Setbacks

It was bound to happen at some point, and it has happened. I have had a couple of injuries so far, and the latest one is really frustrating.

The first injury was a piriformis issue in my right butt, and it was annoying, but I was able to ride without any real issue and swim fine. Running was the only challenge, and after a week off from running, I really hadn't missed much. In fact, one week later I was running again and had a 10 mile run that was making me feel like my old self again! And I mean old self as in back in the day of my running prowess! I was just clicking off sub-6 pace for a few miles, and it wasn't anything.

Then I did this Tri Club of San Diego duathlon last Saturday, and the run course was brutal. 1 mile downhill to 1 mile uphill. Everything was going great, and suddenly on the second run during the downhill, the right calf really tightened up on my, and I quickly decided to stop and walk.

I couldn't believe how it came on so unnoticed. In the past I could always look back and see some clear signs, but this one really didn't have that. I had healed up and the therapy had been great since my piriformis injury, but this one just came out of no where.

I've been able to balance it fairly well with a lot of time spent on work, and trying not to let it get me down. Even though I am not racing for money and letting my training and results control my happiness, I was really beginning to feel like my old self and enjoying training again. It was actually fun again! And when you can't go out and have fun, it's hard on you.

So I am back getting a lot of therapy, making getting healthy be my number one training priority, and hoping to step up my swimming in the meantime. As soon as the calf allows, I'll also be putting time back in the weight room.

Only 2 weeks from Sunday until my first race back. We will see how that goes. Probably won't be running until Monday at the earliest, which will mean 8 days off of running, and about 6 days off the bike.

Wish me luck!

Vance

Goals for 2010

In my last post about my race schedule for 2010, someone named Peter, asked me the following in comment, "Let's here about your goals for the year? What do you need to achieve to make this race schedule a success or not? As an outsider it looks like your plan is about participation rather than performance."

It was a great comment and question, and I felt it needed a post all to itself. Certainly, one can look at my race schedule and see it is MUCH different than what my past schedules have looked like, and that is on purpose.

Yes, participation is one of the main goals, because I will be stressing draft-legal racing this year, which my experience is limited in. I want to be an elite coach for ITU racing in the future, and this is one of the best ways to learn more about what it takes. I have been doing long course and Ironman so long, I want to change my approach. This is why I also hired Bob Seebohar.

I don't plan on just toeing the line, and that's all. I have goals for the races. Some of the races are so tough, just getting into them is a goal, like the Pan Am's and the World Cup, as you have to meet a standard. I have just made a conscious decision to do things differently this year, and I will not judge my success of the season based solely on results or prize money. I will no longer try to make a living solely as an athlete. I used to drive myself crazy with that stuff, and that's not going to happen again.

So I have individual goal races, but they are also based more on my fitness at the time of the events, because I have never had to come back from such a downtime, nor from long course racing down to short course.

I'm not going to post my goals yet, because in a lot of ways they are unclear and undetermined based on my fitness and experience, but I know I want to be on the start line at those races, and that is the first key to performing well.

We will see how it goes. Right now I'm just taking it one day at a time, one workout at a time, until I feel like I'm competitive.

Vance

Big Change for the Vance's

Today is a monumental day, signifying big changes in our household, my business, my season, my marriage, and many other things I probably don't even realize yet. No, Orlanda is not pregnant, (although that is what everyone first thinks when I begin to tell them this).

Today is Orlanda's last day at her job, and from this point she will be working with me full-time. It is an incredible opportunity, and one which we are really happy about. It is certainly a risk to leave a paying position during a down economy, but there is so much more to happiness than money.

My business is growing, and I need support, as I am already strung a little thin at times. The only way it can grow like I foresee it, is with support, and she is the perfect person to help me in this venture. She is such a great woman, who is smart and intelligent, that I have always urged her to work for herself, and take the world by storm. This is the first real step in that direction.

The fact I am back to racing is certainly going to challenge my ability to manage all my endeavors, and still perform at a high level, so this is an invaluable and exciting thing for me. We will be traveling to races together, camps around the world, (Spain and San Luis Obispo in March), and continuing with our business ideas together. My TriJuniors program, coaching, webinars, camps, clinics, speaking, training plans, articles, and real estate are just some of the things she'll be helping me with, and we will try to grow.

This is something she/we decided back in October, but waited to finalize. The day has come, and it is a great moment for us! I am so proud of her for having the courage to take this step. It is not easy to take a risk like this, as it requires a lot of self-confidence, trust in your partner to help you make it a success, and a focus on what is important in life, outside of the security of a steady paycheck and job.

The world awaits, and I know she will conquer it.

Vance