Saturday, December 26, 2009

2010 Goals??

Gosh, it's that time again already, to think about goals for 2010. Last year was easier in some ways because there were still some firsts to focus on - complete a first triathlon and a first marathon - and of course to improve upon previous race times. Goals should be measurable and assessable. And yes, this is a lofty set of goals for which preparations are sometimes conflicting (e.g. powerlifting and endurance sports). So goals for next year...just brainstorming and I'll come back to clean this up:
  1. 135 lb bench press (with pause, competition legal)
  2. complete another marathon and improve on my time
  3. sub 21:00 5K
  4. be competitive in the Virginia Triathlon Series - mostly sprints but finishing up with an Olympic distance race. The area with the greatest potential for improvement is swimming - technique (over-rotation issue), endurance, and confidence. Of course I'd like to improve the whole package of cycling, running, and transitions too, but I'm not sure how to really translate that into measurable goals.
Those are such competition-specific goals, though. Other things that come to mind:
  1. Get more consistent with good daily nutrition (I tend to slip post-race for a while).
  2. Develop a consistent strategy for long run fueling and hydration and stick to it.
  3. Strengthen lower legs which tend to be a weak link.
  4. Pay attention to injuries and address them early on.
  5. Practice replacing bike tubes and learn how to adjust shifter cables.
  6. Get better sleep.
  7. Minimize daily stress, shed things, take on less, just say no!
Another thing we have started is one-armed pushups. It would be fun to be able to do those!!