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| Lake Michigan. pc mads |
Wow. The 2016 season just flew by. I can't believe it is over already. To think of where I was back in March/April, battling my knee issues, wondering if I could even finish my first sprint of the year to finishing my biggest race ever in August, this year was one to remember. I look at how my body has changed, how I have gotten faster, stronger and more confident. These changes were not overnight, not by any means, but what I learned from consistency and dedication is that Anything Is Possible.
As I lay here, during my bike/run off-season, I feel as though I am losing all of my hard earned fitness and strength that took so long to accumulate and build up. But I know I am not alone in thinking this way, so many of us, after our biggest seasons, look back and think "what could I have done better?" The truth is, nothing. Sure you could have trained differently or made this session longer or that session harder, but would it really have made a difference in the overall outcome of the season? No. I think the only way to get to the top is to consistently put in the work, and be able to quantify why you are training the way you are, that is where the real learning takes place and that is where I think, I truly become stronger. Taking time off is so hard, especially if you are used to training 2-3 times a day, for hours. Now, even though it may only be 2 or 3 weeks long, I have so much extra time on my hands. I feel like, wait, there is a life outside of training? That can't be, I mean, how do the best become the Best? Do they take time off too? They must not! I mean I had not taken a significant portion of time off, dedicated it to recovering and resting for like three years and yet somehow, I was not even near the winners. I would be injured in the spring and not have any time to get ready for big races, in which I would essentially have to "cram" for. This can't be how the pros do it.
I have done my research and gained one simple fact. Rest is good. Time off is good. Recovery only happens when you are not training. This is a hard thing for me to get into my stubborn head. I love to train, it makes me happy, it is my time to improve myself and focus on my goals. I am sure many of you feel the same way. That has to be why taking an "off-season" is so difficult to accomplish. I lay around while I could be out training. I think, I put in all this hard work again and now, these two weeks are going to ruin it all? I guess that is not the case, so many "experts" write about the benefits of mixing it up.
I feel like I am writing this to kind of give myself a reason to take time off, to have a solid reference that, me, I wrote down why it is good to recover. So to someone who says "there is no off-season" have fun with your injuries and knee issues like I have dealt with in the past. Siyanara to those days for me, I am coming into 2017 a smarter and more educated triathlete. I will make sure recovery is just as important as the training itself.
Since I had not planned on mumbling on about taking time off for so long, I want to get to the good stuff!
This year started with a bang at the Chain of Lakes Sprint in Alexandria, MN. It was the first real test of the year for me after going through physical therapy like a month earlier. Well by golly, this race went fantastic! All that swimming during the winter and spring actually paid its dividends. Not only for this race, but every single one this year, I was a faster swimmer than I had ever been. I ended up finishing 3rd overall and 2nd in my age. Pretty great confidence boost for the season to come!
That gave me a platform to launch off of for the meat of the season. June rolled around and I was about to tackle Buffalo Olympic. This beast was the only race I have ever, not finished. It was a mechanical issue and I sure as heck was not about to let that happen again! It went swimmingly, a surprisingly windy day made for tough conditions for everyone, but for those who wanted it, they took it. I got a top 25 overall and 1st in my age. Also proved to myself that Buffalo can be beat!
A couple weeks later I was back up north about to race the Average Jo Sprint. Love this race and its proximity to my cabin. The biggest confidence boost of the year so far came here. I led out of the water, which was a first for me and actually had the lead for a good 20 minutes on the bike. I was stunned, I thought, man I could actually win one of these. It started well and ended less well, mainly because of my running, but a top 10 overall and 3rd in my age behind one awesome friend was a great way to finish the day. Had two friends come spectate the race and I feel like they enjoyed it. Oh and I was best dressed too, thanks Chubbies!
I had a solid month to prepare for what my "A" race of the season was. Racine 70.3. I never actually did a write up on this race. Maybe because I was so over the moon at the outcome or because I was that focused on the Boulder. So I feel like I can do the race some justice here. If any of you follow the 70.3/IM circuit, you'll probably remember that this year at Racine was a turkey shoot. The weather has never seem to cooperate fully in my time here, and this year was no different. It started with a calm morning, beautiful sunrise, bike racked and a successful body marking. But that is all the further in the race we got, before mother nature decided to have her way with us. "There were raindrops on the windshield and a storm movin in" (garth brooks reference). But serious stuff was about to go down, a storm we new was on its way made a grand entrance into our day at the prime time for the gun to go off. The swim was cancelled, the bike was shortened, but the run would stay the same, AWE Freaking SOME. I was so happy. Just ask my mom, dad or sister how happy and cheery I was that I could not swim at all or bike 56 miles. Ask em, they'll tell ya! After the wrath of Racine came through, we could finally re-enter transition to start out our time trial duathlon day. 3 hours after the scheduled start time. I had a whale of a time out on the 31 mile bike course, I was getting blown all which ways with my 90/disc setup. It didn't help that we had hurricane force winds sweeping across the corn fields. That just made me go faster I guess, It made me hold onto my bike more and pedal harder. So thanks wind! The run came and I actually was not dreading it. This was the third time I had done this race and new it quite well. Couple hills on the run, nothing too treacherous. I did the first 10k at a pretty good clip for me, and felt awesome up until mile 9.5 hit, then, not so awesome. I did what I could running into those hurricane winds, and ended up pushing pretty dang hard. I was super happy with the shortened race, but did not know what to expect when it came to results. I had never been really close to the podium here before, so I was not expecting this year to be a ton different. Boy was I wrong! 4th in my age group and top 100 overall for an extra solid day. That made me happy right there. Now I got a black Mdot plaque and am thinking, oh jeez, I have a shot to go to worlds if two dudes don't want to go. Wouldn't you believe it, two dudes did not want to go and BAM I was qualified for the 70.3 World Championship! Crazay! That made the day a million times better, it made all that wind and rain and no swim worth it. A total 180 from the morning. My big goal for this season was to qualify for Worlds, it did not look pretty, but I am sure as hell going!
Two weeks passed and I was in my final preparations for Ironman Boulder. Hoot Lake sprint is a local race near my cabin that was my first triathlon ever, and I absolutely love it. This year was no different. A perfect day of racing and polishing those final speed legs. I had a great swim a stellar bike and my best run here. Gave me a top 5 and 3rd age group. Branden was on fire that day. Like someone had to spray water on him, it was kind of scary. =D
Fast forward to one week later and I am at the center of the Colorado triathlon world. Boulder was an amazing city and provided me with the greatest day of my life thus far. I had far to much to write about that day and that experience, so if you haven't already read about that race go here (BOULDERBOULDER). You'll be glad you did!
Ending the season is never fun. The final race of the season for most people is usually their biggest one. Not this year, not for me! I raced my final day at Lifetime Maple Grove Olympic. It rained, I mean can I not get a break with the weather and most of my races this year? Jeepers! I was phasing out of my swim training for the year and had done my best to build back in some speed after my Ironman training. I think it went pretty well. 1st AG and top 25 OA. I was happy to go out with a bang on the season, and Vinny, was right there with me. (Thanks for standing in the rain with me) This was also my best 10k of the year, with a negative split to boot!
All in all I am very pleases with how 2016 went, I still cannot believe I am racing with the worlds best 70.3 athletes next year in Chattanooga. It is going to be something. Better yet, I cannot believe I am an Ironman. The words still don't sound real, and that day is still so vivid in my memory. I am so pumped to race Boulder again next year. I will have a separate post later about my goals for next season as well as a winter update.
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| am i doing this right? |
p.s if you made it this far, thank you for your support in just reading the dang thing!
Corey
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