The 2024 season is officially underway as I toed the line in a 10K road race over the weekend.
Pure run races have always been a side project and a gut check for how the overall swim, bike, run training is going. My primary goals are in triathlon, but I love a hard 5K or 10K to keep the mind engaged.
The build
2024 got off to a great start for training as I had a new approach to structuring my bike training thanks to a consult with renowned coach Laurence Birdsey. Through January, February, and March I was able to build my weekly intense session up to a level I had never been previously in terms of volume and raw power. This was quite encouraging and the lower end fitness was also supporting these gains. Safe to say, the bike is what I am most excited about right now. This is good news because a Half Ironman features a long, steady chug on the bike. I better be prepared to enjoy it!
For the run, I opted for a frequency approach; running more days during the week, but a smaller duration for each run. This was different than in the past, but it allowed me to accumulate volume and stay clear of the usual niggles that have popped up in previous training blocks. This approach did leave me questioning my fitness level, and as I will detail below, I am not sure this gave me the intended race result in my Easter 10K.
The fast sessions I was completing were on-par with previous seasons, but I was not seeing the big jump like I was on the bike.
I am also unsure if having a “shorter” long run while spreading the load across the week was effective. Duration fatigue is sometimes a necessary stimulus.
Swimming. Oh my, swimming. If I am going to be honest, I am currently at a low point in the pool. I am still showing up consistently, and maintaining my level, but it is becoming more difficult. This conundrum might be two-fold:
When my legs get tired, body position suffers and I swim pretty poorly. Throwing on some paddles usually fixes the issue (cheating!)
The further away I get from collegiate swimming, naturally the more the base will erode. As long as I can swim front-pack with minimal penalty, things will be alright. Especially if there are gains being made on the bike.
Checking the work
In mid-February I took a stab at a 5K time trial to see where my running was at. I ultimately ran 16:21 in a solo-effort on a cold winter morning. This is identical to my personal best and was not an event I was targeting. The week of training leading in was standard. Content with the performance, I charged on.
That brings things to March 30 where I unloaded some fatigue for 5-7 days before the 10K race. This was the first intentional stretch of many consecutive “easy” days I had taken all of Q1. It felt great to freshen up and the expectations were building.
The race itself was puzzling. I pulled out a 34:31 on the day which is a bit slower than my personal best. The course was honest and I could not seem to get a grip on any consistent pace. Some of the splits were incredibly fast (for me), and other parts of the course I was hanging on for dear life just to hit my typical half-marathon pace. Perhaps it was fitness, perhaps it was the course. I felt that aerobic, hard, lung burn sensation and less of the muscle-damaging sensation which is the opposite of how I normally present in the final portions of a race. An odd morning as I cannot classify it as “feeling horrible”.
Parting shots
Making lists is how I best process information, and my approach to reviewing Q1 is no different.
What is going well?
The bike training has been at an all-time high in terms of performance.
I have been more receptive of changing the training plan based on how my body feels. I am in the thick of finishing PT school, accepting a job, and studying for the NPTE. A dynamic approach has been necessary in many of the weeks.
I am learning more from the athletes I am coaching, making it easier to follow my own advice. If you can dish it out, but can’t take it, what are you doing?
Although I go to bed extremely early and wake up extremely early, I am getting what feels to be a sufficient quality and quantity of sleep. Living at home recently has been good in this regard.
Training is still fun. Not every session is magical, but there is a lot of power in getting out the door each day.
What is not going well?
I let the strength training consistency slip during February and March. I suspect this may have had a small run performance impact.
My running performance last summer was something I was proud of. I credited it to having a hilly long run every week which is something I have not been doing this winter/spring. Going long and making it hilly will have to return to the program.
Although I am receptive of making changes in training, I think I am ignorant of external stressors such as full-time clinical education and studying for a major exam. I also may need to be more aware that all 3 sports firing on all cylinders in triathlon should be reserved for those final few weeks heading into the A-race. For now, I have some time until crunch time approaches.
I have hit my weight floor a few times through the spring. I’ll need to take a look at my overall nutrition and tweak a few things to avoid a chronic deficit that may have been at play during this block. That may explain a lack of ability to really push hard all day during the 10K race and in some of the run/swim sessions. A nutrition consult may be on order.
The next big event on the calendar is 70.3 Half-Ironman Des Moines in June. Until then, a helpful mantra I’ll want to keep handy is:
Relax. Let it be. Keep enjoying it.
Something tells me a simple adage like the above can bring clarity when there is a lot going on.
Thanks for reading, folks.
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Keep it rolling man! Similar boat as you with life stress being more difficult to manage than usual. Will be fun to see ya in DSM!