Since November 7th, I have recovered from sinus surgery and simply done a slow build back to structured training. I have felt like a caged bull the last few weeks and am so motivated and ready to get going again. That is exactly what I hoped would happen with the longest layoff I have taken since starting triathlon five years ago. Today, I began with a 3,500 meter swim session of broken 300s. After a six-week layoff from swimming during my sinus recovery, I have been slowly building back my swim fitness the last few weeks. This workout felt fairly normal and I finally feel like I am ready to do some quality swim sets.
Below is what I have on tap for 2020, so far:
3/15/2020 - Annapolis Striders - B&A Trail Half Marathon
08/23/2020 - ITU Age Group Standard Distance World Championships
I have my eye on a few other races, but they will likely be some tune-up 5k and 10k runs and maybe a duathlon or one more olympic in May. These will all be determined by the kids sports schedule which we won't know for a few more weeks/months. I would also like to participate in a couple of cycling time trials near my home, as long as they fit in with my training sessions.
As I have noted before, I work with my coach Sierra Snyder, using a platform called TriDot. I have been an ambassador for them now for three years and totally trust their process. Sierra helps me fine tune everything as needed and gives me the insights on how to race. Ultimately though, the artificial intelligence driving the TriDot system optimizes my training load to me specifically based on my regular assessments and how well I complete each week's training. Every work out is given a "TrainX" score and gives me immediate feedback on how well I performed to the intent and purpose of the workout.
In parallel, to fuel my engineering brain, I track my progress in Training Peaks. I also like to compare TP's annual training plan and periodization to my actual results that TriDot prescribes. They tend to be pretty different. I don't worry because I know TriDot is optimized for me specifically. Below is a screen capture of the training plan for 2020.
Just for comparison's sake, below is a screen capture of 2019's season with my actual results using TriDot. You can see that I reached a far higher CTL with TriDot than Training Peaks prescribed. No injuries, plenty of podiums, and qualification for Team USA speaks loudly for TriDot's methods!
Lastly, I am proud to represent as an ambassador this year for a couple of brands and will be racing for a few teams this year. Looking forward to seeing my teammates out there crushing it!
Well, here we go, let's "get after it!"
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