My 2023 triathlon season is now officially over. After the World Championships in Spain in late September, I had several races on my schedule leading to the end of this year, but I just wasn’t feeling them. So I decided to relax for a month or so (that doesn’t mean not training!) and just do workouts that I 
really enjoy. With great weather in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’ve been loving doing epic bike rides (at least by my standards!) with 1000s of feet of climbing on sunny days with spectacular views. I plan to get back on a structured training program with my coach, Dr. Greg Rhodes (Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology) in two weeks beginning with a week of testing.
But, as I recommend to the athletes I work, before I can look forward to the 2024 triathlon season, I want 
to act on the famous saying, “Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it.” In other words, if you don’t reflect on this just-concluded season, you may miss out on some important lessons that you can use for next season to continue to progress toward your triathlon goals. So, I must first reflect back on my 2023 season to see what worked, what didn’t, what I want to keep doing, and what I need to do new to get faster in 2024.
Evaluate This Past Season
The first thing you want to do is to look back on the recently completed season and evaluate how you did. See below some essential questions to ask yourself (and your coaches):
Goals
- What were your goals for the 2023 triathlon season?
JT: I had both process and outcome goals for my 2023 season. On the process side, I wanted to improve 
my speed in the water and power and speed on the bike. I wanted to maintain my running speed (my strength, so not likely to make many real gains). Finally, I wanted to practice and improve on my transitions.
For outcome goals, I wanted to win my first age-group national champion, repeat my podium performance at the two World Championships I was going to race in 2023, and, as a stretch outcome goal, I wanted to win my first World Championship title. In a subcategory, I wanted to finish in the top-3 in T1 and T2 in my age group.
Did you achieve your goals? If so, why? If not, why not?
JT: In terms of process, I wasn’t able to improve my swim speed (still a mystery why because both my fitness and technique improved significantly). As a swimmer suffering from what Lionel Sanders calls “adult onset swimming,” I have been frustratingly stuck at about 1:40/100y pace in my Olympic-
distance races. At the same time, after an off-season of heavy lifting, and intensive HIIT workouts, I improved my FTP (from 196 to 230) and my watts/kg from 3.1 to 3.7 significantly (Greg told me that, if I wanted to compete with the big boys, I had to get my watts/kg above 3.5). And I maintained my running speed, showing no decline in my 5K or 10K race paces.
Perhaps my most important process goals was simply to stay healthy. After missing large chunks of 
training time to relatively minor, though reoccurring, knee and Achilles injuries in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and being hit by a car in September 2021 forcing me to recover from several far more serious injuries, I wanted to be as healthy as possible in 2023.
As for outcome goals, I did, in fact, podium again at the two World Championship venues in 2023. I was 3rd in the Mixed Relay in Hamburg, Germany (thanks Team II!) and, again, 3rd in the Super-Sprint in Pontevedra, Spain. My goal of a world title was quickly extinguished by a rocket of a Frenchman who
won both events in Spain and a fast German. I was also routinely in the top-3 in transitions, winning several in my national and international races.
Though I improved significantly on the bike (I was 5th on the bike in the Super-sprint in Spain where I finished 3rd in the race), I was usually the slowest in the top 10 out of the water (though there was some improvement in terms of my placing in my age group in the swim, particularly in the shorter races).
I also struggled at the Olympic distance. I wasn’t able to translate my speed in the sprint events to the 
longer-distance races. This was due mainly to my focus on speed early in 2023 because the shorter races were the focus until into July. That only left a few weeks to gain some distance fitness for the longer races in August and September. In the Oly races, I was falling behind by many minutes going into T2 that even fast runs (which I was still among the fastest in my age group even at the 10K distance) wouldn’t allow me to regain the lost real estate.
On a positive note, I closed the gap by half at the Oly distance in Milwaukee against Tony Schiller, who has dominated our age-group for more than 20 years, compared to 2021 (when he last raced).
On an even more positive note, what was perhaps the most remarkable aspect of my 2023 season was that I didn’t have a bad race. Literally every race, I felt that I had accomplished my race goals of: 1)
executing my race plan (of course no race goes perfectly, but I didn’t make any mistakes that cost me dearly); and 2) I left it all out there. Even in the races I was disappointed with based on my result, notably, my major Oly races, I had no regrets because I simply couldn’t have gone any faster with what I had on that day. Admittedly, it sounds pretty spoiled to complain about finishing 7th at Nationals and 10th at Worlds when so many other triathletes would die for such a result. But, hey, I’m a competitive guy!
