A Look Back

2011 has been an interesting year, to say the least.  I began the year in great shape, with big racing plans, and was primed for a busy season.  This wasn't to be, unfortunately, as an ankle break in mid-February derailed my racing plans for the year.  I did a bit of writing on the topic (I did have a little extra time on my hands) and the following posts pretty much cover the ins and outs of the adventure.

The Dangers of Winter Running - Part I
Plates, screws, and Bone Sutures
Recovery, Rehab, and Thoughts on the ER

Needless to say my training this winter will involve a few more trips to the gym to use the treadmill when the roads might be a little suspect.  I don't need a repeat of this:

Ouch

The downtime this year did, however, give me the chance to be introspective and really look at how I want to be involved in the triathlon community moving forward.  I've been coaching a handful of athletes for a couple of years and have really enjoyed the time and effort that goes into the process.  More to the point, the satisfaction that I get from helping an athlete achieve their goals is more than I could have ever imagined.   I also had some time to look back on how I got hooked on triathlons. 

How it all Started: How I Became A Runner
From Running to Triathlons

More importantly, I thought more and more about coaching.  I took advantage of the free time and became a USAT certified coach.

Hey Coach!
USAT clinic recap

Since the clinic, it's been a busy year.  I worked a few triathlons - I think it's good to give back to the triathlon community and marshal / work a local race or two each year.  Most notably I was on the race staff for the Toughman Half Ironman.  It was a long weekend but it was well worth the time and effort.  Triathlons just can't be held without the help of volunteers and the tireless hours of the race organizing committee. 

Back on the coaching side of the house, it was equally as busy.  While all my athletes did well and achieved their goals, one of my athletes really had a great year.  Not only did she take overall Master (and 2nd woman overall) at her hometown race, but she had a PR at Steelhead 70.3.

Clark Lake Triathlon Recap

Her performances this year, along with the accomplishments of my other athletes, confirmed my desire to coach and make this a career.  It'll be a long road but I think I'm on the right track.  I'm working with a USAT Level III coach who is acting as a mentor and I've also been hired by Team in Training to coach the area triathlon team.  For this, I became certified at the Dave Scott coaching clinic just last month.  (I have yet to write about that experience - I'll report on that soon enough, I promise.)  But, I did get to meet the legend.  He's humble and generous with his time.

Dave Scott is on the left. I'm the short guy on the right (just in case you weren't sure!)

And finally, there were some interesting happenings in and around the running and triathlon community that I either experienced or wrote about.  So, going back through 2011 (and a couple posts from late 2010), here are a few links that I thought might be worth revisiting.

My Problem here is with the "Noodle"
Managing Life and Triathlons
Support in Injury and Health

And based on my run this morning - and two incidents with drivers who were just not paying attention - I thought this would be worth a second look: Common Courtesy - An Endangered Species

With that, it's now time to put bad mojo behind me and look forward to a busy, upcoming race and coaching season.  I hope everyone has a wonderful 2012 - full of health, fitness, and good racing. 

Gail's Trail Race Recap

 .....or "What a Difference A Year Makes"

It was a nice morning for a December trail race.  20F at the start up in Redding, CT.  People that had run this race before were looking forward to the single track, water crossings, and mud.  New participants were asking a lot of questions about what they'd gotten themselves into.  Much bigger crowd compared to years past.  But more on that later.

I wrote about this race last year and I've had three good years racing at this event.  This year, however, not so much.

I didn't bother wearing my heart rate monitor, as I was instructed to "not race" by my lovely wife.  She has a good point with that bit of instruction: My ankle just isn't quite up to full 'blasting through trails' fitness yet, so I never planned on trying to duplicate my efforts from last year.  I felt calm and relaxed as we warmed up, and was content to just "run" it and have a great time.  However, it wouldn't have mattered what my original plans were.

Fitness, or lack there-of, really showed.  I never felt good....not even at the beginning.  The hills were just crushing.  Last year, by the first 'peel off' into single track, I was amongst the top 5 runners.  This year as we headed into the woods I might have been lucky to be in the top 20.  I just never got into a groove.  It's a good thing I didn't wear my hear rate monitor as I'm pretty sure I would have seen my theoretical max today. 

By the end I was absolutely ready to stop running.  Quads were barking….lungs were burning.  I thought of my triathlon this past October and how good I actually felt after an entire season on the bench.  Heck, I even had a good result at that race.  Have I fallen that far off the fitness wagon?  Clearly there's lots of work to do this off-season.

But, let's not stray too far from the facts: This is a great race.  The folks over at Team Mossman really put on a nice event here.  The course was marked "just enough" for a trail race, and there was plenty of mud and water to keep things interesting.  Some of us were a little, what's the word here:  Disappointed?  Not sure.  But the race has grown from a small event with 40-50 die-hards, to close to 150 people this year.  While we were sad to see our niche race become more mainstream, this is great news for Team Mossman.  Great events will always draw crowds.

Anyway…..I was home by 1000a, and having a nice breakfast and coffee by 1030a.  A premium nap followed.  Not a bad way to spend a Sunday morning.