I remember clearly back in Ironman 2009 what I was thinking as I headed out on the marathon portion of the race. I even stopped briefly to tell Claudette that quite frankly, I had no idea what was gonna happen next. For some reason I wasn't really scared though, just uncertain, and in some kind of wonderment that I was even there. After all, I had never done that particular thing before in my life.
I feel a similar sense of uncertainty now as relates to the overall race, and the preparation. I am confident that I will not screw up by going out too hard, or messing up my hydration etc, and confident that I will finish it in some reasonable fashion. I am even confident that my training is smarter than last time and that it should reap some improvement in results.
Where is the uncertainty then? It's the age thing! I truly don't know if the improved training, and the stronger effort are enough to offset the 3 years, let alone allow room for improvement. I give you this as some evidence. In the 2009 race the average time of the top 3 in my 50-54 age group was 10:06, the 55-59 avarage was 11:02, and the 60-64 average was 11:55. Pretty drastic eh? Almost an hour slower for each successive 5 years.
Generally I believe that I am already fitter than I was in 2009 and yet I also notice more fatigue after hard efforts, and I definitely notice less co-ordination particularly when I run. The muscles just don't seem to fire the same way they used to. When I am tired I stumble easier and often trip over my own feet.
But back to my title. At some point I will establish and publicly identify my time goals, but only because it is motivational and fun to do so. Beyond that I don't know, but it really doesn't matter.
One training thing I have struggled with is getting my weight sessions in without it being a problem for the next days workout. I found that I was trying to swim with tired arms, and trying to run with sore legs. The answer was staring me in the face and today I figured it out. From here on in you will see twice as many weight sessions per week, as I will break them up into upper and lower body, and fit them in appropriately. Problem solved!
(computrainer 60 mins, weights)
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so."---Mark Twain
"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."---Mark Twain
Love
Peter
I feel a similar sense of uncertainty now as relates to the overall race, and the preparation. I am confident that I will not screw up by going out too hard, or messing up my hydration etc, and confident that I will finish it in some reasonable fashion. I am even confident that my training is smarter than last time and that it should reap some improvement in results.
Where is the uncertainty then? It's the age thing! I truly don't know if the improved training, and the stronger effort are enough to offset the 3 years, let alone allow room for improvement. I give you this as some evidence. In the 2009 race the average time of the top 3 in my 50-54 age group was 10:06, the 55-59 avarage was 11:02, and the 60-64 average was 11:55. Pretty drastic eh? Almost an hour slower for each successive 5 years.
Generally I believe that I am already fitter than I was in 2009 and yet I also notice more fatigue after hard efforts, and I definitely notice less co-ordination particularly when I run. The muscles just don't seem to fire the same way they used to. When I am tired I stumble easier and often trip over my own feet.
But back to my title. At some point I will establish and publicly identify my time goals, but only because it is motivational and fun to do so. Beyond that I don't know, but it really doesn't matter.
One training thing I have struggled with is getting my weight sessions in without it being a problem for the next days workout. I found that I was trying to swim with tired arms, and trying to run with sore legs. The answer was staring me in the face and today I figured it out. From here on in you will see twice as many weight sessions per week, as I will break them up into upper and lower body, and fit them in appropriately. Problem solved!
(computrainer 60 mins, weights)
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so."---Mark Twain
"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."---Mark Twain
Love
Peter
Maybe you should be thinking less about your overall time and more about your showing relative to your age group. If you are overall an hour slower than last time, but manage to be first in your age group, would that not be a huge success? As a dairy farmer, dad was always interested in BCA, as it is a measure of performance compared to the group. I am suggesting the same for you. I will leave it to you to try to remember what BCA stands for. I am sure some of your younger siblings besides myself will help if you need them to.
ReplyDeleteLove Old John