Before I get started, thought I’d mention my first cover-shoot of a Sports Magazine… sounds better than it actually is (you’d only know it was me if you were told… which is what I’m doing now of course) but its still a big first for me. Check out 220Triathlon this month and if you can see past the bubbles... you'll see my ugly mug on the cover ;-) I'm also in one of the swim articles inside... with a nice pasty white November tan (the picures were taken last year)!
Progress…………..
Last week saw me repeat my regular (every 5 weeks) testing on the bike and run – swimming to be added next time I think. And it was a good week for me and bridge to analyse what we’ve been doing since Christmas and where it leaves me heading into California. I’m very pleased to say that it looks like all the work we’ve been doing has had the desired effect……
My 3k run time improved again, though only by a tiny amount. However, I feel stronger running at pace now and genuinely feel like I’m capable of running the kind of times I want to over my various race distances… in particular California on March 31st.
On the bike, things took a bigger up-swing with my VO2 max wattage and CP20 & CP60 (threshold or MLSS for those of you that use these terms) both going up after last months plateau. In both modes of transport, I’m back to my peak of last year and its really encouraging to be here so soon in the season and gives us a great deal of confidence that come Florida in November I can be exactly where we want to be in order to get that top 10 finish. For me, it makes all those HORRIBLE sessions where I’m running myself to the edge of my limits, seam worth while at last. I’d be gutted if all of that PAIN had ended up counting for nothing ha ha!
Progress…………..
Last week saw me repeat my regular (every 5 weeks) testing on the bike and run – swimming to be added next time I think. And it was a good week for me and bridge to analyse what we’ve been doing since Christmas and where it leaves me heading into California. I’m very pleased to say that it looks like all the work we’ve been doing has had the desired effect……
My 3k run time improved again, though only by a tiny amount. However, I feel stronger running at pace now and genuinely feel like I’m capable of running the kind of times I want to over my various race distances… in particular California on March 31st.
On the bike, things took a bigger up-swing with my VO2 max wattage and CP20 & CP60 (threshold or MLSS for those of you that use these terms) both going up after last months plateau. In both modes of transport, I’m back to my peak of last year and its really encouraging to be here so soon in the season and gives us a great deal of confidence that come Florida in November I can be exactly where we want to be in order to get that top 10 finish. For me, it makes all those HORRIBLE sessions where I’m running myself to the edge of my limits, seam worth while at last. I’d be gutted if all of that PAIN had ended up counting for nothing ha ha!
I’m not 100% sure what the course at California is like, but I know from the numbers we’re seeing right now that I’ve got a sub 2:10 bike time in my legs at a level that will allow me to then run possibly under 1:14 off of this (if the run is flat…?) If I can execute this properly on the day of the race, then I can’t wait to see what happens!!!
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The talent out there…………….
I went to a gig in London last night with some friends from church. We saw a couple of people play in a band, who one of my friends knew from her school days. It’s a while since I’ve seen live music and especially in such a small venue, but it struck home to me a few things beyond simply the good music.
It can be very easy in the life I lead to think that the world revolves around triathlon, sport etc. The focus and single mindedness that I try to maintain is not a bad thing, but it can lead to me forgetting that for other people, there is far more going on…. And as I remembered last night, there are A LOT of people out there who have phenomenal talents in a variety of different things. Two of the bands playing last night were fantastic… I mean, REALLY GOOD… to the point where I’m sitting there wondering how they’re not on a label and selling singles by the 1000’s….. to see people so dedicated to something that they clearly love so much and have been blessed with talents that allow them to do what they do… in something COMPLETELY different to the world I live in was so refreshing.
I think it’s important that I try to keep this outlook on things. It can be all too easy for me to fall into my little world and forget that there’s a whole big world out there full of people with passion and gifts for all kinds of things, that to them, are just as important as my triathlon is to me. It puts it all into perspective, whilst at the same time reminding me that my journey in pursuit of achievement in sport and I guess life in general, isn’t the isolated little struggle it can often feel like.
Doing what I do, as many other people who do triathlons would no doubt testify to, can very often result in peoples easily offered admiration. For some reason, most people seam to think that all of this is beyond them (in reality, I firmly subscribe to the “you can do ANYTIHNG” school of thought). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this is a bad thing, we all like to hear these kind of things said to or about us at the end of the day; but its easy to let this suck us into thinking that our dedication, focus and often sacrifice, is something that only we actually know and appreciate and live out. In actual fact there are people everywhere applying often the same principles, focus and sacrifice to their own lives in pursuit of other dreams that in their eyes are bigger than anyone else true knows or appreciates.
