2013 was a great year for me because it was my first full year as a triathlete. I trained a lot more, had my first full season of races, and hired a coach at the end. I was able to achieve some goals, even goals that I didn’t think would happen in 2013, though running injuries limited me most of the year.
I also want to remember the Boston marathon bombings. They felt very close to home, and I wrote about how it felt like a personal tragedy. A number of my friends checked on me in the aftermath to see if I had been in the event. If I had started doing races a year or two earlier, I could easily picture myself having tried to make it to Boston.
Goals for 2013
- No plantar fasciitis (PF) return – it returned
- Run a 5k under 20 minutes – didn’t achieve due to the PF
- Do four or five triathlons – I did five
- Run a half marathon – did it!
Accomplishments
- I ran over four miles for the first time ever. Every long run was a record leading up to the half marathon.
- I ran a half marathon.
- I set a 5k PR (that could have been lower)
- I WON MY AGE GROUP AT A SPRINT TRIATHLON.
- I completed 11 races or events.
Total Time and Miles Logged
- Swim: 93h 32m 01s – 196,253.3 Yd
- Bike: 79h 29m 07s – 1,164.28 Mi
- Run: 62h 10m 16s – 383.71 Mi
This is the year that I really came to enjoy swimming. I had some swim lessons in October 2012, and joined a masters group (Dayton Area Sharks) last December. I’ve come a long way since then, and have steadily moved up through the lanes. Consistent training is a great thing. I even put on some upper body muscle, which is great for a scrawny guy like myself.
This was my first year over 1,000 miles on a bike (though I wasn’t very consistent for the first part of the year). That’s a long way on a bike, and a lot of those were trainer miles, which are harder. I also got a bike fit, aerobars, and a bike computer for my road bike at the beginning of the year. That combination made a big difference and made an immediate speed impact.
Running was difficult this year. I started off well, because I had just gotten orthotics to deal with the PF, and they were working. Then I ran the half marathon in April, and something about that hurt my left knee. Knee pain kept me from running regularly the rest of the year, though I could run 7:00/mi if I was riding regularly on the bike. The knee pain eventually went away when I removed the orthotics, but the PF returned. How about that for a catch 22?
Events
This year I completed 11 events: nine races and two cycling events. PRs are bolded. Most of the sprints were non-standard distances, but the PR one is. I did a write up on all the events a few weeks ago, and I have linked to race reports for a number of the events.
- GYC 5k – 26:30 (led a pace group
- Frostbike Five Miler – 38:18
- ORRRC Splash n Dash 5k – 21:57
- ORRRC Half Marathon – 1:49:05
- Hawk Island Triathlon – 1:08:31
- Mason Tri-umph Triathlon – 1:20:52
- Armco Park Sprint – 1:23:05
- Caesar Creek Wednesday Night Tri #4 – 1:55:22
- Hancock Horizontal Hundred (66 mi)
- University of Dayton Triathlon – 1:48:28
- Tour Dewitt (44 mi)
Moving Forward
I’m looking forward to another year of racing! I’m planning out my races for next year, and I’m excited about what’s coming. I’ll be doing several events with friends, and those are the best. I love shared experiences.
Laying Foundations 