Is it time to race? Already?!

Six more days until my first race of 2011 was all I could think about when I woke up this morning. I have never raced this early in the year before, so this should be an interesting weekend. It will be a duathlon, which will be a run, bike, run. The whole idea of me doing a duathlon(s) is to gain early season speed. Depending on how this weekend goes will decide if I will do another duathlon(s) before May. I am also looking to gain some fitness through the Team Trisports.com training camp in early March. With the help of some new training tools, thanks to Triposrts.com, I hope to speed the building process along.

I feel fairly confident about my run fitness right now. I have really set a strong base the last couple of months for my run and I’m happy with the early season results. The bike, on the other hand, is a different story. I have had a tougher time with my bike buildup in the last couple of months. After my race at the Jingle Bell Triathlon in December (2^nd overall) I was feeling good about where I was on the fitness scale. Feeling I could capitalize on my December performance, I started my buildup in mid-January. Since January I have a good week then a bad week. This weekend will really tell me where I stand and how much work needs to be done before my first triathlon in May. Since December I have also been working tirelessly on improving my swim. My swim times from last season were not quite on target and my performance in December was unbearable to recollect. With the help of a close friend and amazing swim coach I have learned my stroke has gone to crap, literally, in the last year or so. I’m finishing up on the finer details and about to start my big swim brick to get me back into swim shape. Looking at the glass half full, I have about three more months to get on track to where I need to be. With this amount of time to prepare I have no doubt I will be ready when May rolls around. All in all my fellow Trisports.com teammates are already racing for 2011 in 5ks up to half marathons or racing bicycles in Europe (Neil!). I think it’s time for me to dust off the race wheels.

Look for another blog in the next few days to read more about The Desert Classic Duathlon!