Competor or Completor?
That's quite an investment in time for someone with 3 kids who runs their own business.
I certainly don't take myself seriously, however I'm deadly serious about my results. I want to be a competor not a completor. Don't take me the wrong way, I believe we have our goals and getting to the finish is as important for some as winning is for others. Trust me, I've run for Great Britain (proper track and field, not age grouping) and I've been 2 stone over weight trying to get round a marathon after 10 years of doing nothing but eat and drink. I just want to be the best me I can which in my mind is finishing high up the field (overall).
So Bala for me was supposed to be a chance to show that I can mix it, at the minimum within my age group. I know I'm not there yet and there is work to be done BUT I've come away feeling disappointed. It's not that I performed badly, it's more that I've just not moved forward enough for what I consider my time investment in the sport.
My splits at the weekend against top 3 in my AG -
| Swim | T1 | Bike | T2 | Run | OA | ||
| 76 | D Preston | 26:43 | 1:16 | 1:01.12 | 54 | 37:18 | 2:07.24 |
| 11 | D Murray | 20:16 | 47 | 58:55 | 56 | 38:26 | 1:59.22 |
| 17 | S Shaw | 24:04 | 59 | 59:26 | 48 | 35:17 | 2:00.35 |
| 33 | S Webster | 22:30 | 51 | 59:35 | 41 | 39:02 | 2:02.43 |
It's been my belief that I should make up swim losses on the run. Then it comes down to a bike race. I said in my race blog that the problem with this is it's all bollocks!!
Looking at the top guys in my AG it's clear that I'm not putting time into them on the run! The reason I like these 3 splits is it's very clear to see what's happening in the race. Between these guys there is not an awful lot between them on the bike. They also don't swing much on the run, it's the swim where the big gains are.
The way my season has panned out has dictated this result. I've concentrated on running - especially getting ready for 2 marathons. My biking took a hit early year and I played catch-up all summer. In fairness my bike result yesterday (although I'm pissed with it) wasn't shocking, it wasn't miles off. There were 5 people in the top 20 either slower or almost same. Also, I could have gone under the hour with a bit more effort in the 2nd half, concentrating on my own race and riding to the finish.
For me to get top 3 yesterday I would have had to run a 32.40 10k !! Even if I had biked 2 mins quicker it would have taken a 34.40 which is a pb !! I run well off the bike but not that well !!
I believe I need to get stronger on the bike this winter - that's for sure. I certainly felt like a diesel yesterday with no top end speed but strong and in control. However, it's not all about the bike for me.
If I am going to play the numbers game then I have to get my swim sorted. I need to swim much, much faster.
My run takes care of itself. I can run 6/mm for 10k off the bike with minimum investment in time. In fact I'm putting too much in for the returns. I just need to do the sessions that work for me and rely on my base.
So far this year I've averaged less than 1.5 hours a week at the pool. This includes farting about and recovery time. It simply isn't enough. I need to make swim my main focus as it's my weakest event (sounds obvious huh).
My strongest event is my run. Lets take my combined times of 26.43 & 37.18. That's 64 mins for the 2 events. If I can swim 22 mins flat then I can run a 42 min 10k for the same net result :@ I can hold 6/mm for 10k off basic training, probably 2 hours a week! I've run over 4 hours per week average this year for that result.
My biking is roughly where it needs to be. I do the right work and I'm not racing terrible for the effort. I know I'll get faster for doing the same work and not doing a marathon next year.
So there it is. My time needs to be invested more into swimming - it actually needs to swap out with my running. It's obvious now it's written down but sometimes it's simplifying things that works best #kidology
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