1. Support - Any triathlete will tell you that NOTHING happens w/out the support of their loved ones. I think there are many many other triathletes/athletes who manage their time better than I do (don't have kids, yet, etc...). Although, my wife, Sandy, has been my rock and completely on board w/ helping me fulfill one of the most incredible lifetime achievements. Without her, I wouldn't even come close to getting through these races! She always provides me w/ great feedback and encouragement which helped me reach this goal. Thanks so much and I love you!!
2. Consistency - Compared to previous year's I really focused on quality and consistency. The difference in hours/week from beginning to end never wavered that much. It was the quality of workouts that changed and the ability to recover, get stronger, work hard, and do it again. I also got back to BASICS. Decided to use my training tools as guides, but go by feel. Thus, I used Heart Rate monitor, but used my pacing on the run and swim to determine my interval paces. For the bike intervals, I used feel....During the races, I also went completely by feel which seemed to work well.
3. Coaching - This year I got coached from Carmichael Training and my coach, Natalie Bojko really helped put things in perspective and got me super ready for my races. I have to admit, I was really sceptable and wasn't that confident in the lack of hours of required training. I questioned the number of intervals and "short" weekend bike rides (w/ intervals of course) vs. the traditional "long" slow bike ride. What I found was the intervals destroyed me, but I kept coming back after recovery weeks SO much stronger and able to hold a consistent pace for a much longer time. If you told me in the last 4 years I would ride any IM bike course 6 hours I would've laughed, doing a 5:28 in IM Germany w/ even splits and feeling incredible off the bike for a great run was amazing. The other thing I learned was to keep pedaling evenly throughout the bike, this kept my legs fresh and pace strong. In addition, my running has never been stronger. I've got a long way to go, but definitely ready to keep improving!
4. Rest - REALLY resting and taking it easy during the "recovery" weeks was something I never could get my head around. BUT, this really works. I had to test my body to see how it would react to rest since I was going for the double IM in such a short amount of time. This worked terrifically and I defintely came back stronger each week. Also, being fairly consistent about SLEEP (~7-8 hrs/night) was a KEY to staying healthy and fit.
5. Core Strength - Enrolling in Pilates and Yoga since Fall of '08 has really made a difference. It was the perfect mix for all the aerobic training and helped me keep my form during the long swims, bikes, and runs. Having a strong core makes a HUGE difference when holding an aero position on the bike for 5-6 hours then feeling fresh for a marathon.
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