2012 Goals

Looking back on my short triathlon life I feel like I’ve been all over the board with my goals.  The first year it was simply to finish the swim leg without drowning.  The second year I had a couple of key races, but no real goals.  Last year I had a clear goal of qualifying for Nationals, which I did in my first race.  Unfortunately that left me without a goal for the rest of the season  This year I’m putting together a series of goals, with tier two goals should I complete the first ones too quickly.

Running
I want to run a marathon, in less than four hours, and feel like I want to do it again.  With only one marathon on tap, this could be a challenge.  If I come up short, then I’ll have to look at giving it another go in November.

Swimming
In virtually every triathlon I’ve done, my pace has been the same:  2 minutes per 100M.  This includes my first sprint, my half Ironman races, and even the races this past year.  My goal is to drop that pace.  Specifically, I want to do the HIM swim in 35 minutes, whereas previously it has taken me 40 minutes.  Today I could swim 50, maybe 100 meters that fast, but not much further.

Triathlon

1. I want to put together a complete HIM distance race, like I did at Nationals this year.  When I was done with that race I felt like I had completed each leg to the best of my abilities at that time, and they lined up with my pre-race expectations.
2. I want to break 6 hours in a half Ironman.  Note:  This should be easily accomplished.
3. Tier 2:  In conjunction with goal #1, I want to hit a race a peak conditioning, to enable me to finish in less than 5:45 minutes.  To do this I will need to hit my swim goal time, my best bike time from 2 years ago, and a solid but not crazy half marathon.

If you got this far, you know what I want to accomplish this next season.  I put it here so that it is in writing and I will be accountable.  However, I don’t need to be reminded of them.  So if you see me out there before a race, please be kind and don’t mention them – until after the race is over and I have accomplished one or more of them.