As a teacher it is always interesting to gauge the progress of my students.
Sometimes it is difficult to see the progress unless you track this from day to day
over time.
A couple of weeks ago I finished a long run of approximately 11 miles. As I talked to my coach Jaime about the run he reminded me that we were only 12 weeks out from my first half ironman. It is a race that we will be doing together in Boise in the early part of June.
This reminder initially stopped me in my tracks. It hit me hard because I thought back to when he said something similar to me prior to my first long coarse event that I competed in last fall. In that memory I was reminded of just how far I had come in the last eight months.
Jaime and his wife Heather had just moved to Bend. I had just completed my first open water sprint triathlon and had just begun working under Jaime’s guidance to train as a triathlete. I was helping Jaime down in his garage put together some storage systems. As we worked I told him that I wanted to do the Leadman 125, a race that would be held in Bend in three months. After a pause Jaime told me he could get me there but that it would take a lot of work and that we were 12 weeks out from the race. He noted that over the next three months we would be working to get me into shape, complete the race and not blow up in the process. As I look back at my training log the distance and times were smaller and shorter. It was all about trying to get in shape and build up a base fitness that would allow me to finish the race.
Fast forward to now. It’s no longer about simply being able to finish. It’s about being able to race. I’m lighter, faster, fitter, and more confident. It has gone from just a race to embracing a lifestyle. Training has become an integral part of my daily life. With that has come an increased fitness. My training time frames are longer and the distances that I go are further.
One of the benefits of a program such as Training Peaks or Strava is that it allows you to go back and analyze as well as chart your progress over time. Even if you don’t choose to use a program it is still beneficial to write things down and keep track of your workouts. Progress occurs incrementally. Early on, like most athletes new to training, my gains came quickly. Over time these gains became more gradual. It was only after I looked back over several months of training that I began to see and understand the progress I had made.
This coming weekend I will race in a sprint triathlon for the first time this year. This is a race that I did early on last year. It is part of my buildup to my first half ironman in two months. I’m excited to be racing again but I’m also interested in how well I do. Last year I went into this race with very little formal or organized training. This year is quite different. It is my hope that I will readily see the benefits of my training. Hopefully this will manifest itself in a faster time and an easier and quicker recovery for my body. Either way my coach and I will use the data to determine a game plan for the next two months as I work towards my racing goal. It will be fun to compare the results from last year and I’m hoping it will confirm how things have changed in regards to my training and my fitness.
A couple of weeks ago I finished a long run of approximately 11 miles. As I talked to my coach Jaime about the run he reminded me that we were only 12 weeks out from my first half ironman. It is a race that we will be doing together in Boise in the early part of June.
This reminder initially stopped me in my tracks. It hit me hard because I thought back to when he said something similar to me prior to my first long coarse event that I competed in last fall. In that memory I was reminded of just how far I had come in the last eight months.
Jaime and his wife Heather had just moved to Bend. I had just completed my first open water sprint triathlon and had just begun working under Jaime’s guidance to train as a triathlete. I was helping Jaime down in his garage put together some storage systems. As we worked I told him that I wanted to do the Leadman 125, a race that would be held in Bend in three months. After a pause Jaime told me he could get me there but that it would take a lot of work and that we were 12 weeks out from the race. He noted that over the next three months we would be working to get me into shape, complete the race and not blow up in the process. As I look back at my training log the distance and times were smaller and shorter. It was all about trying to get in shape and build up a base fitness that would allow me to finish the race.
Fast forward to now. It’s no longer about simply being able to finish. It’s about being able to race. I’m lighter, faster, fitter, and more confident. It has gone from just a race to embracing a lifestyle. Training has become an integral part of my daily life. With that has come an increased fitness. My training time frames are longer and the distances that I go are further.
One of the benefits of a program such as Training Peaks or Strava is that it allows you to go back and analyze as well as chart your progress over time. Even if you don’t choose to use a program it is still beneficial to write things down and keep track of your workouts. Progress occurs incrementally. Early on, like most athletes new to training, my gains came quickly. Over time these gains became more gradual. It was only after I looked back over several months of training that I began to see and understand the progress I had made.
This coming weekend I will race in a sprint triathlon for the first time this year. This is a race that I did early on last year. It is part of my buildup to my first half ironman in two months. I’m excited to be racing again but I’m also interested in how well I do. Last year I went into this race with very little formal or organized training. This year is quite different. It is my hope that I will readily see the benefits of my training. Hopefully this will manifest itself in a faster time and an easier and quicker recovery for my body. Either way my coach and I will use the data to determine a game plan for the next two months as I work towards my racing goal. It will be fun to compare the results from last year and I’m hoping it will confirm how things have changed in regards to my training and my fitness.
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