In 2011 I managed to race in 4 triathlons - with a 3 week family holiday to Florida in early August this effectively shortened my season. In terms of results, they were:
1. Hart Triathlon - Sprint 1:12:19, Overal rank = 21% (Hart PB by 2'25)
2. Blenheim Triathlon, Sprint 1:24:27, AG Rank = 15% (Blenheim PB by 40 seconds)
3. Windsor Triathlon, Olympic 2:33:54, AG Rank=33%
4. London Triathlon, Olympic 2:20:04, AG Rank=8% (PB - OLY & London by 13 seconds)
Digging further and breaking out the disciplines heres a graph showing my avg ranking by discipline. Tbh it doesn't show anything I didn't know (although the transitions are abit overstated - in 2 races where cramp struck during transition a couple of minutes cost me a fair few places. However at London my T2 was 30/538!) but its useful to set a bench for '12 season.
2011 Highlights
- London OLY - 2:20 PB, top 8% of AG, 1:04 bike split & 35th for run split
- Completing the Hampton-Kingston 2.25mi swim in 1:05:28-first competitive stand-alone OW swim
- Transitions - improved significantly
- Bike - continue to perform below other disciplines - sadly self inflicted due to lack of 'saddle time' in training
- Nutrition - Suffered cramp in both Blenheim & Windsor tri's in T2 - despite never suffering it in training?
- Early finish to season
On January 3rd myself and my wife welcomed a new addition to the Drayton household with the birth of our baby daughter. Obviously planned for the 'off season' (lol) I will need to flex my training around the lifestye of having another baby around? The midwifes have all said she has very large feet so I've already lined her up to be the swimmer in the family relay team ha ha
Anyway my focus for 2012 is that I NEED to get my bike working for me better. My running is clearly my strength and whilst my swimming can also be improved, given the significance of the bike leg to the overall result its time to fix things. It's simple - I simply don't put enough training hours in the saddle. Yes I can make the usual excuses - namely around the time cycling requires when training vs other disciplines with a young family, however if I want to see a big improvement to my ranking there are no shortcuts - I need to quit the moaning and get in the saddle. Whilst I'm not currently in a position to be able to upgrade my bike, I'm aware in the scheme of things I can make big inroads despite of this. My focus for this is:
-Turbo interval sessions - having recently downloaded my first sufferfest video these are ideal for speedwork!
-Joining my local cycling club to build some miles in my legs
-Sportives - I have signed up for a 56miler in April and will line up a couple of others
-TT#ing - To develop my speed I will aim to race at least 2 TT's a month through the summer
-Practice for contingencies e.g. punctures. I have been lucky so far (touch wood...I'm jinxing myself here!) but if it ever did happen I'd be up the proverbial creek!
-Finally invest in bike fit analysis to ensure I am at the most efficient on the bike
So thats going to be my focus for the year, however in terms of my overriding objectives for the year these are:
1. To break 90 mins for a half marathon
2. To complete at least 6 triathlons - aiming for top 15% in AG in all
3. To break 1:05 for 25mi TT
4. To get to race weight of sub 10.5 stone by April
A month into 2012 I am wondering if these are stretching enough (already achieved #4) but I'll monitor and review these as the year proceeds - and add if necessary.
Anyway for anyone who has stayed the distance and read it all, thanks and I'll keep you updated throughout the season. Hope all your training is going well.
Rich
2012 Race Calendar - Confirmed Key Events to date
19th Feb Wokingham Half Marathon
14th April New Forest Sportive - 56mi
7th May Hart Sprint Triathlon
27th May Big Cow Sprint Triathlon
16th June Dambuster OLY Triathlon
15th July Bristol OLY Triathlon
