Specular Reflection

Specular :of, relating to, or having the qualities of a mirror

Contents

Lest We Forget

I knew I had fallen off the blog horse. I lost sight of the goals I had for it. I got caught up in my science, in planning for the upcoming race season, and watching Netflix episodes.1 I sit here on the couch, mildly sick, still caught up in one of those three things.2 It is still not quite enough to keep me from looking back on what I had set out to do last year before I become lost again in the future. Let’s take a quick look back.

Goal Checklist

Referring back to one of my first posts, here were my goals:

1. Top 5 (sub 2:30:00) in the Collegiate race at Wildflower

Item one was a scratch due to the fact that California did not have enough rain that year to have the swim.3

2. Top 10 (sub 4:45:00) in the long course at Pacific Crest

Item two was a success on both fronts. I finished 7th overall with a time of 4:41:48, aided by one of my best swims ever.4

3. Top 3 (sub 2:05:00 and PR) in the Collegiate race at Best in the West

Item three was a scratch due to a scheduling conflict between that race date and the date of one of my best friend’s wedding in upstate New York.5

Season Reality

At first glance this may seem like a bit of a let down on the year, but I also had a great deal of success in my other”B” races and hit every other goal I had. Here is a quick recap of all the results:

  • Blooms to Brews Half Marathon: 1st overall, 1:15:44
  • Dunes Triathlon: 3rd overall, 2:27:33
  • Blue Lake Triathlon: 3rd overall, 2:03:31
  • Pacific Crest Triathlon: 7th overall, 4:41:48
  • Cottage Grove Triathlon: 3rd overall, 2:02:12 (PR)

Pacific Crest aside, I finished on the podium in every race I competed in, which was my reach goal for the season as well. I also surprised myself a little with a PR in my last race of the season, putting me even closer to that two hour barrier. Since sub 2:05:00 was the target of my originally planned final race I felt pretty good about that accomplishment.

Personal Reflection

All things considered it was easily my best season to date. I had good form in all of my races but was also able to push my limits a couple times, not playing it as safe, to see where that could get me. I’m in the process of developing my goals for next season and am hoping I may be capable of even more with a more focused approach on the areas where I can improve. I’ve gained confidence in my ability to perform at the front of the pack and now I need to prepare for that reality with the right training.6

  1. We all have our moments of weakness
  2. I’ll let you guess which one of the three on this lazy Sunday afternoon
  3. Triathlete.com article
  4. See my post on that race for a more detailed recap
  5. Guys before tris
  6. And once I’ve recovered from this brief illness I’ll hit the ground running again!

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