What's Next, and Thoughts on Training and Families

Here is how the Spring season is shaping up.

Feb 25-Mar 1: Gorilla Multisport Training Camp in Tuscon, AZ. Lots of riding, some speakers, some swim and bike skills clinics, and more riding. I'm hoping this camp will help to accelerate my riding a bit. It will be a good way to kick off my build to my A race this Spring.

Mar 14: St. Patrick's Sprint Tri in Keller, TX. I have 3 friends doing this race and it will be a first tri for all three of them. I'm more interested in seeing these guys out there than I am doing it myself. Two are work buddies (Jason and Jon). We were all running on the treadmill a week and a half ago and I sort of in passing suggested they try a triathlon some time. That led to 10-15 minutes of questions about how they work, what the distances are, etc. A week later, they signed up. They've been to the pool twice since to make sure they can cover the swim distance, have been peppering me with swim tip questions, and are fired up to give it a try. Jason has a road bike, Jon is going to borrow his brothers after deciding he didn't want to use his mtn bike. The 3rd friend is Patrick who lives a couple of blocks away and has kids who are friends of mine. Patrick is at the beginning of what will be a 10 month effort to get him to the finish line of Longhorn 70.3 in Austin this Oct.

Apr 5: Lonestar Qtr Iron Tri in Galveston, TX. This will be the 4th time I've done this race which makes it the staple in my race portfolio that I never miss. This course serves as a good measuring stick for me. I've improved my time every year I've done it (although the first year swim was the 1.0 mi Oly distance, not 0.6 mi qtr dist), and hope that continues. I've got two Houston friends (Tim and Darren) doing this race and am excited to see them out there, and David will be there with a few of his athletes doing the Half Iron distance. Perhaps my buddy Alberto will be there. He is training for IM Brazil in May, so timing may not work for him. It is fun watching him improve at this race every year. He's turned into a serious contender in the AG.

May 17: Florida 70.3 in Orlando, FL. This is my A race for the Spring. I'll be doing a 14 week build up to it which starts this Monday. The build is a little short relative to what most of the popular training plans call for, but I did a 12 week build up to Longhorn last year and was starting from a much lower fitness level, so I think this should work out alright. In the past, staying to a plan for more than a handful of weeks had been a challenge for me, so last summer 12 seemed like just enough to get ready, and was what I thought was achievable. I've learned that a plan that is not achievable, or is more an ambition than a plan is a waste of time that has negative consequences. During last year's 12 week build to Longhorn, I learned to enjoy the process more and it helped me to sort out my priorities which has instilled positive change that has stuck. 14 is a reasonable increase that is (key word) achievable in my mind, so we'll give it a go. The course in Florida is mostly flat, it will be warm, and I hope to have a good day. The trip will include a visit to Disney with the kids, and we'll be bringing my in-laws along. Lots of distractions, but that can work to your advantage some times if it distracts you from wasting time and energy on frivolous or nervous activities.

After that, I'll take it easy in June before starting a build up for Longhorn, and will build a plan incorporating what I learned last year during the Longhorn build up, as well as what I've learned this Spring.

My wife (Ingrid) has started running again. She has some pretty impressive run results to her name from a few years ago and is just getting back after 4 years of hiatus to have some babies. She's retained the services of David and is starting to build back into it with a half marathon later this Spring as the goal. We've coordinated our schedules so that we can make all of our workouts when we want them as it fits with all of the other activities we have going on. The complexity is impressive, but it will be routine in no time.

I'm very lucky to have a wife who is in to athletics, staying fit and training and racing. At night when we are putting the kids down, sometimes I'll have already changed into my running or cycling clothes so I can get my workout in as soon as they are down. My kids know that when they see me in workout gear that I'm going out to train but they haven't figured out that tight spandex = ride, and short shorts = run. They always try to guess which one I'm doing and sometimes after I tell them they'll ask "why." Ingrid will tell them that Daddy is going to workout because it is important. I have to believe that my kids seeing me be active and working towards a goal will be a good thing in the long run, as long as my goals don't get in the way of their goals or development. It is a fine line, but having an understanding wife who will have dinner after 8 or 9pm most nights without questioning why is a luxury I cherish.

It should be a good year. I'm hoping to learn more, stay healthy, and enjoy the investment in myself.

Cheers!