Season’s End

First… Silverman Half Triathlon race report forthcoming.. just need to sift through pictures and actually put together a write-up.

FINALLY… the 2010 season is officially over.. I’m celebrating with a breakfast of four cupcakes my sister picked up from Cupcake Camp IE over the weekend.

CUPCAKES!! - clockwise from top left: lemon, banana, something with lemon frosting, coconut pineapple

I’m a little sad races are over for the year (true.. I’ve got two more races before we ring in the new year, but I’m not REALLY counting those… especially since they’re technically in the 2011 Xterra SoCal Trail Run Series), but I’m also relieved to get a little break to rebuid a good base for next year. It’s been a tough year for me.. racing, motivation, training, etc.. but it was definitely a good year: 2 marathons, 6 trail runs (+ 2 more this year), 13 bike races (all but one on the mountain bike), 7 triathlons (2 70.3 distance, 2 olympic, 1 off-road, 2 sprint), and 1 mud run. I’m not sure if I’ve improved much, considering my relaxed approach to training and lack of focus, but I did learn a lot of lessons on how to attack the 2011 season.

Lessons Learned

1. Quality not Quantitiy – Focused and quality (speed work, intervals, hills) short workouts will benefit me more than half-assed long workouts.
2. Nutrition is KEY – I really need to figure out race-day nutrition for better performance. I noticed that it isn’t physical fatigue or inability that slows me down during the races, it’s debilitating stomach aches from not paying attention to what I’m eating at the aid stations.
3. Minh is usually RIGHT – As much as I hate to admit it, this is true when it comes to working out, nutrition, race strategy and focus, and generally what’s good for me. This is not true when it comes to directions, random trivial knowledge, or scheduling… among other things not related to training and competing.

The year was fun and I’m definitely looking forward to next year. Hoping I improve more with more focused training and better plans.