Goals for 2009

I did pretty much nothing this past week. It felt good to relax and not have to schedule in training time. However, I am now ready to get back to work. I am probably more focused then ever. I think not going sub 10 may have been a blessing in disguise as I probably wouldn't be motivated to keep going.

After having a week to reflect on the past two races and my training leading up to them I have set up a preliminary program for the upcoming year. I'll talk about the specifics of the schedule in a different post. But here are my goals for Ironman Florida 2009:

Swim: 59 minutes

Bike: 270 watts

Run: 3:15-3:20

It may seem that these goals are a bit ambitious; they are. (At IMFL 2008, I swam 1:08; biked 234w; and ran 3:51). But I am confident I can get there. I've learned a lot from my training and racing last year.

First, I think I can get a lot better simply by learning how to execute at race pace and on race day. One of the problems I had last year is that I couldn't really turn it on at will. I either felt great or I didn't. And if I didn't, then I couldn't race to my potential. I need to fix this. I plan to do this by (1) racing more frequently--I never raced before IMFL--and training more frequently at race pace and at Tempo. I plan to do several halfs and Olympic-distance races starting in April/May.

Second, I need to swim much more than I did last year. I only started swimming in June. That is much too late. This year, I will swim much more frequently and throughout the year.

Third, I need to increase my run volume. Last year, I didn't run that much, not because I didn't have the desire to, but because my shins bothered my for pretty much the entire year. 30 miles a week was a good week for me. I need to fix that. And to do so, I need to get my shins fixed. I plan to see a doctor hopefully this week.

Fourth, I need to improve my diet and body composition. I was pretty good leading up to IMFL. This year, I plan to eat healthy throughout the year. I don't mind cheating every now and then and will only get really strict again in the couple months leading to the race. But I hope to remain lean throughout the year so my body is used to producing big watts at a lower weight. I also hope eating healthier throughout the year will prevent me from getting sick or tired as often.

I will start training again probably some time this or next week. I don't plan on doing any crazy sessions now and don't mind missing workouts at this time. Everything will be very easy. But I am eager to keep moving forward toward a great race in 2009.