Battle's over and the dust is clearing.
See results in race reports section.
Just wanted to reflect a bit on "the big picture" as it's easy to lose sight of that.
This started when jon.e said to me "you should do more races". Or something like that, and for me, it was a return to "doing something".
It's useful to compare this year (2013/2014) with 2010/2011.
2010-2011: I entered around one race per month (a mix of running, TTs and tris). Managed 1 pool sprint, 1 open water sprint, 2 ODs but by August I was pretty broken. I was trying to do 6+ hours per week training.
In 2011 I wanted to step up the distance to middle, and entered a load of events in advance to support this.
By the time of the Cheshire Cat sportive I was already completely broken. Had to watch all events (and there were quite a few) disappear. Managed to do just one event (the Etape du Dales). No tris, one early season running race, no TTs. Despite all but stopping in May 2011, I did the most miles on the bike that I have done in a year. And a lot of swimming (swimming was probably the best it's ever been, getting down to an 8 minute 400m). But it wasn't worth the cost... not in terms of discomfort etc. as well as the the wasted entry fees.
Cue a slow and depressing attempt to get somewhere where it files like you are making steady steps forward - rather than one step forward, three steps back.
The last half of 2011 was back to step 1. This didn't work. So in 2012 I went back to step 0. That didn't work (just one cycling event managed), not really any other races - I had entered one, but didn't get to run it. So 2013 was back to step -1. All about adjusting work load, and expectations.
2013 worked pretty well. Able to do some interesting things - every day in may was a particular "break through" (rather than "break down") aspect.
More importantly was the realisation that I was thriving on a workload averaging 2.5 hours per week.
This really takes the form of shorter efforts (really, the cycling was a lot lower in time) - so an hour on the bike, a 20 minute run (no swimming
), and by the autumn I was ready. Still cautious, but pretty unbroken. A key difference from 2010 era, is that I am no longer forcing myself out first thing in the morning (typically swimming, but running too). So everything has been done in the evening (or weekend). Obviously, though, the morning time was where I could make more time).
I'm sure I said somewhere, towards the beginning of the season, that I would aim for 4 hours per week, and no more. Which is pretty much what I have done: just over 4 hours from January to August. I did have a big block in July (annual holiday) which has skewed things a bit.
[I'll find out the hours]
I've thrown the traditional concept of a training plan out of the window... so there is nothing, other than events, that I have in the diary. Instead, everything is based on how I feel and to what extent I have recovered from the previous efforts. I would like to say things like yoga help - they possibly do, but I don't think I do enough for it to be significant. Rather, it is that I think I have the understand of what "if you carry on like this, you will break" feels like, because of all the times I did carry on like that. I also have a suspicion that deliberately aiming low (and no stressing about it) is the key aspect. I.e. don't plan too much, and don't look at what you should be doing. Of course, I properly started serious exercise aka training in 2008 (maybe the end of 2007), but first race was entered in 2008. So I have a few years of trying to do something under the belt - which undoubtedly helps.
So, in this season I have done:
Fell races
MTB races (never done that before)
Stand alone swimming races (never done that before)
Road races
Bike hill climbs (not done that since I was 15)
TTs
Pool and Open water Tris
A Middle distance/HIM tri (never done that before).
An 3.8km swim in the lake district (never done that before, not sure I want to do it again
)
But what about performances?
I got within a few seconds of 10k PB (41:18 in 2013 vs 41:09 in 2008) - but the course was slightly different, and it hurt a lot less
. Equalled my bradford park run PB. So the running has been up there. of the three 10K road races, the times ranged from 41:18 to 41:42. So performance has generally been up there with previous bests (I am a lot heavier than I was when I set the previous best too).
I set PBs in each of the two 25 mile TTs I did. There is a large element of technological doping (TT bike vs Road Bike), so It's hard to draw conclusions - but I am probably no worse than before (really need a power meter to answer that).
I've just about set a 10 mile TT (event cancelled, but timekeeper still recorded a time). It has to be said that the weather has been awful in all the TTs I've done (apart from the one that was cancelled).
I don't think I'm swimming quite as fast as I was in 2011, but I am swimming faster than in 2010 when I last did races. Certainly getting the same "speed" for less effort.
The sprint tri was a bit slower than in 2010, but the day was a lot harder.
The OD was definitely quicker - by 12 minutes, and getting a sub 2h:30m was quite pleasing.
And I am also pleased in how a executed the HIM - given that I felt rather underprepared for it.
Still, the biggest achievement was not breaking, and starting and finishing every race.
I am still have issues though: calf/achilles complex still needs continual management - it was actually pretty much perfect back at the beginning of the year, but has been troublesome of late. This doesn't seem to relate too much to running though. Neck/shoulder is causing a lot of grief - I probably need to see a specialist. This has nothing to do with activity though (it actually feels a lot better after the all over body mashing that a triathlon is).
I came close to breaking in August (after the OD) but managed to recognise the signs in time (about 12 hours in August). Not the traditional build up to an HIM.
So, looking forward to a week or so of nothing but walking and yoga (it will take until Wednesday/Thursday for the DOMs to disappear). [Except for a rerun of the 10 mile TT, which I am even less fired up about, but need to beat jon.e in the FUBAR)].
The on with the next project!
One final thing: The biggest lesson that Every Day in May taught me, was that my running performance wasn't governed by what happened in the 30 minutes of running in the previous 24 hours, but what happened in the other 23.5 hours.. i.e. work/sleep/travel. And reinforced that my lifestyle isn't that optimal for good health. I should have effected some changes that should improve things from next month onwards. I hope.
Looking forward to 2014/2015.