Is David Blaine a triathlete?

I only ask, because it seems like February is one big disappearing act.   Fitness gurus appear in the weeks after New Year’s and then… POOF!  Once February hits, it’s all over.  In the weeks immediately after New Years there are crowds in the gym.  In February, the gym now becomes virtually desolate by comparison.  The meticulous off-season weight program you started has now faded into the snowy darkness.  Now, I can understand dialing back your training.  I believe it’s even necessary for longevity.  However, too much of a good thing is rarely… well, a good thing.

And therein lies the key to athletic prowess...

Something happens to me in the Fall.  My drive to train increases.  My focus increases.  I get all amp’d on the prospect of defeating the increasingly challenging elements and circumstances.  It’s starting to get dark earlier.  The weather is getting chilly.  Triathlons are getting fewer and farther in between.  It’s the season of the pumpkin-spiced athlete.  I call this anomalous window: “Septober”.

Over 10 years ago, whilst leaning over the fence, ringing a cowbell and cheering mightily for the likes of Bobby Julich and Freddy Rodriguez on the “Wall” in Manyunk, PA… someone said something to me that, in a way, changed my life.

After a very disappointing swim at Columbia Tri in 2010, I took a look at the numbers and they showed me something I kind of already knew.  I wasn’t consistent at all coming in to Columbia.  In the seven weeks leading up to Columbia, I had swum an average of 7,200 yards per week.  My weeks ranged from 5,500yds to 12,900yds.  Several business trips fell in succession in April, limiting my time in the pool.   As a contrast, in the 7 weeks of swimming leading up to a PR swim in February, I was extremely consistent.  I was averaging 17,000 yards per week.  My highest two volume weeks were 21,000 yards and the lowest was the last taper week of 10,150 yards.