Race Season Well Underway!
August 21, 2011
Well it is already the end of August! It seems like the race season has gone by so fast, I can't believe that in a few short months I will be training for Collegiate Nationals again. I am so happy with how this season has gone, I feel like I finally broke through my 2:20 wall and have learned how to race faster. There are so many things that I have learned this season! Where to begin... why not the swim?
Swim - I started out the season a little faster than in previous seasons. But I quickly grew frustrated because no matter how many yards I put in, I just couldn't get faster. I am still in that in between zone with swimming, but Todd has come to some of my swim workouts and has some plans for me. There isn't really enough time to bring these plans into play for the remainder of this season, but hopefully my swim will come together for Nationals! The only downside is that the workouts to get to that point are very difficult and involve a LOT of sprinting! The first time Todd directed me through one of these workouts I literally wanted to cry. It hurts. A lot. But if these workouts let me break the 24 min swim mark, then bring it on!
Bike - I learned that you CAN train well for an Olympic bike on a trainer. With my medical school schedule, I am usually biking at 6am when it is still quite dark out. I have no desire to endanger my life, so I sit myself on my trainer with the TV blaring. What I have learned is that I can actually write some decent workouts! This new found ability encouraged me to offer my services to MSU Triathlon as an assistant Bike Coordinator. Hopefully some of these workouts I have written for trainers this summer will help my teammates.
Run - I think I learned the most on the run this year! I really worked hard with the Playmakers Running Team and learned that I can endure 4+ miles of speedwork and I can run 12 miles. All of this work has resulted in faster running time than ever before! I used to race with the mindset that I have to bike really fast so I don't get caught on the run. Now I am actually catching people on the run! Well, I still get passed by the really fast runners, but it is a huge improvement!
So far this has been a really great season! I hope to take this momentum into my training for Nationals and who knows what might happen! But first, I must prepare for the Collegiate Conference Championship! This is an important race because MSU can automatically qualify for Nationals!
Swim - I started out the season a little faster than in previous seasons. But I quickly grew frustrated because no matter how many yards I put in, I just couldn't get faster. I am still in that in between zone with swimming, but Todd has come to some of my swim workouts and has some plans for me. There isn't really enough time to bring these plans into play for the remainder of this season, but hopefully my swim will come together for Nationals! The only downside is that the workouts to get to that point are very difficult and involve a LOT of sprinting! The first time Todd directed me through one of these workouts I literally wanted to cry. It hurts. A lot. But if these workouts let me break the 24 min swim mark, then bring it on!
Bike - I learned that you CAN train well for an Olympic bike on a trainer. With my medical school schedule, I am usually biking at 6am when it is still quite dark out. I have no desire to endanger my life, so I sit myself on my trainer with the TV blaring. What I have learned is that I can actually write some decent workouts! This new found ability encouraged me to offer my services to MSU Triathlon as an assistant Bike Coordinator. Hopefully some of these workouts I have written for trainers this summer will help my teammates.
Run - I think I learned the most on the run this year! I really worked hard with the Playmakers Running Team and learned that I can endure 4+ miles of speedwork and I can run 12 miles. All of this work has resulted in faster running time than ever before! I used to race with the mindset that I have to bike really fast so I don't get caught on the run. Now I am actually catching people on the run! Well, I still get passed by the really fast runners, but it is a huge improvement!
So far this has been a really great season! I hope to take this momentum into my training for Nationals and who knows what might happen! But first, I must prepare for the Collegiate Conference Championship! This is an important race because MSU can automatically qualify for Nationals!
Posted by Samantha Fugate.
