It’s one thing to exercise. Going to the gym, doing a morning run, hopping on a bike for fun, swimming laps in a pool, skiing down the slopes – you can work as hard as you want, take it easy if you feel like it, and quit any time you want.
But I take my athletic career more seriously. For one thing, this year I am retiring from medical practice (that’s another post, coming soon). A colleague told me, a couple of years back, “Don’t retire unless you have at least five hobbies to keep you engaged.” Lets see: swimming, biking, running, skiing, writing … I’ve got that covered, I guess. But once I retire, those “hobbies” will start to define my life. I’ve been serious about performing well in triathlons and running races for the past 15 years; now I’ve got added incentive for achieving in ways that are personally satisfying and publicly impressive. Also, I turn 65 in 2014, which means I am at the speedier end of my age group in races. Given the accelerating rate of decline athletes seem to have after age 55-60, that means this year and next are the ones I should really focus on.
My race schedule reflects a heightened ambition
April 21: Run in the Boston Marathon, to join the others of my tribe as we celebrate our defiance and resolve a year after the bombings there.
June 29: Return to Coeur d’Alene for my 10th go round at the Ironman there. I’ve won that race three times before, setting the course record for my age group twice.
August 9: The USA Triathlon National Short Course Championships. In 2015, the World Championships will be held in Chicago; the 2014 race in Milwaukee will determine the members of the USA team for the following year.
My plans for September and October depend on what happens in Idaho: if I qualify for the Ironman World Championships on Hawaii’s Big Island, then I’ll line up there on October 11. If I don’t get into that race, the I’ll return to Lake Tahoe September 2 for the Ironman there, and go to Maui for the Xterra (off-road) World Championships.
November 16: Line up once more for Ironman Arizona.
So I’ve got 4 or 5 races to target next year, races that deserve some consideration as to what my intentions are.
I’ll start at the end. Ever since I had a miracle victory in 2011 in Arizona and started looking ahead, I’ve determined that the race this year would be my Olympics. Meaning, it’s a once every 4-5 year effort, the peak of a multi-year training and racing cycle. So, the only thing which will satisfy me is to meet or exceed my age adjusted all time best time, which I did on that course five years earlier, in 2009. 10 hours, 52 minutes (not counting 4 minutes I spent in the penalty tent – my actual time of 10:56 was a course record which stood until this year.) Assuming a fall off of 0.5% per year, that means I need to finish in 11:08 or better – 11 minutes faster than I went this year. I break that down into 1.5 minutes on the swim, 6.5 minutes on the bike, and 3 minutes on the run: 1:13/5:37/4:08 + 9 minutes in transitions. Whatever it takes during the year to train myself to be capable of hitting those times, that’s what I will do.
My other goals for 2014 are subsidiary, but still real.
Boston Marathon: this is a participation event, not a race for me. It will come in the middle of training for IM CDA. I’ve done this double before, with good results: I did Boston in a time which would qualify me to run again the next year, then I got my first age group win in an IM at CDA. So, for Boston, I’d like to see my time between 3:45 (what I did to qualify this go around) and 4:00 (what it would take to assure qualification for 2015).
Ironman Coeur d’Alene: Three goals: win the race, qualify for Kona, and achieve a time commensurate with my abilities at that time. It’s hard to know today what that time might be, as I’m not in race shape now, and both the bike and run courses have changed since the last time I won the race, in 2010. But let’s say, for a ball park range, 11:49 to 12:00. The times for the past two years, the only ones run on the new course were 12:36 and 12:09. Race day temps play a big role here, so, like I said, all the times are just ball park thinking, pending the actual conditions of both me and the environment.
Milwaukee USAT Nationals: I’m not a short course racer, at least not someone who trains specifically for that. My swimming just is not good enough to be competitive for the top three spots there. But getting on the World’s team usually requires a top 15 finish, so that’s what I’m aiming for.
Ironman Lake Tahoe: Pretty simple here. I failed to finish the race this year, so I would go back seeking revenge, intending to (a) finish (b) hit all my process goals on the bike, regarding pacing, effort and nutrition/hydration, and (c) run the whole run. Time, place, qualifying for Kona – all secondary here.
Xterra World Championships: I haven’t even been on a mountain bike since my bike accident over three years ago. The same three goals I have for Tahoe would apply here, with a fourth: don’t hurt myself.
OR
Kona: Again, pretty simple. Enjoy myself, while representing my skill level. Again, the same three goals as for Lake Tahoe.
Ironman Arizona: Just to remind myself, here’s is what I am shooting for: 11:08 or better, via s/b/r of 1:13/5:37/4:08 + 9 minutes in transitions. I can do this. I think it would be really cool to break 11 hours, but doing that will require a supreme focus on both bike work August-November, and race day execution. That’s my dream, and I might as well admit it, otherwise, I would never even consider doing the work needed to make it happen.