Here we are one year later.
As stated in my race report, I took this year off from racing to make up for lost time with my family. And it has turned out to be an interesting year.
I have kept up with my coaching with Swim Smart both in the pool and in the open water. And I've even received several bookings for private lessons.
I did several rides with Steveston Velo including riding up Mt. Baker.
But what was supposed to be a chill summer was soon usurped by some exciting and some not so exciting news.
First off, the exciting news: Our family is going to be growing. We are excitingly awaiting our second child in March of 2024. However, we found out in June that we would have to leave the house we were renting by September 1st.
I will spare you all the stressful details, but the broad stroked of it are: We found a place, but it is much smaller (and more expensive). It has been a big adjustment moving from a 3 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment (and paying more in rent), but we have made it work and can call it home.
Needless to say with the move and new addition coming, finances are a bit tighter than usual. This will come into play later in the post.
So here we are, nearing the end of my one year sabbatical from racing and although I am extremely proud of my accomplishments, I feel the goal has still not been met.
Now what?
Well, if you know me (and by now I am sure you do), you know I think these things out and I have a plan.
So here we go!
I've given a great deal of thought to what will help me better achieve my goal next time around.
First (and already implemented) I have switched gyms. I am grateful to Alex and everyone at West Coast Strength & Movement. When I lived and worked closer to downtown, it was the perfect gym. Once I moved further out, it made no sense for me to drive 40 minutes to and from the gym. Thanks to my wife, I found a small local gym and a new trainer, Tara.
In addition to new trainer and new gym, I have also changed how I strength train. We have shifted away from the high weight at low reps for a more endurance style training. I do 2 sessions a week, one with my trainer and one on my own. One session is a strength based session aimed to keep my strength up, but with less heavy weights and medium reps. The next session is my endurance session (something I feel was missing before). This consists of lighter weights but many, MANY more reps. The goal is to keep my strength but train my muscles to be able to withstand prolonged workloads.
Next, I plan on working on my run game. This is where I feel my Ironman fell apart. I will spending all of 2024 focusing on on my running and I hope to carry that forward into the next phase of my plan. I am currently signed up for an 8k in January, a half marathon in May, a half marathon in June, and another half marathon in November.
For swimming, I just need to get back into the pool. My new place has a 25m pool in it (albeit without lanes), so I have no excuses. I may also start swimming back with Swim Smart in the Masters group as well as participate in some swim meets.
For the bike I just need to get back in the saddle again. Unfortunately I had to sell my road bike due to lack of storage space. But with some help from a friend at Village Bikes, I have converted my gravel bike into a road bike. And I bought an extra set of wheels second hand to easily convert it back to a gravel bike when I want to do some trail riding.
As far as my TT bike, I hemmed and hawed about if I wanted a new one. But with finances tight, that is no longer an option. Plus the more I thought about it, the more I realized there is absolutely nothing wrong with my bike. And getting a new bike would no be the end all to me getting faster.
However, there are a few thing I do want to adjust. I am going to change to the front derailleur to a new model. This will allow me to run wider tires for better rolling resistance and comfort. I also want to change the cassette to something that will allow me to climb easier. While the Ironman I did (and the one I will do ... oooo foreshadowing) are flat, the 70.3s and training routes leading up to it will not be. And there may be a few, small, cosmetic things I'd like to do as well.
So, I have laid out where I was, where I am, and what I need to work on, what about the long term goal: (Officially) Completing an Ironman?
After a long conversation with my wife, we have decided that 2026 will be the year. So based on that I have devised a 3 year plan.
As already stated, 2024 will be a run focus. 2025 will be an early standard distance triathlon leading to a 70.3 in the fall. 2026 will be full Ironman focus with a 70.3 at the halfway point and the Ironman in the late fall.
With money tight and my family growing (see told you it would come back), the vast majority of my races will be local. I also plan on racing less. In the past I feel I suffered a bit of FOMO and raced distances that were less conducive to my training. Moving forward I plan on focusing more on training for the main races for the year and avoiding race distances that do not fit well into my training progression.
By now you are screaming at the screen, "Just tell us which Ironman you picked!"
Ironman California.
Why this race? For several reasons.
First off, its in November, so I can take full advantage of the summer training months. Secondly, we can drive there. There will be 4 of us by then and flights are getting expensive. Thirdly, it's a river swim.
I will be completely honest and admit I used to think a river swim was cheating. But my wife made an interesting point. She asked me why I picked Arizona. My answer was because it was the course that best set me up for success. And I realized that picking a course with a river swim was no different than picking race with a flat bike course or cooler weather.
So Ironman California 2026 is the goal. There. It's in writing. Time to get off my ass and (re)start this journey.
I also have a list of things I want to work on and change for the Ironman race itself, but those will not be a factor until later in 2025.
It will be a real challenge moving forward as my life and my family grow, but I have an amazing wife and lots of support from family, friends, and teammates.
Thank you for taking the time to read my update. I hope you share in my excitement as I undertake this lofty goal (again). I look forward to sharing my progress over the next 3 years.
One day....(Officially)....
