The Gift
I am a bit of a dreamer. When I used to climb, I would dream about mountains. I would make schedules of the summits for each year, research the history and routes associated with each peak. When I moved into long distance racing, I found that I couldn't race an IM every month, not everyone has quads of steel. So my new dream became, "the perfect season" - what I would do, where I would train and the races that I would select. Well, I have decided to give myself a gift. I am going to give myself the opportunity to have that dream season. I have cleared it with my boss and will be taking a year off to train and race. What would you do with 12 months? Here's my plan. My original dream was to finish the year with Ironman Hawaii. Well, an amazing day at the 1/2 Vineman changed all that. So, what better way to start a perfect season than to race in Kona. This will be my last AG race for a while (I hope!). I am not setting any concrete goals, having geared 2000 completely towards IMC. It would be nice to go sub-10 on the Big Island but really I would like to soak up the iron-camaraderie and enjoy my race. I have worked hard this year and Kona is for fun. After Hawaii, I will head back to Hong Kong for a few weeks to organize my move South. I can think of no better place to spend the Northern Winter than Australia and New Zealand. My trip to Oz will kick off with the Noosa Triathlon festival. My legs will be gone from IMH so I have decided not to race. Noosa is strictly a pleasure cruise. I'll be reporting from down under. After Noosa, I journey north to Cairns for six weeks of base building. Long slow workouts and weights to build a platform for the 2001 season. Additional goals are to learn bike maintenance and achieve official certification as a tri-coach. I am told that Cairns heats up in December so about two weeks before Christmas I am heading over to New Zealand. Having visited before, I know I can handle their summer climate. My Kiwi Extravaganza will start with the Taupo Half Ironman. This race is a little early to be in good form but serves two useful purposes. First, I get to meet the local tri-folks and second I get a preview of the IMNZ course. IMNZ will be my first pro IM race (assuming they let me in!). It also marks a concrete step towards my long-term goal of racing pro in Kona. After Taupo, I leave the North Island for Christchurch. I've never trained in Christchurch but have visited several times. Always in December or January and the climate has been great. New Zealand reminds me of a very compressed Canada. All the natural beauty - the lakes, the mountains, the forests and the ocean - in a concentrated place. One thing scares me - the huge amount of UV pouring down through the severely depleted ozone layer above the South Island. Fingers crossed, IMNZ will see a new IM PR. Regardless of the outcome, a mid-season break will follow the race and I will take a few weeks to chill somewhere nice. Where is open. I am leaning towards a return to Australia or maybe a tour of the North Island of New Zealand. My return to racing will be in May when I race the Keauhou-Kona 1/2 IM. I have a lot of friends doing this race and figure that it is a great place to stop on the way back to North America. Besides, it guarantees me at least one trip to Kona. If I am really lucky then perhaps I will be able to return to Saipan and race the Tagaman in early May. I loved my time in Boulder this past summer and will return. How can anyone resist constant sunshine, Jane Scott's humor at the end of the swim lanes and long rides up mountain canyons? My goals for Boulder are pretty simple. Get my swimming strong enough to swim in the "pro" lane and shave 15 minutes of my Mount Evans bike time. In his book, Total Triathlete, Mark Allen refers to the Evans climb. It is 28 miles and climbs to over 14,000 feet. There is a ranger station half way where you get a short break when you pay your entry fee. Since reading about the climb I have wanted to test myself. I managed a 2:25 last July and figure that I have a sub-2:10 in me. Stretch goal is sub-2, I'll report back. In 2001, IMC and IMH are only six weeks apart so I am wondering if it might make sense to try to qualify at IMLP. I will see how my training goes and make the decision in early summer. My summer IM will be my main peak for the season. Notwithstanding the damage that they do to my ego, I will probably do some short course racing for speed sessions. With smart training, a good day out and a little luck, my dream season will end the way it began with a cannon blast about 50 feet off the shore of Dig Me Beach in Kona. Only this time I'll be racing pro. See you at the races, gordo |