I was able to achieve my 2023 goals by:
staying healthy and injury-free,
- managing my jetlag scientifically (for the first time in my life),
- nailing my nutrition in every race,
- having great pre-race physical and mental preparation,
- having a solid race plan,
- executing fast transitions,
- minimizing the damage in the swim and bike as much as possible, and
- relying on my running speed to make up lost ground from the swim and bike.
What are your goals for the 2024 triathlon season?
JT: In terms of process, foremost, I want to remain injury-free by staying consistently committed to my “pre-hab” exercises that enabled me to manage the minor niggles I experienced in 2023. I want to make 
a breakthrough in my swimming, dropping my per-100y pace in the Olympic closer to 1:30 and closer to 1:20 in the sprint events. I want to continue to increase my power and average speed on the bike. And another goal is to squeeze a bit more speed out of my running legs.
As for outcome goals, I would like to repeat as national champion and world championship medalist. I will continue to dream of a world title. And I want to show significant improvement in my Oly distance races in 2024.
One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that there are a few guys in my age group (probably every age group) who are just freaks of nature (e.g., Tony Schiller is a former 2:18 marathoner) whose genetic advantages simply can’t be made up with any amount of training. As Cool Hand Luke said in that film, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” But just because I’m at a genetic disadvantage doesn’t mean I’m going to stop chasing those freaks!
Strengths and Weaknesses
What strengths do you bring forward from this past season that will propel me into 2024?
JT: Passion, determination to improve, work ethic, greater leg strength, running speed, my mind (given what I do for a living, my mind should be pretty strong!).
What weaknesses have you identified that you need to improve on?
JT: Swimming, biking.
What Worked and What Didn’t in Your Training
- What has worked for you that you absolutely want to keep doing?
JT: Staying healthy, heavy lifting, speed work, fast transitions, a lot of sleep (the most important contributor to recovery for me).
What didn’t work that you need to change?
JT: Too much focus on the sprint event, not enough longer-distance training. I’ve registered for Clash Miami in March 2024, which has a race that is about 15% longer than Oly distance. (about 38 miles compared to around 32 miles total), which will ensure that I build a better endurance base early in the season.
Other than that, I feel really good about the training and race program that Greg has put together for me. He has been an absolute master at managing my volume, intensity, and recovery.
2024 Training and Races
What can you add to your training (physical, technical/tactical, mental) in preparation for the 2024 season that has been missing or that can bolster your efforts?
JT: See my responses above.
What types of races are best suited for you and what sort of race schedule will help you achieve your goals?
JT: Based on my results over the last few seasons, I excel at the Sprint, Super-sprint, and Mixed-relay events. I think I’ve been able to maintain my running speed while many in my age group have lost theirs. I had thought of quitting Oly races and focusing on the shorter distances where I am clearly faster. But I see my Oly struggles as a challenge that I want to overcome, so I’m going to keep working on improving my longer-distances fitness to see if I can be more competitive at that distance in 2024.
I raced in 18 races in 2022 and 14 in 2023. I enjoyed racing a lot, but Greg felt that it detracted from my training to prepare for my “A” races. My plan is to do fewer local races this year and focus on my four “A” series of races: Clash Miami, USAT Multisport Championships (Super-sprint, Mixed-relay; Omaha, June), USAT National Triathlon Championships (Sprint, Oly; Atlantic City, September), and World Triathlon Championships (Sprint, Mixed-relay, Oly; Malaga, Spain, October).
Also, because my national and international championships begin much later than 2023 (about two months later), I will have a longer training period to prepare for them. I will also have longer periods in between the last three race series, enabling me to maintain and even build on the fitness I gained in the off-season.
Final Thoughts
JT: I felt like the first 3 years since I returned to Triathlon in 2019 (I only did 4 races with almost no preparation and 2020 can’t really be called a season because of Covid, only 3 races, so I don’t count them) were devoted to being a student of the sport, building my fitness, and steadily gaining the confidence that I can compete with the best.
For the first time, I feel that my results have demonstrated that I belong at the top, so I can focus on taking my triathlon efforts to the next level and, hopefully, challenge at the very top in every race I enter. So, I have three words for you about how I’m feeling about my 2024 triathlon season: BRING IT ON!!
