2012 is pretty far from being over, but racing this year is already way in the past. Here's a little review...I started this blog in the beginning of July so there's something new to tell about the first half of the year but let me look quickly at what has happened in the last 2 years:
In November 2010 I was finishing up a successful triathlon year at the Ironman 70.3 (half ironman) world championships in Florida and there I had a quite bad crash in which my left thumb almost got cut off. Earlier that year I had finished as 3rd amateur at the Ironman 70.3 Galveston,TX and won Ironman's inaugural 70.3 collegiate champs in Austin, TX so I was curious to request a pro letter from Finland triathlon union and the short answer was "yes". But anyway I decided to take a five week trip to South America over the christmas break. The last 3,5 weeks before the trip were my off/ low season with not much training, and during those 5 or 5,5 weeks in Bolivia and other places, I think I only did two quite short runs so when I got back to Texas I was totally out of shape. By this time my thumb was pretty ok but it had taken a long time to heal..I remember being in Macchu Picchu seeing my thumb getting worse again, so upon returning to the city of Cuzco I got more antibiotics (prescription free there, easy).
When I was back in Tyler I knew I was going to move to Bolivia four months later, so it didn't bother me very much that I was out of shape and going to postpone my triathlon goals. That spring I had a road bike, and without competitive ambitions for that year it was fun to join those great Tyler group rides. I had thought cycling to be boring ( I still haven't done a road race to this day) but once I got a little better taste of it on those competitive training rides, I do now have an interest in bicycle racing. Running and swimming were both on and off that spring but by the end of the school semester I was not in bad shape anymore for cycling and swimming.
First three weeks or so in Bolivia were a struggle because of living at 12 500ft altitude and because it was difficult to find where to practise. Even light jogging was difficult at that altitude. It took about 6 weeks to feel like I could do something in training, and another 6 weeks until it started to go well. I managed to log good amounts of training in June and July but the rest of the year I was not able to be very consistent.
I came back to the U.S. to Lawton, OK on January 10th after 8 months in Bolivia. During the last 11 weeks I had run only about 25 minutes per week on average because my left knee was hurting in a way that allowed me to ride but not run. I was going to be in the Cameron University cross country team, so I started to run. I was only able to run after taking ibuprofen before every run. After three weeks I tried without it and the leg started hurting just like before. It was not until March 10th that I stopped taking ibuprofen. It was time for the first track meet but my eligibility trial ( or something ) ended because I had not taken care of all the paperwork. I think it was something from the freaking elementary school that was missing. I was on my own, and realised I could start doing full triathlon training, and that after my first semester at Cameron I was going to get an automatic out of state tuition waiver without running if I'd keep my grades up and that's what happened.
In April my tibia started having an annoying feeling in it, but I kept training normally as the weather was awesome and I was getting in a really good shape.
Only one week before the end of the semester me and my wife changed our plan and decided to use our return tickets to Bolivia and return to the sky high and cool La Paz for the summer! I was eager to compete in my first triathlon in over 1,5 years which would be the Bolivian olympic distance nationals. This time the altitude was not a problem for me. I knew it immediately after arriving as we needed to push our taxi to give it a kick start on our way down from the even higher located El Alto airport: a good sprint and I felt fine! I didn't need an adjustment period but I was able to start good training right away. My tibia was a problem though, and one night I was climbing stairs at the stadium after watching a soccer game and it hurt but in training it didn't so I kept going. Three weeks at "overaltitude" with the right training was enough, but not too long for it to affect my speed negatively. It was time to go to Tarija for the race, which is at about 6300ft. The race itself turned out to be a total success and my best triathlon ever.
The start time was supposed to be 8.30. In the taxi on my way to the race venue I was wondering if I should be worried because it was 8.30 already, but I though that probably not. Eventually the race started at 10.30...The lake was totally calm, the water was cool, air was warm but fresh, the sky was clear, the 4x6 mile bike course was closed to traffic, and the run was on a totally flat paved path along the lake.
I had a very good swim but I was 5th out of the water. In Bolivia when triathletes talk, you ask "where do you practise?" and the answer is the pool where they swim, so swimming is quite (maybe too) important there. Soon I caught the front pack of four and flew past them. It seemed to be draft legal with the ITU rules. I didn't know that before the race and didn't really care. I thought they should be able to catch me working together, but the gap would grow bigger each time I saw them. It was really cool to be in the lead, pushing hard over the rolling terrain and not get tired. The transition could not have been shorter for me as I happened to have the best spot: dismount line, two steps, take running shoes, three yards and I was on the run course! My perfect race continued. I just ran as hard as my lungs allowed, the legs were no problem. I finished in 1.54.55 without any feeling in my tibia.
There are triathletes and interest in Bolivia, but I believe that the training could be better organized. Also the resources are low. And at least in La Paz it takes some courage to for example ride bike on those busy and narrow streets and it can easily take a full hour to get to a flat road and countryside. I have never ridden my tri bike there, outside. Maybe one day I can contribute to the Bolivian triathlon at least a little bit, maybe coaching or something else.
After the race I rested one day and the next day my tibia was hurting a little bit on a bike ride so I decided to run only what's necessary. I got back into the good training again for 2,5 weeks, was very sick for one week, one more week of training and then I traveled to Iquique in Chile for the half iron distance race which I wrote about in my first blog. Being sick, lack of running volume, and also the lack of high intensity in training due to the elevation was now getting the best of me but I still did ok.
Again, on the first bike ride the tibia was feeling bad, but then it went away and I did a few mountain climbing trips.
Next I would start preparing for a full Ironman on 9/9. In August I did a lot of training. I did over 89 hours, almost 90. I time workouts very carefully: for example, for a swimming workout I only count the number of minutes I actually swim, and not the recovery time between each repeat. A 56 minute run is not one hour (but it's better to keep running until it is). Driving, locker room time, stretching- I don't take it. I had lost my swimming somewhere in the mountains I guess. I was not able to swim fast in 7 seven weeks, until it suddenly clicked and soon I did my best ever times in the end of August. The ironman didn't go well and I lost my sports appetite for the fall. I had signed up for the Tri Tyler Half early in April and paid for it so that kept me moving at least a little bit.
