I have done 4 races so far, and achieved most of the goals that I have set for myself.
At Muskoka, my goal was to go sup 1:15. I missed the goal by :45, by I'm still happy with the result as it was my fastest ever run, and gave me the confidence to feel like I can be a fast runner.
At Huronia, my goal was to bike sub 34, and run sub 22. Bike sub 34 is impossible at that course, as both of your transition times are included in the bike, and it is a 21.5km bike route with a large hill, some minor inclines, and sketchy road surface. I did, however, ride 38:00+, so I'm happy with that. I came close to running a sub 22:00, running a 22:30, again showing that my speed has improved a lot. It was hot and I didn't pace myself properly. I did, however, finish 2nd in my Age Group and 5th Overall!
At Bala, my goal was to run a sub 35:00. I thought it was only a 7km run (got it confused with Orillia), as it turned out to be a 7.5km run. BUT: I did achieve this goal! I ran 34:43, which is crazy for me! This is a hilly course, and I normally see my pace drop significantly as I run up hills, but I was able to maintain a consistent 4:30ish pace. I finished 4th in my Age Group which bummed me because I missed the podium by :38, but I knew I'd have to go 1:44 for a podium (did 1:45:08) and the guy that passed me with 1km to go runs a sub 3:00 marathon, so I'm not complaining!
Next up I have the Barrie Sprint. I have a lot of trouble getting pumped for this race, but hopefully this year is different. My goals are lofty: sub 30:00 bike (I'd have to average over 40km/h on the bike) and/or a sub 20:00 run (have to average sub 4:00 km pace for the run). I think I can do the sub 20:00 if I really push myself, but the bike will be very difficult. If it's dry out though (a first for me racing in Barrie) I can get close.
Cheers, and thanks for reading!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Original Point of this Blog
Here's what I wrote two years ago:
Welcome to my (Matt Doucette's) blog. Here I will be keeping you up to date as I work my way towards an Ironman Triathlon. The goal is to have this done by 2012. I'm more of a talker than a writer (and even then, many say I can't talk properly...pathetic for an English teacher!), but I hope to provide a humorous look at my seasons from training to races, goals that I've achieved, or set too high. I don't want to just throw out training stats; I want to be able to let you know what it's like for me as I work to accomplishing my goal: Ironman 2012
I haven't read this post in a while, but I knew what it entailed. The ultimate goal being an Ironman race in 2012. Shoot, guess I should sign up for one. Oh wait, I already did! Next August 19th, 2012 I will be competing in the inaugural Ironman race at the beautiful Mont Tremblant. It's going to be scary, nervous, exhausting, painful, DEATH, but...it's going to be a wonderful experience. The last two years have been such an amazing experience. I have accomplished many firsts, and have improved immensely. Fact: I was faster by 20 minutes from my first ever sprint at Muskoka to this year's Muskoka sprint. I have learned how to push myself to the boundaries, and do what it takes to win. Each race I work on something different in the hopes of making myself a complete triathlete. All in all, I am no longer compliant with just finishing. I'm now trying to win.
Welcome to my (Matt Doucette's) blog. Here I will be keeping you up to date as I work my way towards an Ironman Triathlon. The goal is to have this done by 2012. I'm more of a talker than a writer (and even then, many say I can't talk properly...pathetic for an English teacher!), but I hope to provide a humorous look at my seasons from training to races, goals that I've achieved, or set too high. I don't want to just throw out training stats; I want to be able to let you know what it's like for me as I work to accomplishing my goal: Ironman 2012
I haven't read this post in a while, but I knew what it entailed. The ultimate goal being an Ironman race in 2012. Shoot, guess I should sign up for one. Oh wait, I already did! Next August 19th, 2012 I will be competing in the inaugural Ironman race at the beautiful Mont Tremblant. It's going to be scary, nervous, exhausting, painful, DEATH, but...it's going to be a wonderful experience. The last two years have been such an amazing experience. I have accomplished many firsts, and have improved immensely. Fact: I was faster by 20 minutes from my first ever sprint at Muskoka to this year's Muskoka sprint. I have learned how to push myself to the boundaries, and do what it takes to win. Each race I work on something different in the hopes of making myself a complete triathlete. All in all, I am no longer compliant with just finishing. I'm now trying to win.
