Things on my XMas Tri Wish List - New Garmin Forerunner

As I said before, my Garmin Forerunner has been indispensable. The
new ones (305 and 405) have only become smaller. The 305 is only a
little more expensive than a new 301 right now and there is an
upcoming sale on it at Costco. This will make it almost the same
price.

The biggest advantage that I see to upgrading is the size (and having a working heart rate monitor again). These new ones are small enough that I don't see them getting in the way during the swim. The 301 is large enough that I had attempted to swim with it, but found it cumbersome. All of these Forerunner's are water resistant.I have not had a chance to play with the 305 or the 405, but in looking at the specs here are the biggest differences that I have seen.

The 405 is smaller and newer.

The 305 allows you to do multi-sport with the press of a button. This means that each time you switch to a different sport you can do so by pressing a button. This is great during races because there is no break in your timing. If you press the button at the right times you can even have your transitions. I use this feature whenever I race with my 301 and I love it. I would hope that the 405 has some way to do multi-sport and I'm very weary to buying one until I find this out. This would definitely send me back to the 305 or waiting for a newer model.

The 405 allows you to send your data to your computer via wireless.

The 405 is not compatible with the mac. This was a problem with the 301, so I can live with it, but actually having a compatible Forerunner would be nice, especially with so few other differences.

I am going to need a heart rate monitor for the new season, so I'm probably not looking at waiting for the next model. And with the great price on the 305, there very well may be one under my tree this year.

Things I learned - FIRST run Training

This isn't exactly new. I used this last season, but it helped me drop my first year run time down from a 8:30/mile in my first sprint triathlon to a 7:06/mile for a 5k at the end of the season.

The Furman Institute of Running & Scientific Training has training programs for a 5k through a full marathon. First you find your tempo pace, and then you plug that into each program. You then have a 12-16 week run training program, with run training only 3 days a week. That's right 3 days a week.

http://www.furman.edu/first/

How to be frugal with your triathlon training

Active posted this nice article on how to save some money with your training. I know I put it on twitter, but I thought it was worth a blog entry.

http://www.triathletemag.com/Departments/Training/2007/The_frugal_triathlete__Success_for_less.htm

I would like to add. You can check out books and DVDs at your local library for free.

Also you can usually find cycling clubs for free. A great resource for the Orlando cycling community is blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_thechaingang/

Things I learned - Watch out where you peak

* Plan your races accordingly and give yourself some rest in between major races.

I think that I peaked too soon and once I fell off my high I started to drag through the rest of the season. I tried hard to hold onto what I had left.

My first race was good. My two Olympic distance races in March were decent. My races after the Olympics were awesome! By early June I was starting to see my times falling, even after I gave myself rest. I was feeling burned out in my run (Which also had to do with the heat) and I found it hard to train when I wasn't reaching goals I set.

I also need to figure out a way to give myself more rest in the middle of the season and really plan out my season for a few peaks and breaks. I Also am going to start my main training a little bit later this next season.

Season Wrap Up - Goals I set and how I did with them

Season Wrap-Up

I think it's an excellent idea to set goals for yourself. No matter what level you are at, they give you something to reach for. Even when the rest of your life falls off track they give you some focus.

When you set goals, you start to learn what is and is not possible for you to achieve. They also set you up to create new goals and accomplish goals that you didn't realize you had until after you complete them.

My goals for the 2008 season -

* Get Sponsored
Thank you Honeystinger and Rudy Project. I hope to add to my sponsors next year.

* 6:30/mile

During the beginning of the season my training was going excellent. My run splits for my sprints were consistently around 6:50/mile and I was consistently setting PRs. I thought for sure I would see as much improvement as I did last season and reach a 6:30/mile. Then the heat came. I didn't know this was the problem though.

I don't remember my run suffering as much last year, but my time dropped. I was still being competitive, but I was having trouble training and I didn't have a clue what it was. I thought it may of had to do with some inconsistency's in my training. Then I started doing research and I read in a couple places where heat can fatigue your run by 10%. This was almost exactly where I was at. I went on a trip to California and I saw my distance and speed increase dramatically without feeling fatigued.

I am planning to do some 5ks in my off season. I hope to peak into January before I take a break. Now that I have figured this whole heat thing (And it's actually starting to get cool around here) I hope to set some huge PRs and raise the bar for myself for next triathlon season.

* Place in the top 5% overall regularly

This may of been a bit of a lofty goal. 5% in many of the races would of meant me finishing 1st or 2nd overall against the men. I consistently placed near the top 10% of men. I was 3rd in my age group in one race and I was never worse than 2nd in my age group over another 6 different sprint races. In every sprint race I was in the top 20 overall, and the races ranged from 60-350 people.

Olympic distance races were a completely different story. I just couldn't break through a barrier. In the two smaller ones I raced in, I was 8th and 5th in my age group and never worse than 60th overall. Small being 325 and 505 people. At St. Anthony's, 3415 people, I was 26th in my age group and 245th overall (This includes about 40 pros). I still have a ways to go here.

* Qualify for nationals

USAT's qualification system is a little bit hard to understand, but apparently by finishing so well in my age group, at USAT certified races, I qualified on multiple occasions. Unfortunately due to losing my job, and some difficult financial situations before that, I wasn't able to go.

I hope to qualify again next year, and I hope my situation will be better. There is a sprint race in California to qualify for worlds. If I can afford it, I may go.

* Help others achieve their triathlon goals

I helped Kathy teach another round of a beginning tri group at the YMCA. Late in the season I worked with Jennifer in the pool. I carried Mike Mott along in my draft during long rides so he could get his mileage in (You know I'm joking, right Mike. I only did this early in the season, haha)

If you have any questions, let me know. I am looking for topics to discuss here or I'd be happy to meet up with you and help you out. I am now heading into my third year and still remember a lot of the speed bumps I had to go over to improve and get to where I am at. I realize I have a lot more speed bumps to go, but I have definitely learned a lot.