6 Month Report Card.

This week I started getting a daily reminder when I log on to my training blog that my six month membership is expiring in a few days. Interesting enough, my mentor wrote in his blog this week… “For what it's worth, six months is the MINIMUM time horizon that I believe makes sense to track change that has the potential to make a positive impact on your life”. Why the “six month” timeframe came up twice this week is beyond me. However, I thought it would be a convenient time to review my triathalon training progress over the course of the last six months.

Before I get into the training review I do have one caveat. I thought a long time about posting this for fear that it would appear to fellow triathletes who might read this that I was this egotistical novice looking for an opportunity to “toot my horn” about my meager accomplishments. Believe me, I realize I’m by no means “fast”, I don’t have the ability to “go long” by most triathletes standard, nor do I have the illusion I’ll be racing in Kona or standing on the podium for my age group in a local race. However, a valuable lesson I learned from my mentor was… “If you remain consistent and positive you will improve relative to yourself - there’s value in seeing the return from our own efforts. So it’s best to evaluate how you do relative to yourself”. In that vain, here is my six month “biased” evaluation.

Swim – Swimming was and continues to be my biggest limiter. The 1st time I got in the pool was 11/2/2008. I went 365 meters in 25 minutes. I did the 1st 40 meters and then searched for something to grab. Much of that swim was done on my side and the math tells me that I was moving along at just under a 7 minutes/100 meters clip. The first sentence in my training blog that day was “I really suck at swimming”. That was an understatement.

During the first three months of training I dreaded going to the pool and even contemplated giving up triathlons and focusing on duathlons. However, I stuck with it, envied what my fellow mentee’s were doing in the pool and tried to apply my mentors advice.

I made steady progress and was able to finish the swim portion of my first sprint TRI in just under nine minutes. Although there was definite improvement in my pace I still did not feel comfortable in the water as my 158 swim HR that race day would indicate. Finally, in late March after countless laps I was able to successfully swim bilaterally and relax in the pool. Recently, I was able to complete a 1600 meter consecutive swim and have almost been able to master the 4x200 descending drill.

I often get frustrated in the pool because I’ll take a step forward only to find that I take a step back the next week. Certainly I have flaws with my balance and stroke in the water. I still have a long way to go in the water, but I have come a long way in 6 months and I must constantly remind myself going forward that I have already surpassed my initial goals.

Bike – Biking is the hardest discipline for me to do an evaluation on but it is the discipline I enjoy the most. Unlike swimming, I look forward to my biking workouts. Five months prior to starting this journey in late October 2008 I was routinely going on 16-20 mile rides. Although the improvements in the bike are modest in comparison to swimming and running there are indeed improvements. Unlike swimming and running where I have quantifiable differences of the same workout I have not done any TT testing on the bike. Even if I did it would still be a little tough to compare the results because of varying conditions (weather, equipment).

Probably the biggest area of improvement has been biking skills. Six months ago I just “rode” my bike. Today, in addition to building endurance, my biking workouts now have a purpose. Developing multiple cadences, standup hill climb for muscular endurance and position variations are all things that I’m working on. As I progress I think the skills I develop will result in greater endurance and faster pacing.

With regard to “before and after results”, I can say that earlier this month I was able to go 46 ½ mile at a pretty good pace (for me!!) without trashing myself. If I had to replicate that ride the following day I could. Six months ago I probably could have completed the 46 ½ miles at a slower pace but there is no way that I could back that up by going 46 ½ miles the next day.

Run – In November of 2008 I couldn’t run ½ mile at a snails pace without going anaerobic and having to walk. In fact, the first outdoor run I posted was 2 miles in distance and it took me 35 minutes to complete. I was constantly in pain while running with cramping/pulled calf muscles and sore knees. Not a pretty site. Six months later and I can easily do a 10K pain free.

I’m extremely cautious while running, particularly with regard to my run pace. I avoid ever going into my Functional Threshold or the top end of my Mod-Hard zones while running for fear of injury. Although run pace is not an important factor in my training at this point in time, I was able to complete the run portion of my 1st Sprint Tri right at the 9 minute/mile pace. Not fast by most standards, but faster than my first run.

Probably the greatest single epiphany I discovered during all of my training has been the run/walk protocol. I employ this every run irrespective of the distance being traveled. It will pay off in spades as I go longer.

Body Composition – This is an easy comparison to make. I was 230lbs on November 1, 2008. The last time I got on the scale I was 202. I rarely get on the scale (another piece of sound advice I got from the mentoring group). My relative weight is not important – it’s a number. What is important is the fact that my fitness levels are increasing, my clothing is getting looser, and I can see the transformation of my body in the mirror.

Mental Outlook – The physical benefits of the change in my habits over the course of the last six months are important. Perhaps the enhanced mental state that I’m enjoying is more important. Having turned 50 last year I think I have discovered my mid-life crisis. It’s not a fast car, it’s not a person of the opposite sex or a beach house; it’s TRI’ing. I’m having a blast.