What a season. A great year not only in the fact that I performed well but also that I had a 'renewed' enjoyment in racing and training that seemed to be slipping away. I also reconnected with a few old friends and took advantage of some new challenges.

Overview

My official season each year starts on Thanksgiving "AT" (after turkey) and runs until I run out of gas physically or I start acting like a 2-year-old; which is how I act after racing and training without a break for long periods. 2010 was my 30th year in endurance sports and I can honestly say that no two seasons are ever the same and this one was no different...in the fact that it was different, I mean. For starters, the weather was very uncooperative. First we start out with a very cold and wet Winter which had me riding outside less than any Winter I can ever remember. And then we have the hottest Summer in something like 1000 years. I couldn't escape it. Connecticut, Wisconsin...didn't matter. Every race felt like the surface of the sun.

I also had a real, identifiable injury this year. It was a stress reaction - turned tendonitis - in my right ankle. I ran several races on it before stopping 2/3 of the way through the season to let it heal. It definitely affected some races but it was more of a shame in that it caused me to miss a handful events but it wasn't too discouraging since I had already squeezed pretty much an entire season into 6 months. So I was out of running commission for 8 weeks and off the race grid for two and a half months. I hung on just long enough to get one last race in on October 2nd and it was worth it.

On the other side of the health coin, I have my allergy-induced asthma under control. My asthma affected me in just 3 events this year and not nearly as bad as last year when I huffed and I puffed and I could blow a paper house down. My asthma doesn't present itself in a typical manner (wheezing, etc.); it's taken me a couple of years to figure out that my asthma does something to my body that won't allow my heartrate to go as high as normal. And since 'normal' is only slightly faster than 'dead', that's not a good thing. I had one small event where worlds collided and I dealt with both my foot injury and my asthma - the Sunrise 8k Run right here in my backyard. A dismal performance in this race kept me from saying that I was the fastest 45+ athlete in every event I did this year. Bummer.

The most important change this year was TeamKattouf. My idea to hire a coach last Fall was probably triggered by my aforementioned 'slipping away of enjoyment'. Training is hard; real hard if you do it the way I was doing it. And I wasn't sure I could - or would - be able to continue pushing. So I decided that I would hire someone else to tell me what to do (for most husbands that role is already taken...but not me). I figured that way I would have someone other than myself to blame when my old and tired body got slower. Boy, did that come back to bite me in the arse. Now I'm just blaming myself for 29 years WITHOUT a coach.

There are a handful of good multi-sport coaches in our community but I was attracted to Rick Kattouf. Maybe it was his bald head or Mediterranean descent but I'd like to think it was his coaching approach and attitude. Talking to Rick makes you want to just stand up and go run 10 miles...which is why I still have to limit our face to face communications. I know every one of the other coaches in town personally and they all have something to offer. But Rick had the exact combination of things I was looking for. I could go on about Rick but he will be reading this and I don't need to feed his ego; I do enough of that by performing well (he is such a proud papa, at times I think he actually beleives he gave birth to me). If you have any questions about coaching and/or Rick, shoot me an email.

Rick shared a lot of the same 'theories' and training ideas that I had, but they say the devil is in the details and nothing could be truer about how he changed my training. I can honestly say that I was pretty skeptical at first and almost expected the plan to fail - produce nothing better than I could do myself - but that was OK because after 30 years, I had nothing to lose and a whole new person to blame. So I made sure that I followed his plan to a T. I didn't want him to tell me that I failed miserably because I ran an extra mile 5 weeks before my race. Well, first of all he would never do that. And second of all, the joke was on me.

By the numbers

This season I completed 15 events. My orginal calendar had 20 events on it. I also made one 'exchange'; dropping one national championship (Masters National Marathon) for another (Long Course Triathlon Nationals) because of my foot injury. Here was the breakdown:
9 running races
5 triathlons (one of which was turned into a duathlon becuase of e. coli levels in the water)
1 swim race
Yes, I was so race-starved during my ankle injury that I competed in my first ever open-water swim race. However, you won't find this event listed under my accolades for the year even though it was a top-10 finish (I am bound by my good conscience to tell you there were 7 people in my race).My 2010 schedule took me to 5 states (SC, NC, TX, WI, CT)

