Triathlon at Retirement

Capital of Texas Triathlon took place in Austin (of course) May 27. I did the sprint distance, thinking it would be a nice warmup to the Multisport nationals the following week. It was my first triathlon since October last year (except winter triathlon in February) and I was looking forward to it. This is a big race with lots of participants. Texas has been very hot recently and Austin was no exception, maybe even worse because of the city effect. At the morning of the race, I was overheating just setting up transition. How would this play out? My tactic was to respect the heat, not to push hard and to stop at all drink stations.  The swim was of course not wet suit legal, and I think that works for me. I felt the swim went well, I kept up, or overtook, most swimmers in my wave (women over 50). The river was a little low and I got entangled in seaweed several times.  At T1, I gave myself time to take a mug of sports drink. Bike leg also felt good, I pushed hard without exhaust...

I often say I would not do triathlon and other endurance sports, if it was not fun. Some people mistake that for not being really serious about my results. That I would stop for photo ops and let friend groups decide my training and other activities.  No, that is not what I mean. I am extremely focused on my performance, and I do (almost) everything I can to be my best. I do want to win, and I push myself very hard almost every day of the year. I research training methods, I eat well, I plan my life around the training and competitions. But I keep in mind that my sporting activity is a hobby and not a job. I have no income from the sport. I have no one expecting results from me, so in the bigger picture, it does not really matter where I place or what my time is. I choose to do sport because I enjoy it. I also make sure I don't injure or damage myself. I would never take performance enhancing drugs. What I mean is that I want to do the training and that it is meaningful, or you can...

Triathlon is an expensive sport, and it is getting worse. Apart from all the equipment, competition entry fees have increased a lot. Who is going to World Championships? The best athletes, one hope, but the reality is that lot of accomplished athletes are prized out. Travel, bike transport, hotels, entry fees, national kit fees, it mounts up. If it is overseas, it can get really bad, easily 5k US dollars for a single person.  Entry fees for regular races have also increased in the last few years. It is now at a level where I really think twice if I want to take part. Often it is cheaper to sign up early, but you never know if you will be healthy and available on the day and usually, there are no refunds. I have given up on two half Ironman races after signing up early and then, one year, I had shingles and the next year, I had Covid just before the race. In the first case I lost all the money (over 400 US dollars) and in the second case I lost about 300 dollars after I had signed u...

Without previous experience in winter triathlon, I signed up for US National Championship in duathlon (run + ski) and triathlon (run + bike + ski). With all my participation in regular triathlon and cross-country skiing, how hard can it be? Answer: very hard. Maybe it was the altitude (>9000 feet), maybe all the fresh snow, but it was exhausting. I was worried about the altitude, and I also needed to get back into skiing, so I arrived in Breckenridge a week before the competitions.  I got an extra workout right away the first morning when I had to clear my car of snow and shovel my way out to the road. I did not want to push my limits the first day and skiing felt fine, but really, that slow? Mile splits of 12-14 minutes! I checked the Strava segments, and I was quite high on them, for my age group number 1 or 2. I realized high altitude has a big impact. After a few days, I rented a fat bike and tried the biking. It had snowed in the night and even though the track had been pre...

You like the idea of being super fit and participate in amazing races. But when it comes down to it, you don't do the training. You call yourself lazy, or you are just too busy.  I am usually very motivated to train, planning workouts, races and tactics in my head. But it happens that I just don't feel for it. If it is a temporary problem, I start the training but allow myself to shorten it. Half the time, I will do an easier workout, half the time I am fine with the prescribed workout once I start. But it is important to allow yourself a little brake. If you struggle a lot with motivation, stop and analyze. Do you really want to be a serious athlete and pay the prize?  There are a lot of things I like to be able to do, mastering a musical instrument for example. I mean really mastering it, picking up tunes by ear, play a big repertoire effortless and relaxed in public. But I do not want to do the training that will take me there. I have started many times, and I don't like...

This morning it was 10f (-12C) outside when I took the dog for a morning walk. I live in Texas. I grew up in Sweden and I have spent a lot of time being cold and miserable, so much that I learned to take great care to dress for the weather. The dog and I were alone out there, and we were comfortable. In fact, I got too hot. The saying: there is no bad weather, only bad clothes , is largely true. All the time I see people make mistakes with their cold weather clothing. A warm jacket is nice, but the critical spots are ankles, wrists, neck and head. The fashionable short socks are crazy in cold weather, and I cringe when I see runners without covering their achilles tendons.  And please, put on a hat. I like the neck scarves that you can pull up over your face and head if necessary. When it gets hot, you just pull them down.  The predicted cold spell has made me adjust the training for the coming week. Bicycling outside is not going to happen, so I did some extra biking last wee...

I have been fortunate. For over 5 years, I have had no significant illness or injury forcing me off training. But since about August this year, I have had a string of setbacks. First a wonky knee, then Covid, then a broken bone in my foot, then a cold and now my only road bike broke. It can be mended; it is just another obstacle. Like the foot, it can be run on cautiously, the cold and Covid are gone, I am fine. Until now, I have seen a steady progression of my performance, despite getting older. But I have regressed quite a bit. Last year, I steadily ran below a 9-minute mile, the question was if I would go below 8.30 or not on a 5k. Now a 9-minute mile on my regular training runs are hard to do.  It was inevitable, I am getting older and the recent training breaks have had a negative effect on my performance. I am not sure if I ever can get back to the form I had in 2023. It was more fun when I was getting better, but it had to come to en end, aging always wins. But I am also in ...