There’s not much training volume to analyze
this year. But, to keep the tradition for a 6th year in a row, here
is my annual training volume updated with 2017 data, as I recorded it in my Garmin account (connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/Tarek_Badawi):
My training volume continued to decline for the
same two reasons (excuses?) I mentioned last year; my responsibilities at work
and my knee. As to the latter, I have not done the arthroscopic knee surgery
that I’m supposed to do. So, I continue to need time after each outdoor run for
the pain to disappear. However, I have the feeling that, especially in the last
couple of months, the level of pain and the required recovery time have been
getting less and less. Now I think I should continue to give it more time to
heal on its own. Like bone, cartilage does in fact heal itself, but needs much more
time for that because it is avascular, meaning that blood flow that aids the
healing process is poor.
There is probably a third reason for not
training as much in 2017. I usually commit myself to training by signing up for
races. This motivates me to train since, after all, I don’t want to embarrass
myself by not finishing. In 2017, however, I didn’t sign up early for any race
at all, and I only did one sprint Triathlon race. Even that one was just a
relay with my nephew and niece which I reported about in a separate post. I did
the 20k bike leg of it. That was it.
For 2018, I started signing up for events. In
fact, I signed up for 3 races; a 68k bike race in Cologne in June, another 68k
bike race in Hannover in July, and a sprint triathlon in Hannover in September.
The triathlon, Maschsee Triathlon Hannover, is the same one I did as a relay only
this time I will do it alone while my nephew who did the run leg last time will
join me and do his first complete triathlon ever. Racing jointly with family
members is much more fun. I continue to look for more races to register for.
I’m still afraid of longer triathlon or running events though, until I have
gained more confidence that my knee will cooperate. Until then, I’ll probably
be looking for another Sprint or Olympic Distance triathlon and one more bike
event maybe.
Other than that, I only want to increase the
weekly hours of training to 7 hours. This is a level that is sufficient to allow
me to join and finish races up to half Ironman distance conveniently.
I wish all of you the best for 2018. Get in
touch if you want to join me in any of my races or if you are an Arab visiting
Germany for any sports event you are participating in. I’d be happy to meet you
Arab athletes.
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