2012; A big year…

It’s that time of year, the annual review. It’s kind of a given that this was a big year. It was ambitious, a year of Triathlon from my first Sprint to an Ironman in 9 months. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous when I signed up for Ironman Arizona, a race that was almost a year away from the day I parted with the entry fee. As the months ticked by the training came together, the short leg of the three legged stool was always my swim and so I spent time in the pool…a lot of time.

In terms of straight up numbers here they are;

2012 Training; by the numbers | Infographics

This time last year I listed a set of goals in addition to the races I had scheduled, they are listed below. My thoughts on this year are in italics;

• Bi-lateral breathing, I had convinced myself this was impossible but having swam 500 yards doing it this week it seems much more possible – didn’t happen, it should have but it didn’t, I would like to say this year it will but we will have to see if this becomes reality
• Swim Swim Swim, once I have this figured out swim some more! – I think the numbers speak for themselves but I need more and more and more time in the pool!
• Do the good stuff I am supposed to; foam roll, stretch, yoga etc. – better than the year before but plenty of scope for improvement, off to a good start this year but consistency is key
• Sleep…get more than I get now!  - better again but still plenty of room for improvement!
• Work more on my diet, and periodize to reach racing weight on race day – this worked really well, I switched to a vegan diet and hit the start line within spitting distance of where I wanted to be (168lb target 165lb). Made a decision to get off the Vegan wagon in December and now I am back on it indefinitely 
• Become a better cyclist; stronger climber and more confident descender – descending was not such a major thing for IMAZ but I certainly spent plenty of time in the saddle this year…over 250 hours! That being said I need to get my climbing and descending sorted for IMSG with the road back into town offering speeds up to 50 mph!
• Be a better blogger; both as a writer and reader, this year I slacked off on both! – Yeah, maybe, kinda, just, 2 more posts than the prior year. I read but failed to comment on others; best described as room for improvement! To that end I have cleaned up my blog roll and I am trying to avoid the distraction of Twitter and Facebook! 
• I will (no point setting myself up for failure) am going to try the keep the kit to a minimum although as it has been pointed out to me; triathlon is Greek for wallet rape! – inevitably a fail. That being said December was a breakthrough with my only expenditure being a new Road ID and a yoga mat from Marshalls!
• Do it for the kids, my eldest is off the training wheels and has a new bike, maybe I can get him to work on his swim and run too! – not to be, early in the year my wife and I separated and by Thanksgiving we were divorced. So with still a focus on getting the kids involved and now that both of my boys are off their training wheels maybe Summer Tri amp is in their future this year?
• Enjoy the journey, smile and have fun…it’s all too easy to take all this way too seriously! – well last year was a total blast as the ups far outweighed the downs and 2013 is set to be even better

I also wanted my training to be more consistent, I kinda was, I had a solid Spring  but I eased of in the summer as I was flirting with Injury going into Vineman. I had a good ramp up during the late summer and fall for IMAZ injury free and then tapered into the race. The second half of November and December were basically off! So it was periodized in some ways but more by luck than judgment, 2013 needs a bit more judgment

In a year where 4 out of my 7 races were firsts it’s a but unrealistic to say they were PRs. That being said I did manage to shave nearly a minute off a 10kPR that has been around since 2010.

So onto 2013…