Swimming Counts

Prior to my involvement in this contest I would schedule my workouts for the week with a mix of mainly runs and bikes (or spins or other cardio) with the occasional strength session and a swim thrown in here and there when I thought I could manage to get to the pool.

The swims were always at night and if I had them scheduled I’d usually try to get in an early morning cardio session since otherwise I was ‘only swimming.’ Swimming was a pain to coordinate and technically difficult, but it wasn’t a hard cardio workout. My heart rate rarely got into my training zone. Since you’re already in the water, well, I never felt a good ‘sweat’ like I do with other cardio exercises and it never provided a decent calorie burn, in other words, when scheduling my workouts, swimming didn’t count.

Do something right and my oh my how it changes things! Since starting my training with Cadence swimming has become the most mentally, physically and technically demanding discipline of triathlon for me. I’m a ‘new’ swimmer, having started just over a year ago by taking lessons and spending my Saturday mornings last winter at a local high school pool with the ‘Swim America’ kids. So to say I’ve got a lot to learn and a long way to go is a huge understatement. Swimming takes the most thought, the most effort, the most time related to the distance covered, where I’ve got the most to learn and where I have the opportunity for the most room for improvement.

So I think I’m finally starting to get it. Like training in the other disciplines, it doesn’t help to be fatigued at the start. When you do it right it’s hard – physically and technically – but it feels good in the end. Improvements come in very small increments and coaching, guidance and evaluation by those who know what they’re doing makes all the difference in my ability to improve.
The swim may be the shortest leg of the race, but for me it is definitely the most challenging and it definitely counts!

By the numbers

So I’ve been checking out the blogs of my fellow Kona Challengers and I’ve been noticing that they’re pretty free with providing the details of their training and competition/event stats. In the interest of full disclosure, I thought maybe I should do some of that too …

Uh, and be nice when you see them, think of them as ‘triathlon stats for mere mortals’ I’m really only putting them out there to make everyone else feel better about their own stats!

One of the first stats that struck me was Scott’s note about his swim time improvements – which I’m totally impressed by – thank god he’s a guy and no where near my age group! His 50 meter time is 40 seconds, so the math wiz in me would roughly calculate his 100 meter time at 1:20 – wow! I’m pretty sure my pool is measured in yards – so I know this might be a little off, but last time I timed myself, my 100 yd time was 2:20 … hmm, is it possible that 100 yds is actually about 175 meters? I’m hoping that’s the case, then I’d be neck and neck with Scott on the swim! Right?

Now Randy, well he’s the veteran triathlete of this group and his race stats and training stats are truly amazing, definitely something to aspire to. A recent blog entry shows him ranked 5th overall in his region, only a few spots beyond his son who he’s got almost thirty some years on … again, wow!

So that got me thinking - since I’m a card carrying member of the USAT and with the 4 races I did last year, well, I must be ranked someplace. So I looked myself up – turns out only a couple of my races qualify for ranking (the other races were in Canada). But still, I am a somebody and I’ve got stats! You ready for this? Ok here goes, first number is my rank, second is the # of people in the category, remember, I said be nice!

5392/7358 Ranking per New England region

I’m thinking putting myself in with guys isn’t really fair, maybe I did better against just women:
1483/2589 Ranking per females in the New England region

Ok, now were talking I went from the top 73% to almost breaking the halfway mark by being in the ‘top 57%’ of women in my region, but if more people are ahead of you, is it more accurate to say I’m in the ‘bottom 43%?’

Wait a minute, how about my by my age? Yeah that’s gotta make a difference:
267/432 Ranking per females 40-44 in the New England region

Finally broke into the top 1000, but seeing how there’s only 432 women in my age group I guess that’s nothing to get too excited about plus percentage wise it’s worse at 61%

Ok, I’ve got it, finally “TOP 10” and I’m not talking about top 10 in the state, I’m “TOP 10” overall in the WHOLE COUNTRY!! So watch out you guys!
10/14 Ranking per females with the last name of ‘Hoffman’ in the USA
It gets even more impressive when you only look at my region – I’m 2nd!!
2/2 Ranking per females with the last name of ‘Hoffman’ in the New England region.

Suddenly I’m feeling pretty good about my chances in this whole Ironman thing, after all isn’t it really just a matter of showing up? ;-)

(written with tongue firmly placed in cheek and in total awe of Scott and Randy’s stats!)

re·solve

re·solve (re-zolv) n.
1. something one has decided to do, a resolution
2. great determination

My gym is going to be packed for the next few weeks and there’ll be a line out the door to sign up and weigh in at my Weight Watchers meetings, but sadly come March the New Year’s promise of health and fitness will be long gone from the majority of those vowing to turn over a new leaf this January 2nd.

I know, I’ve ‘been there, done that’ many times over. Thankfully, for a fortunate few, there’ll be resolutions that stick – they’re usually the kind that come to you, not on a certain ‘date’ or after a season of indulgence, but rather out of the blue. Out of the blue after years of frustrations, failed attempts, self doubt, unanswered questions and endless excuses – but then a sudden realization that something’s clicking or an instant ‘a ha’ moment that makes you realize your time is now.

So go ahead, make a resolution, be resolute, resolve something … and be relentless and unyeilding in your quest to make it happen.