Off-Season Goals? Why Not.

While I'm not sure lightly racing in one triathlon and participating in one marathon has earned me the right to call it the "off-season" just yet, the point remains - this is the time athletes use for improvement and I could definitely use me some of that!

Just like how Tom Brady came in mid-season to replace an injured Drew Bledsoe for the Patriots, or how Steve Young picked up the reigns for Joe Montana, I finessed my way into the world of triathlons late in the game and made my presence felt. How, you ask? Think Eric Gagne, circa 2008, or Ryan Leaf, circa 1998. 

Awkward sports-references aside, I trained for my first event with grand intentions of diving into the deep end and making a splash. Unfortunately, and more realistically, I seemingly tripped over myself and fell awkwardly into the shallow end of the pool... got a cramp... and then my goggles fogged up...

Actual Race-Day Photograph

However, the optimist in me fails to let that first experience define my attitude and approach to this sport and this lifestyle for the future. 

I HAVE GOALS, DAMNIT! 

Yes, it's true. I had goals. Swim somewhat normally (~30mins), bike? cycle at a respectable pace (20mph avg.) and run like you f-ing know you can (8:00min/mile).

These were not long-shots. These were not "hopefuls." These were proven and re-proven in training TIME AFTER TIME AFTER TIME.

Something obviously went wrong. Many things probably went wrong. The important thing to take out of it is the fact that I left too many variables to chance. In the back of my mind I seem to know that a sense of self-inflation largely put me in a position of over-confidence. Over-confidence led me to set my sights far ahead on perhaps too lofty of goals, while at the same time exchanging the prospect of great results for the expectation of great results.

Ok, I'm done ranting. Let's move on.

I want to establish off-season goals for each of the three disciplines:

Swim.
Bike.
Run.

These goals are all-encompassing - training times, speeds, techniques, distances, mental, nutritional, etc. I already spoke a lot about the swim, and given the whiny knee problem, you'll surely hear a lot more on how that aspect of my training is progressing. I also want to really dive deep into the biking? cycling and the walking? running and shake out some strategies and thoughts for what I can do to put myself in position to have a kick-ass 2010 season.

I always want to write something stupid at the end of these posts like "stay tuned," or whatever, but then end up realizing that the main reason I'm doing this blog is so that I have an outlet for my own thoughts and an organized way of tracking training results/practices/techniques/etc. So yeah, Sean, stay tuned, I guess, or tune back in when you want to write something else.

Uhh, this is awkward now... ok, I'm done.