It's been awhile...
Haven't posted in awhile, but boy, has a lot happened! Okay, since my last post I:
finished physio, feeling completely healthy, and a new appreciation for my body. I learned the importance of a proper warm up, and that it means nothing if the 1st km is your fastest, it only matters if the last km is your fastest.
began a proper marathon build. Rather than just randomly running a long distance; I now follow the 10% rule. Since it's currently tri season, it's difficult to get a long run in, but on off weeks, you can find me running along Veteran's Dr., and Hwy 27. I've built to a comfortable 18km, with the goal of Hamilton's Road2Hope being my first marathon.
I realized (although I already knew) that pool time does not equal open water time. In the pool I average 1:50, but unfortunately my two races have averaged 2:20.
I have only biked a total of 9 times. Weird because I love the idea of riding, I love my bike, and I love the bike leg in a race, but I can't get out and ride by myself. I need the motivation of others/adrenaline to pass people and show my superiority in the saddle (I know that sounds extremely vain, but I do fancy myself to be a fast cyclist, although realizing I can work harder when I continue to finish 2nd/3rd at the club Time Trials.
I am now a fast runner. I averaged 4:22 at the Muskoka sprint, and the last 2 weeks I have ran at a <4:20 pace at speed work. Hopefully soon I'll be sub 4:00.
My body feels great. The general fatigue from training and pushing myself, but other than that, there is nothing lingering, and nothing to write home about. My season of speed has been great thus far. I did the Guelph Lakes 1 Sprint and finished 8th in my Age Group, which was great because it was the best finish I had had at a Subaru tri, and then followed that up with a 4th Age Group finish at the Muskoka Sprint. I will try to provide more in depth analysis with my blog posts in the future, but all in all, it's been a great start to the season, and it's only going to get better!
my new favorite mantra: "I don't want easy, I just want possible"
finished physio, feeling completely healthy, and a new appreciation for my body. I learned the importance of a proper warm up, and that it means nothing if the 1st km is your fastest, it only matters if the last km is your fastest.
began a proper marathon build. Rather than just randomly running a long distance; I now follow the 10% rule. Since it's currently tri season, it's difficult to get a long run in, but on off weeks, you can find me running along Veteran's Dr., and Hwy 27. I've built to a comfortable 18km, with the goal of Hamilton's Road2Hope being my first marathon.
I realized (although I already knew) that pool time does not equal open water time. In the pool I average 1:50, but unfortunately my two races have averaged 2:20.
I have only biked a total of 9 times. Weird because I love the idea of riding, I love my bike, and I love the bike leg in a race, but I can't get out and ride by myself. I need the motivation of others/adrenaline to pass people and show my superiority in the saddle (I know that sounds extremely vain, but I do fancy myself to be a fast cyclist, although realizing I can work harder when I continue to finish 2nd/3rd at the club Time Trials.
I am now a fast runner. I averaged 4:22 at the Muskoka sprint, and the last 2 weeks I have ran at a <4:20 pace at speed work. Hopefully soon I'll be sub 4:00.
My body feels great. The general fatigue from training and pushing myself, but other than that, there is nothing lingering, and nothing to write home about. My season of speed has been great thus far. I did the Guelph Lakes 1 Sprint and finished 8th in my Age Group, which was great because it was the best finish I had had at a Subaru tri, and then followed that up with a 4th Age Group finish at the Muskoka Sprint. I will try to provide more in depth analysis with my blog posts in the future, but all in all, it's been a great start to the season, and it's only going to get better!
my new favorite mantra: "I don't want easy, I just want possible"
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