2022 Targets (Now with April additions)
Last year I started my diary with: "I have to assume that some sort of normality will return to the planet by Q2. Either through roll-out of the vaccinations, or a general outbreak of common-sense towards the risks of Covid and how they balance against the damage of the continued mismanagement of it.".
And yet a year on and we are back in almost exactly the same place.
ETU Bilbao (Aquathlon, Cross Triathlon, Cross Duathlon*) are all in Week 33.
ITU (Aquathlon) haven't announced their date or venue yet, but I have qualified.
ITU Targu Mures (Cross Triathlon) is in Week 18.
ITU Targu Mures has a Cross Duathlon** but Team GB haven't decided if they are taking a team or not. And they haven't set qualifying criteria so I don't know if I will even be eligible. So I can't even plan towards target dates or venues.
*I should have a spot in the ETU Cross Duathlon but something got dropped in the rollover system and I have had to reapply for my space and am still awaiting confirmation.
**I should get a space in the ITU Cross Duathlon if they decide to take a team.
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2021 consisted of just 5 races, 4 Aquathlons and a novice cross triathlon. While that was more than double the number of races of 2020, it is still ridiculous. The world is still a nonsense of restrictions, and lockdowns, and cancellations, none of which make any sense from a scientific point of view. At the minute I have nothing in my race calendar until Bilbao in September and the Aberdeenshire race series website no longer exists so I have no idea if those races will even exist in 2022.
Races
As race targets: I already have,... well, nothing really. I have qualified for 3 races (Aquathlon, Cross Triathlon, Cross Duathlon) at the ETU Champs in Bilbao in August, but the way they stack them up in the week it looks like I could only possibly do 2 and even doubling would be taking a big risk on my potential performances.
I also have qualifications for the ITU Aquathlon, which still doesn't have a date or venue, and ITU Cross Triathlon in June in Targu Mures, but don't know what I am going to do about travelling to Romania with a mountain bike.
I will also hopefully take part in the Scottish Aquathlon Champs and the Scottish Cross Championships if I can fit them around the rest of the year, but again the dates and venues have not been announced yet.
The only race I actually know definitively about is Glasgow Aquathlon at the start of March, and given that the Covid paranoia is being wound up again I have no faith in that going ahead.
Numbers
I have written some numbers for the year.
I have set my stretch distance targets so they are 110% of the normal target.
Swimming
In 2021 losing 4 months to Covid and another month to a pectoral strain should have meant a poor year. But I did a fairly average swim total. When I did get back in the pool I had the same problem as last year, I could churn along at 1:50/100m pace for ages, but I have no faster gears.
Two years in a row I have tried to specifically focus on eliminating the 'junk' swim sessions and not made any progress. By the time swimming re-opened I was so far behind my target that I had given up on any attempt to plan sessions and just tried to make distance, and with no races, there was no need to change that to add speed.
I have picked 130 miles for the year again. There is not even an attempt at science or planning in that number. That makes the stretch target 146 miles.
I have just rolled over my target race times from 2020, and 2021, again.
Target 130 miles.
Stretch Target 143 miles.
Biking
No commuting on the bike (and none planned as my current employer doesn't have adequate changing facilities) so bike miles will be mostly mountain biking, hopefully some summer riding, and the turbo trainer. I need to get out on the mountain bike, on actual mountain bike terrain to prepare for Cross Triathlons and Duathlons.
I am happy with the numbers I did last year so I am going to stick with 2,000 total and 500 on the mountain bike again.
I did a couple of rides on my TT bike last year. I doubt I will ride a TT race this year, but hopefully I can get back on the TT bike for some triathlons at some point.
Target 2,000 miles.
Target 500 MTB miles.
Stretch target 2,200 miles.
Stretch target 550 miles.
Running
2020 was silly on the running front. 2021 was slightly less silly, but still 35% over target is nothing like sensible. I am going to aim for 1,000 miles. On the basis that is 20 miles a week with a couple of weeks off.
My stretch target of 110% comes out at 1,100 miles.
Frustratingly my after losing my 25th consecutive year defending as North District Champion, my 26th was also cancelled. But since no-one else took it either I am going to stand on the logic that I am still defending champion, and go again in 2022. Whether I can make that 27 year streak will again depend on whether I can even get over a hurdle this year. It is getting tougher every year and at some point I will just have to let common sense take over and admit that my hip won't get round. Retiring at 25 years sounded like a nice round number, 27 doesn't really have that, but might have to do.
