Sunday 14 March 2010

My Olympics...




Ten weeks from pretty much this very moment I will know once and for all if I’ll ever reach the World Ironman Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Although I feel like I’m going on a bit, in a ‘change the record’ kind of way, as the days rapidly tick by this really is the moment that the previous five years have all been about. In Episode Eight of Marathon Talk I talked to European cross-country champion Hayley Yelling about her running career and listened to how she missed qualifying for the Olympics, in what perhaps was her final chance, by 0.14 seconds. Most of the time in life there’s a chance to have another go and get something right, but every now and then there comes a single moment that is unlikely ever to be repeated. The 22nd of May 2010 will for me be that moment, my final chance to qualify. If I miss out then, and it could easily be closer than the three minutes that I was short in Switzerland 2009, I will never reach the Big Island…. my Olympics.

Because of that I’m beginning to feel that my entire Ironman ‘career’ could well be defined there and then in Lanzarote and, aside from the issue of qualification, my current swim issues are really playing on my mind. From the very beginning of my Iron journey I’ve wanted to be strong across all three disciplines, to the extent of consciously putting swim / bike / run ‘balance’ ahead of overall finish time. Starting as pretty much a non-swimmer I’ve dedicated hundreds and hundreds of hours to building my first triathlon discipline to reach a par with my cycling and running… to the point where it typically provides my highest ranked split against the rest of the field (albeit more a reflection of the typical lack of swim focus exhibited by triathletes). I’ve always wanted to be a great triathlete and not a great duathlete who survives the swim, despite the knowledge that in terms of finish time, and therefore chances of qualification, my training time may have been better distributed with a bike / run focus. Frustratingly, as I approach what may well be that defining moment, some kind of nerve compression syndrome has meant I’ve averaged around 1,000 metres per week (compared to previous years of 15-20,000 weekly metres) for the last few months. Despite working really hard on it with a brilliant physio we just can't seem to turn things round and with less than 70 days to go I'm not convinced I'll get anywhere near my previous swim efforts. I'm currently estimating that it could cost me around five minutes into T1 however with my bike and run fitness getting stronger every single day I'm actually confident that I could turn such a deficit around and still break the ten hour barrier (my predicted MINIMUM performance to qualify). BUT... more than the time 'penalty' I'm really struggling to deal with the fact that in what might be my final official Ironman I'll be 'surviving' the swim and hammering the bike & run. On top of that, I really really love swimming and can't have enjoyed a single swim since way back in 2009.

Still, on a positive note... a really relaxed yet very hilly 22 on Friday night (2:44 - average mile 7.29 - av hr 140) suggests that my running is pretty much on par with this time in 2008 (when I went on to run a strong 2.49 in London) and with 98 hours in my cycling legs over the last six weeks I'm pretty close to turning my 'what seemed like a lost cause' bike fitness into something resembling that required to break 5:30 on the toughest Ironman bike course in the world. 

Before I sign out this week, well done to my amazing wife who despite something of a psychological 'speed wobble' on Saturday managed to turn things round at this morning's spaghetti junction of a half-marathon (see today's pic) and battle through the wind to get within a minute of her all-time half-marathon pb... 

See you next week...

T


5 comments:

Rob Quantrell said...

Great stuff Tom - i've only managed 98hours TRAINING in the past 6 weeks, so to put that in on the bike alone is simply mind blowing!

I wouldn't worry too much about the swim if it was me mate. As you know a large part of an IM swim split is getting in the right position and getting on the right feet. I swam 10mins slower at IMA in '08 compared to '09 despite swimming 100kms more in the 2008 build up. I was less swim fit, but more swim 'smart'. Makes a big difference. All those km's you put in the swimming bank over the past 4years? May 22nd is time to take a big withdrawal!!

New job and related issues means I can't get any weekend time off to come North in March - lets sort a weekend blitz out for April if thats ok?

runtilyoudrop said...

Keep the focus up Tom you are going great.

Tom said...

Rob - A really great comment with regards the swim, it's totally changed my mindset re the first discipline - thanks!

Gabriel - Cheers mate... 'nearly' there ;)

Running Diva Mom said...

just found your blog -- looking forward to following your journey! Keep it up!

Tom said...

Hey RDM,

Great to 'meet' you and thanks for the support :)

T & H