to my next full in 2012.

November -Turkey Trot 5K- 87 Overall 10 in my AG- 20:54 A bit slow for me, but I was definitely fighting some post B2B injuries (knee and toes) as well as trying to find new shoes- Damn you Saucony for changing the Kinvera!  The Kinerva 2 is MUCH different on my foot.

2011 Job-
I switched from Dynamic Logic- a part of the WPP group (advertising) to a start-up -EachScape, a mobile app development company.  Long hours, lots of commuting- not sure if it is for me.

2011 Family- Being a Husband, Dad, Employee and Competitive Triathlete is very tough.  It is a balancing act that I am not always good at.  I am sometimes very selfish about training & racing, but make sacrifices in the number of races I do.  The reality is I want to race more, but don't and that sucks for me.  3 races that I did not do in 2011 were the HyVee 5150, USAT AG National Championships & the Ironman Timberman 70.3- all for family reasons.  I know my wife does not love my triathlon training and racing- which sucks for both of us & and I am not sure what the next steps will be.  I am trying to adjust my racing and training but if I cut back I am MISERABLE.  And if I train off hours (early and late) I am exhausted.

2011 Wrap -up- A good year of racing with a lot of ups and downs.  Good lessons learned.  And more time needed in my day.

2012 Goals:

1) Improve my work, family and Tri dynamics- not sure how that is gonna work (new job without a 2HR commute might work)  But real family acceptance could work as well.
2) Race in the USAT National Championships- am registering, but the race is one week after IM NYC (may be a tough fit, but will cross that bridge when I get there)
3) Break 5 Hrs for a 70.3
4) Break 11 hrs for a 140.6
5) Continue to have fun.
6) Find my new race shoes (see above- Damn you Saucony)

More to come on the race schedule for 2012.