2010 triathlon season: a quick review

With the winter fully upon us, I guess it is a good time to reflect on my 2010 season. This was my second season of “long distance” triathlon after completing Ironman Austria last year and having Ironman Regensburg as my A race for this season.

I changed coaches this year. There was nothing wrong with my previous coach, he was great and got me to a great time in Austria, but I had decided to coach myself for 2010 and see how that went. I quickly changed my mind and enlisted the help of Charles Couturier, a French Canadian who I had been “chatting” with for some time on a triathlon forum. This was to be my third coach in three years; a friend of mine called me a “triathlon whore!” which I found quite funny! Anyway, Charles and I came up with a training plan and philosophy that we thought would work (when I say “we”, I mean Charles and I just went along with it!) and I then set the following goals for the season:

1. 5 hours at the Weymouth middle distance race
2. Sub 11 hours at Ironman Regensburg
3. 1:25 at the Cardiff half marathon

Most of these goals were real stretch targets, goals that I could only ever hope to achieve on a perfect day with uninterrupted training. For those of you who regularly follow my blog, you will already know that I managed to reach all of these goals. It turned out to be a great year for me; I managed to go 4:37 in Weymouth (3rd in my age group), 10:33 at Ironman Regensburg and 1:23 on a “short” course at the Cardiff half marathon.

All in all, an awesome season! I’m very pleased to have achieved these goals, it hasn’t been easy believe me, but (like last year) the key is consistency in training. This is the most important factor for me. My continued improvement is all due to the commitment I placed on my goals and the will to achieve them. It might sound daft, but I truly believe if you set realistic goals, no matter what goes on around you, if you have focus & drive you can achieve those goals.

I must note again the importance of support during an Ironman season. Ironman training is damn hard! Yes, it is me doing the training and the racing but without a support network it is impossible. Without the support of my wife, family (Team Whittle), friends, coach Charles, club members, training partners and work colleagues, it wouldn't have been possible; so I thank you all for your continued love and support.

What will the 2011 race season bring? Who knows! Train & race smart all!