2010 Goals

Let's see how I did on my 2010 goals:
1) Top 3 AG - Masters National Marathon Championship. Well, this was a big one for me. I like to try and put a marathon on the calendar each year to keep me well-rounded and this was my year to try and break 2:40. My ankle had other plans and I had to cancel this race.
2) AG wins @ all 4 half-iron events. My goal here was two-fold. I wanted to compete in 4 half-iron distance events for the 3 largest triathlon production companies and try to best the field at each one. The challenge took a turn near the end of the season and saw me completing 4 events from 4 different companies. I successfully won my age group in all 4 events and kicked a lot of younger booty while I was at it.
3) Lower swim times. Successfully moved from being consistently right at the 50 percentile in my half-iron swims in the past years to being at the 30-40 percentile this year. Not a huge move but to put things in perspective, a 2-minute time gain in a half-iron will usually move me up several places.
4) Maintain bike times. Maintain them? Hell, I dropped them! I have been concerned as I get older that my bike splits will plummet. Considering my cycling background and how fast I have been during my multi-sport tenure, it seems inevitable that my bike HAS to slow down. Especially when you consider that cycling is the 'power' sport of the three and research shows a decline in muscle as we age. I'm not gonna argue with them but I'm not just going to believe them either.
5) Do at least 5 new races. This is simply to enjoy the thing I enjoy the most with multi-sport: variety. 9 of my races this year were events I had never done.
6) Enjoy myself and try to get Janis to enjoy it too. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed my season so much. As for Janis...I think she liked all the 'exotic' places I took her to. She even had her sister around for 2 of my half-iron events to keep her company.

I liked these goals so much this year, I may keep them around for 2011.

Support

When I was a bike racer I raced on several teams throughout the years. It was pretty typical to have a dozen or more sponsors. These days, I rely on a few key sponsors that are important to me. My list of sponsors now includes people/companies that 'give' me more than just something of monetary value...you can't buy this kind of support.

I've already mentioned TeamKattouf and my coach Rick. What I didn't mention was that shortly after I approached Rick to coach me, he turned the tables and asked me to race for him. Our relationship is not give and take...it's give and give. I really don't feel like I have to sell Rick's coaching - just literally look at the results of any of his athletes.

Fleet Feet is unbeleivably supportive of my running. A relationship that started years ago has become 'bulletproof' to outsiders. Sponsored or not, I've been running for Fleet Feet since the first day I said, "Hey, I wonder if I'd be any good at running". Sure there are other running stores, but I'd rather have a "running family".

Before there was TeamKattouf or Fleet Feet, there was Rudy Project. I've been a Rudy athlete for more than half my endurance 'career'. Those helmets and glasses have seen some fast times.

Matt Eiken at Mauldin Chiropractic found me one day and asked me if I wouldn't mind trading some chiropractic services for some triathlon training advice. We've been friends ever since. My back is feeling great and Matt just finished his first 70.3 event (Branson - arguably the toughest 70.3 out there). He's desperately trying to convince me to do Ironman Switzerland 70.3 with him next year ;-)

Then there is my wife, Janis. Lord knows how she puts up with it but she does. I'm not just saying this because people expect me to. Since we have been married, Janis has been more than just supportive, she's interested. She knows more about bike equipment, run training, race nutrition and anything else triathlon related than most triathletes because she cares enough to make it her business. I train when I want; I race when I want. She doesn't "let" me do anything because that implies I have to ask her permission - I don't. And for this reason, I never push the envelope of reason. I take responsibility. I think of her when I pick events or set up my training weeks. It's what best friends do.

Of course nobody "does" a triathlon alone. Aside from sponsors there are your trustworthy family and friends. The only thing more fun than racing is cheering your friends on.

Lastly, there's my list of people and companies who in some way have helped me out this season. People and companies who may one day be on my sponsors list or may have been on the list at one time and I just can't seem to remove them...Garmin, Hincapie Sportswear, Erin Bakers Breakfast Cookies and Blue Ridge Sports Therapy and Massage. Just plain "good people" who go above and beyond. All of the 'triathlon' shops in town have helpoed me out at one time or another as well - Go Tri Sports, Carolina Triathlon and Ride On. As has Sunshine Cycles.

