Taking a year off from the Ironman in 2012

A story that started in 2007 in the
USA... (First triathlon: Wendies sprint).

I started triathlon in 2007 when I was 33 years old, inspired by a 58 year young Ironman triathlon veteran named Chip Bruchac in Columbus Ohio. It was initially a way for me to lose weight, increase self confidence, make new friends and do something out of the ordinary. Little did I know that I would one day race Ironman distances. However, it took me little time to understand I was hooked. After a year of training, I ran my first half Ironman and my first marathon despite a doctor telling me I would never run long distances due to a ligament injury in my right knee.

After four years, many thousands of hours of training, 5 Ironman, 5 half ironman, 1 marathon, a handful of half marathon, many centuries, olympic distances, a few sprints, 10 ks, 5 ks, swim competition, & workshops later, I can safely say that those initial goals have been met. Actually, it would not surprise you that triathlon has grown on me to become a way of life. I also met many friends via triathlon and sport in general but it would not be fair to publish the photos of one or the other. You know who you are if you are reading this blog...

(souvenirs, souvenirs...)

From May 2009 to May 2011 I worked 100% in my company in 4 days (paid 80%) so I could train on Thursdays. This gave me a much needed balance between work, play and family time. I followed a structured training regimen from Toni Hasler, one of the best triathlon trainer in the world. I influenced our family vacations to train on the bike, and took some vacations alone to train in Lanzarotte, the Meca of triathletes. I went to the mariage of a friend in Aix en Provence, France from Switzerland by bike because it was peak training, while I learned to direct a choir using Itune. Laurence followed me all the way through Le Galibier and other over 2600 meters passes: what love can endure... For the past two and 1/2 years, I biked to work every day, wether it rained or snowed... I tested the world fastest bike prototype ("the Cheetah") and bought the latest triathlon gears (including a "ferrari": the Look 596). I learned a lot from my mistakes, how to heal and avoid the most frequent injuries. I flew over continents for races...Triathlon became my passion. A demanding, physical, intellectual and spiritual journey into self discovery of my limited capabilities, augmented by knowledge and training.

And the results came...(Below, Rapperswill 2011)

I am a much fitter and endurant individual, and I feel better now (physically and intellectually) than when I was 10 years younger. I have a better feeling of what I can do during a race. I improved in all segments and learned to finish strong. In a half Ironman, from 265 th in my age group in 2008, I became 80th a year later. At Ironman in Regensburg, I was 64 th in my age group after the first bike lap and 264 th overall before I ran into a technical issue. However, in 2011, my results plateaued, despite becoming a stronger competitor, especially in the running part.

2011 was a year of transition (Below, Eloise and I).

I left my job in May, to follow my entrepreneurial instincts. I became the father of a little Eloise on July 1st 2011, 9 days before the Ironman. That did not help with training, stress, and recuperation but also put my triathlon goals in a new perspective. I realized that my quest for a better Ironman time was not only selfish (all the time I spent alone training), but also not very meaningful. One reason is that I could not go below a 4:22 time on the run part of the Ironman in 5 attempts. I solved the material, the heat, the training and the nutrition issues, but I could not yet get over my knee weakness, despite a change in run technique, the use of inserts and mental efforts to forget the pain. During an Ironman, the pounding on my knees, especially the left one is too stressful and I get an inflammation. I can take the pain for 32 kms, but it blocks me from delivering a fast run (which needs to be around 3:10 to qualify for Hawai!). At 67 kg, this problem is reduced. However, pounding increases with speed. Even if I went to 63 kgs, it is not guaranteed my knee pain would not flare up at a higher speed.

So, what next? (Below, a recent training at the furkapass, 2436 m).

I have decided to take a year off from the Ironman to concentrate on enjoying shorter distance triathlons in 2012 with a few half Ironman, half marathon, 5 and 10 ks. Training wise, I will reduce the quantity and focus on quality high speed workouts, in swimming, biking and running, with a goal to shed 4 kgs (down to 63 kg, 1m74.5). As an entrepreneur, I need to save cash and will also probably organize my training myself, despite my coach, Toni Hasler doing a fantastic job (I highly recommend him for any serious triathlete).

This definitely put Triathlon in the right order of priorities after my family and the start up. I plan to become a better father, a better husband, and a more accomplished professional for it, without losing my passion for Triathlon.

Sincerely,

Mathieu