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Annual Summary – 2009

2009 was a busy year full of changes for us. A year ago at this time, we were living in NYC making plans for our move to LA; I was just getting over my knee and hip injuries and getting back into training after a frustrating Fall; I was about to quit my job and jump into the ever-increasing pool of the unemployed.

I had big racing goals for 2009, but was cautiously anxious about what I’d be able to do. In the end, it turned out to be a really good year. I was able to participate in all three of my “A” races: Boston, Ironman Canada and the North Face 50. In all, I did five races in 2009, the three “A” races, the Bonelli Olympic Distance Triathlon and the XTERRA Point Mugu 18K. I had hoped to do a few more races – especially two more trail races in November, but my achilles injury forced me to skip those two.

I did a lot of good training and got to know a fair number of local triathletes and runners. Doing group workouts, such as the Tuesday night Griffith Park Brick, Saturday morning PCH rides, Wednesday and Friday morning ocean swims and trail runs with Rom, was a nice way to get into the community and explore what LA has to offer to endurance athletes. It was also a really nice change from the years of mostly solo training in NYC.

One of my favorite experiences of the year was crewing for Blake at Badwater in July. It was an eye-opening experience into how far and hard some people can push their bodies. I loved being part of the teamwork and camaraderie required to get Blake to the Whitney Portal.

Although I’ve been unemployed since we landed in LA, I was able to pick up enough consulting work to contribute to the family’s finances and to keep myself relatively busy. And the “good” thing is that I have a full-time job starting tomorrow morning. Yes, working full-time will put a crimp in my training schedule and my time with Charlie, but it will be nice to get back into a consistent rhythm of working and have a little more financial security.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s 2009:

Swim: 225,341 yards (128 miles or 9,014 lengths in a 25 yard pool)
Cycling (outdoors): 2,505.53 miles
Cycling (indoors): 27:46 (hours)
Run: 1,150.65 miles + 45 miles at Badwater
Strength Training: 32 sessions
Approximate annual total training/racing time: 475 hours

I trained about 50 more hours in 2009 than in 2008. I swam just about the same distance, but in 2009, I rode about 600 more miles outside and ran about 560 more miles. In 2008, I spent a lot more time on the trainer (I don’t miss that) and spent a lot more time in gym (though a fair amount of that in 2008 was strength training during physical therapy for my knee and hip – again, not something I really miss!). I’m happy with my training totals. My training was heaviest between May and August, when I was feeling healthiest and in the middle of my biggest cycling months for IM Canada; I put in almost half of my annual training hours during those four months.

Looking ahead to 2010:

I’m excited for 2010. So far, I have three races on the calendar. But they are big ones: Oceanside 70.3 in March and the Angeles Crest 100 in August. It also looks like I’ll join a team to do the Ragnar Relay LA in April. I’m assuming that my achilles will heal up quickly and I’ll be back running full strength soon. If that goes as I hope, I’d like to do a spring half marathon. I’ll also need to do some longer trail races in the spring and summer to prepare for Angeles Crest. I’m not sure that I’ll do any triathlons in 2010 other than Oceanside, but I’m not counting that entirely out yet. For the time being, I’m going to play all of that by ear.

I’m going to continue doing group running and cycling workouts. The Tuesday night Griffith Park Brick might be a little tough to get to after work, but I’ll keep attending weekend and morning training. I’ll be psyched if I can regularly get out to the Saturday morning PCH ride. I’d also like to do some trail running with LA Runner and the LA Trail Runners Club. There’s no reason all of that – and more – can’t happen this year!

2010 has gotten off to a good start. On New Year’s Day, my Dad and I went to the Rose Bowl and got to see the Buckeyes win a great game against Oregon.

Then, yesterday was the usual Saturday ride, but we started the year off with a climb up Latigo. That was my first canyon climb since probably before IM Canada and it pretty much kicked my ass. It was a beautiful morning for a ride and we had sick views of Catalina during the climb. I made it to the top in a pedestrian 54 minutes. Hopefully, I’ll bring that down a bit as the year goes along. Then, finally, today the Chargers closed out the regular season with their 11th straight win (and remained perfect in December since 2006). Now, two weeks of rest before a home playoff game! Nice.

Happy New Year! As always, thanks again for following along!

Bike – January 2
Distance: 49.5 miles
Time: 3:24 (ride time: 3:08)
Course: PCH up Latigo, return (Latigo time: 54 min.)
Conditions: Sunny and warm, low 60’s

Strength/core – January 3