2016 Off and....Swimming?

The 2016 racing season has started, maybe a tad too soon and perhaps a bit underprepared but sometimes your just have to dive right in.  Sink or swim, quite literally.  No different than the past couple of years, starting with the base.  The ever so crucial, yet frustratingly easy, and slightly tantalizing base.  The time of year when every athlete is thinking and saying this is too easy, are you sure this is right, I can go faster.  The time of year when your mind remembers your November 1/2 marathon PR, your Ironman bike split and run PR but your body isn't in sync with your mind, yet.  Self-doubt creeps in, thoughts of everything you've worked for really being a fluke and that this could be the year that your body just wants none of it.  Then again, it's the time of year that you just put your head down, watts out, hit the HR and do the work because you know the watts will come, the pace will drop and splits will improve.

2016 Blizzard Edition

3 weeks into training and then it was time for a testing week.  Unfortunately I didn't see the gains I was working towards in the pool during my test set so what did I do!?  Sign up for the DC Tri Club Swim Meet of course the following weekend.  My first swim meet and a little trial by fire.  I'm lucky enough to have a good friend that just happens to be one of the top AG swimmers in the country.  She
gave me some basic instructions the morning of the swim meet on block starts and flip turns.  Every winter I think, this is it, I'll start doing flip turns.  Then I try it and decide, well I can do them if I have to, but it's much easier to just do an open turn and besides that aren't any walls during Ironman.  Yes flip turns help with body position, breath control and core but I was much more comfortable doing open turns and again there are no walls in the open water.   Well when it was time to race and start off the blocks I did just that.  Then when I got to the wall I threw my legs over and flipped.  Sure I missed the wall on a couple flip turns, but I didn't lose my goggles on the start and I set some new PRs in the pool.  Most importantly I enjoyed doing it and got some great feedback.

Wish Lantern in Taipei during the Off Season

The season again sees an early, slightly under prepared race with a  1/2 marathon effort on February 20th in Dahlgren, VA.  After some early season racing I'll really be focusing in on some pretty specific goals.  Goals in the water, on the bike, and on the feet.  When it it all comes together I should be able to put together a pretty great day in August.  So far the 2016 season is looking like this:

2/20/16 - Dahlgren 1/2 Marathon
5/1/16 - Rumpass in Bumpass Sprint
5/14/16 - Kinetic 1/2 Distance Tri
6/19/16 - Syracuse 70.3
8/21/16 - Ironman Mont Tremblant
Oct-Nov. - Late Season Race..TBD

I'm looking forward to another year with my awesome teammates and sponsors from Snapple/DC Tri as well as working with Kim from Fuel Your Passion for another year.  I'll also be taking on some more athletes as a Level 1 USAT Certified Coach this season (if you're interested check out the coaching tab at the top).  I'm looking forward to using all the people and talent around me to help progress and dial in everything.  It's looking like 2016 might see some upgrades in the arsenal as well, excited to get this season rolling!