Finally we broke free of the city and onto the coastal road up the Oresund. What a course. We were flying north, with the Baltic to our sparkling like a million crystals. Silky smooth asphalt, the sun shining down on us. Seagulls cruising along, staring at us weird freaks in lycra and with stupid helmets.
Around July I lost confidence that I would be able to travel to the US for the 70.3 WC in St George and quietly began looking for a consolation race and so I began searching Ironman.com for half distance events that weren’t already booked, preferably on the same weekend as St George and within reasonable driving distance. I ended up with 70.3 Slovenia.
What a ride it’s been! Nearly a decade ago, I fell down the triathlon rabbit hole, dreaming of 70.3 Worlds. My first shot was at 70.3 Oman in 2020, where I came 6th in my age group. But life had other plans. With a global pandemic looming, I turned down the slot for Taupo, NZ, to celebrate my wife’s birthday instead. Family first, always. Later that year, I raced 70.3 Gdynia under bizarre Covid conditions and snagged another slot for…
Time to give up and modify goals? Obviously it is not. But now is the point where we take a good look at where we are, where we are going and assess whether we’re on track. So where was I initially headed? The goal was a sub10 Ironman in Copenhagen, possibly sub 9:30 and ideally as close as possible to 9 hrs. I figured that with my talents and weaknesses, my experience and the time I can realistically invest into…
Swim Distance: 5,4 km Time: 01h 55m Highs A few honest 1:25 100s LCM Bike Distance: 137 km Time: 04h 20m Highs 3 productive workouts Slight increase in weekly time on bike 2 hr sweet spot intervals, most of it in aero Run Distance: 41,11 km Time: 03h 21m Highs Another great interval run. Averaging 3:40 for the 1000s in good conditions Long run distance keeps progressing at reasonable pace Lows Way below weekly target volume, only 2 swims Lows…
Swim Distance: 8,5 km Time: 02h 45m Highs 3 sessions per week Even endurance sets like 5*500 are becoming easy to bear and take much mental effort than in previous years Bike Distance: 132 km Time: 04h 02m Highs 3 productive workouts All workouts felt productive, I wasn’t at my limit Fueling a 2 hr ride with self-made beta fuel without any issues Run Distance: 36,85 km Time: 02h 56m Highs First interval run in ages. 3:45 k pace is…
Swim Distance: 9,2 km Time: 03h 10m Highs Biggest week yet Honest 100m in 1:28 LCM Lows Not as much speed work as I was planning to do. Chickened out at 10×100 threshold and did tempo after 3 repeats Bike Distance: 25 km Time: 0h 45m Highs Knocked a Sprint workout TR level 9.2 out of the park on zero sprint training Lows Took the recovery a bit too far and only rode the turbo for less than an hour…
Swim Distance: 5,5 km Time: 02h 05m Highs Began to breathe bilaterally Lows Not reaching goals for weekly yardage, not a single session over 3k Bike Distance: 126 km Time: 04h 10m Highs Continued progress in Tempo and Endurance levels Solid 2 hr endurance ride in aero Lows Adapting to new position not complete yet Run Distance: 39,51 km Time: 03h 36m Highs 4 runs this week Long run pushed beyond 1:30h Continous progression of weekly mileage, nearing 40k Lows…
Swim Distance: 7,3 km Time: 02h 30m Highs Technique improvements after video feedback – improved breathing 10×100 on 2 in 1:33 average Lows Not reaching goals for weekly yardage, not a single session over 3k Bike Distance: 127 km Time: 04h 00m Highs Benchmark workout TR „Shortoff“ (2*(3*2 Min) VO2 max) NP 6 watts over and HR 6 beats average below last time Continued progress in VO2, threshold and Sweet Spot levels Solid 2 hr endurance ride in aero Lows…
Swim Distance: 29,1 km Time: 10h 50m Highs Biggest workout in a pool to date – 4 km 10×100 on 2 in 1:38 Lows Poor consistency and drop in volume near end of year Bike Distance: 414 km Time: 13h 33m Highs New extensions Still progressing through levels at tested FTP Holding aero position up to upper sweet spot / lower threshold Lows Long ride not as long as prescribed in TR Breaking aero during long ride Run Distance: 137,33…
2022 will hopefully be the year I slay the dragon that is long course triathlon. I made an attempt in Hamburg 2018 but it was a hollow victory (hollow slaying?) when Ironman cancelled the swim and replaced it with a 6k warm up run. The dragon was already hurt and limping. Ever since I have to endure the mocking of friends, that technically I have yet to finish a full distance event. Time to get it over with. What are…