I want to run my age for 10k as an absolute minimum. I actually want to get that in before the end of January. I really should be back under 40 minutes as well. I also want to get well under 19:30 minutes for 5k. On top of those I have set some faster stretch targets.
Triathlon
I managed a medal at the 2021 Scottish Aquathlon Champs, despite having a terrible race. I should be in or around the medals in that race every year so I have kept that medal as my target for this year.
I have qualified for the 2022 European Aquathlon Champs in Bilbao already. I missed the 2019 race and then 2020 and 2021 were bumped for Covid but I want to get back in the top-20. Having missed my best chance when moving in to a new age group I am now going to be facing a tougher field, and a more congested programme, having qualified for other races.
I have qualified for the 2022 World Aquathlon Champs in Unknown on the same rollover criteria from the cancelled 2020 race. In 2019 I was a disappointing 34th. I really want to be in the top-20 there but until I know where it is I can't even be sure if I am going.
I have qualified for the 2022 World Aquathlon Champs in Unknown on the same rollover criteria from the cancelled 2020 race. In 2019 I was a disappointing 34th. I really want to be in the top-20 there but until I know where it is I can't even be sure if I am going.
I have also managed to get selected for European Cross Triathlon (and maybe Cross Duathlon) races in Bilbao. I really need to get a new bike for them, and to get out and train and race on it, but there is still a bike shortage and getting one for a sensible price is still a struggle. I amy just try and hire one locally.
And I have also managed to get selected for World Cross Triathlon (and maybe Cross Duathlon) races in Targu Mures in Romania. the travel for that is complex, and all the same bike issues arise. I am not convinced that I am going to go to that one.
Others
Yoga.
I am going to start January again by signing up to 31 consecutive days of Yoga www.yogawithadriene.com, but I know, again, I am not going to stick to that schedule. My base target is to do one session per week for the full year. My stretch target is to to purposefully spread the yogawithadriene sessions out over Q1, so one every ~3 days. Then for the rest of the year, just one session per week. That gets me to a stretch total of 78 sessions for the year.
Stretching and rollering.
I am terrible at tracking the cumulatives on these. So the first target is to write them down every fortnight. Then to follow the above plan, but with the more intense period being through summer when I am racing.
Weights and Core.
As always I did really well at the start of last year and then faded off as the year progressed. I want to do 52 of each but I recognise that historically that has been unrealistic. I am going to set that as the stretch target, then assume that I will do 12 races through the year and not attempt these sessions in race weeks. So a base target of 40 of each.
Targets by numbers
Represent GBR age-group at an international event.
Finish top-20 at European Aquathlon Champs.
Finish top-30 at World Aquathlon Champs.
Take part in a GBR age-group qualifying race for a 2023 European Champs.
Take part in a GBR age-group qualifying race for a 2023 World Champs.
Swim 130 miles.
Swim under 6:15 minutes for 400m.
Swim under 11:45 minutes for 750m.
Swim under 25:30 minutes for 1,500m.
Ride 2,000 miles.
MTB 500 miles
Run 1,000 miles.
Run a 5k in under 19:30 mins or 10k in under 42 mins.
'Run my age' for 10k.
'Run my age' for 10k.
Revised Run Target - Added April
Run a 5k in under 19:00 mins or 10k in under 39 mins.
>52 Yoga sessions
>52 Stretching and rollering sessions.
>40 Core sessions.
>40 Weights sessions.
>50 Run reps or ‘fast’ sessions.
Stretch Targets
Represent GBR age-group at more than one international event.
Qualify for the GBR Age-group team for a second 2023 European Championships.
Qualify for the GBR Age-group team for a 2023 World Championships.
Medal at the Scottish Aquathlon Champs.
Finish top-20 at World Aquathlon Champs.
Swim 143 miles.
Swim under 6:00 minutes for 400m.
Swim under 11:30 minutes for 750m.
Swim under 24:59 for 1,500m.
Ride 2,200 miles.
Run 1,100 miles.
Run a 5k in under 19:00 or 10k in under 40 mins.
Run another 5k in under 19:20 or 10k in under 41:30.
Revised Stretch Run Targets - Added April
Run a 3k in under 10:45, 5k in under 18:50 or 10k in under 38:45 mins.
Run another 3k in under 10:55, 5k in under 19:00 or 10k in under 39:00.
>78 Yoga sessions
>78 Stretching and rollering sessions.
>52 Core sessions.
>52 Weights sessions.
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