Top 5 moments of 2010 Season

In no particular order, here are my top five favorite race moments of the year...
1) Ironman Racine 70.3 bike segment - This easily made the top 5 for multiple reasons. For starters, I was expecting to see packs of riders drafting on the course and was pleasantly surprised at how everyone seemed to be playing fair. I also remember my not-so-friendly banter with the 2nd place rider in my age group as I passed him. Most of all, I remember myself doing the math in my head the last 10 miles. I couldn't believe I was averaging nearly 26 mph and was riding into the finish with little effort. My 2:11 bike split was the 2nd fastest amateur and only 5 minutes off of 2-time Ironman World Champion, Craig Alexander.
2) Last mile of Downtown 5k. My second race of the year. Normally, since a 5k is so short I would take off at rocket speed and then just try to hang on to the end. But today, my new coach had me start off much easier. People were running past me left and right. I couldn't believe I let him talk me into this. When I hit the mile 2 marker and had one mile left. I had an epiphany. I threw my legs into overdrive. At that moment, I realized Rick knew what he was talking about. It was the easiest 5k I had ever done and I PR'd by 20 seconds.
3) Awards at Rev3. With the trend that Ironman Corporation has set, I wondered if the efforts of elite amateurs would always go 'unnoticed'. I felt I was destined to be 'overplayed' by a guy who used to weigh 400 lbs and was now completing his first triathlon. Sure, his accomplishmet is amazing. But what about my accomplishment? I spent my entire life caring about my body, caring about not inconveniencing others. I guess there's no award for people who chose to do it right the first time. When I walked up to take my award at the Rev3 Quassy event. I was stunned to see that for my efforts I got a free pair of running shoes, $150 Canondale gift certificate, a nice award, free intry into another event and points towards winning cash at their race series. Thank you, Rev3. You will be seeing more of me.
4) Greer Half Marathon finish. A small race but vitally important. besides being the state half-marathon championships, it was yet another eye-opener. A PR on a course like this? A sub-1:16 is not only possible in 2011, it is inevitable.
5) Passing riders like a machine during the USAT Long Course National Championships (aka Halfmax National Championships). After just recently setting an unbelievable bike course PR at Racine 70.3 I let my mind believe that a 2:11 was the new standard...and I went and turned a 2:09. In my race report, I rememebered one fond moment where I cut inside a group of riders and whipped through a turnaround only to hear one of them say "Seriously?". Sounded like a challenge to me...
Honorable Mention: It wasn't a competition but 2 weeks ago, my training partner Dan Moss and I completed our 3rd annual ride to Atlanta - a 155-mile journey. With a slight tailwind the last 3 hours and an absolutely gorgeous day, we completed the journey in record time and arrived feeling rejuvenated by the adventure. A 20mph pace for nearly 8 hours. I'd say I felt like I was 25 but how many 25-year-olds can do that?

Worst 5 Moments of 2010 Season

Yeah, it wasn't all pretty in 2010..
1) The Myrtle Beach Half Marathon was to be the crowning jewel to my rash of running PRs. That is until Mother Nature decided to bring snow and ice to the beach. The race was cancelled. 2) My first tri of the year for me was the Paris Mountain Tri - touted as a torturous course. I hyperventilated in the ultra-short swim and basically caused some reaction with my asthma. It was one of the slowest rides over Paris Mountain I have ever done. My HR would not go above 140. It left me thinking that my tri season was doomed.
3) In the first of my 4 half-iron events - the Tri Charleston - I completely ignored my coaches recommendation. I had such a great swim, I got on the bike and ramped it up out of the gate. It was not much different from the way I always raced in the past. I placed fairly well, but the run was miserable and I would later come to believe that if I had followed Rick's plan, I would have cut at least 5 minutes off my finish time. I know this is true because I had 3 half-irons after this to prove it.
4) Sadly, my only 'hometown' race of the year was my worst. This was my 5th year doing the Sunrise 8k Run and after a Spring filled with speedy times, this race saw me battle both with some asthma issues as well as the start of my stress reaction issues. I was minutes off my 'normal' pace.
5) The swim at the Halfmax National Championships was cancelled and the half-iron race became a duathlon. Now most people would expect me to consider this a highlight of the year knowing full well that I am a poor swimmer, but instead I felt like I cheated the good swimmers out of a chance to beat me. It is what it is, but I didn't like having an unfair advantage.
Honorable Mention: With a poor strategy in my first half-iron, and recurring foot problems in my last 3 half-irons I was never able to turn a quality run split at any of my tris this year.

Accolades and PR's of 2010

Long Course Triathlon National Champion - 45-49 age group
SC State Masters Half Marathon Champion
SC State 45-49 10k Champion
Ironman 70.3 World's Qualifier
5k PR: 16:50
10k PR (twice): 35:05, 34:27
10-mile PR 58:13
Half Marathon PR: 1:16:34
Half-Iron Swim PR: 35:41
Half-Iron Bike PR: 2:09:32 (course marked short), 2:11:21 (on verified course)
Fastest 45+ athlete in 14 of 15 events in 2010 (from 5k runs to half-iron tris)
Bested my age group in 5 big triathlons this year, I expect to place high in the US Rankings

2011

Where do we go from here? Variety is still the key for me. There are only a few reasons I like to do an event multiple times: it's close to home and it makes a good "filler" race; it has some notable accolade (ie state championships); I failed at it the first time; it was immensely fun and/or a lot of my friends are doing it. Outside of that, I want to do different races. Here are some of my preliminary race plans for 2011...
Mobile Half Marathon
Puerto Rico 70.3 (half-iron)
Boston Marathon
American Zofingen (an incredibly challenging duathlon)
Lake Stevens 70.3 (half-iron)
Rev3 South Carolina (half-iron)
Long Course World Championships
San Antonio Half Marathon
Aside from the Boston Marathon, all of these races will be firsts for me. As I mentioned, I'll do some of my usual local events mixed in as well.

Regardless of what your goals were for 2010 (athletic or otherwise), I hope you all reached them. And I hope to see you all out on the road in 2011!

Sincerely,
G-Man!