I think it is about time for this thread, dude has been on fire for the past year or so. And he could be the one guy that can be at or near the podium in both series, provided he steps up and does a couple Ironmans.
But 'm a bit afraid for him at the moment, he is riding a super good training streak right now, and racing his brains out without much time between. Thus far two for two, but the travel to Singapore a week after a half, well I just hope his coach(cough cough) has him doing basically recovery days in-between. I mean he doesnt have to get any fitter right now, just hold onto what he has gotten, and get fresh for each race coming up.
And isnt it ST George next too? It can be done, I remember a time when PNF did 3 full Ironmans in 6 weeks, and she nailed them all. But I know what she did in-between, mostly just slept a lot and did easy spins and swims to flush out the bad stuff. Sam’s races are shorter, but it just all really depends on what he tries to do in-between…
His swim has gotten a wee bit better too this year, not that other guy better, but closer to the front enough that his bike can motor up any front group that is out there, ITU or Ironman…
Time to give the guy some love, seems like he has finally matured into the athlete he always claimed to be… (-;
He’s been a beast so far this year. I much prefer his new kit and new bike over last years iterations too. This does seem like an awful lot of racing early in the year so I hope he has some juice left at the end of the season when it matters.
I’m sure he knows his body better than anyone else, but I hope he builds in a mid-season break after all this racing and traveling he’s doing. Perhaps just trying to put some points on the board early, relax and reassess mid-season, then freshen up for the end of the year?
I’m sure he knows his body better than anyone else//
Well we could say that about just about every pro athlete in history, and yet…
We do know our own bodies very well, but often make bad decisions anyway. Especially when you are feeling great and things are going exactly how you would like them to be. That is the time our brains say to push it, get better, go faster, all is good. Until it isnt, and then we recover from whatever illness, overtraining, or injury that finally put a stop to that great streak. Some navigate this dynamic better than others, but no one escapes it. Sam has shown to be a very durable athlete, but he has also shown he is not immune to burnout. He has youth still on his side, and that is a huge factor too…
Hopefully his coach is whispering in his ear to dial down the training, and make sure to recover from all the other stresses he is putting onto his body. Get through this early season with tons of points and $$, then reboot for a big 2nd half with at least a week or two break in there somewhere…But I can tell you from experience, it is really hard to take a break when things are at their best and going great, it just goes against the mentality that most pros live with…
We should see some indication of how he will handle all this racing this weekend, a great race venue for him and now his biggest competitor is out. Lots of metrics to review after tomorrow for sure…
But 'm a bit afraid for him at the moment, he is riding a super good training streak right now, and racing his brains out without much time between. . . .
And isnt it ST George next too? It can be done,This series (Miami, Oceanside. Singapore, St George) is maybe a dress rehearsal for the climactic two months (Las Vegas, Dubai, Noname, Taupo) later in the year.
Any intent to race a full distance is being kept close hold.
I just think it’s great how Sam suddenly has a reasonable chance of winning Singapore or holding on to 2nd. Either way, he’s likely move into the number 1 ranked T100 athlete position.
Hopefully his legs are recovered from Oceanside and the travel.
I can see Brownlee winning Singapore, but even if that happens, if Sam can hold on to 2nd place he’d still be the number 1 ranked T100 athlete. Not that it means a whole lot, but at some point the math is going to make it pretty difficult for others to rise enough to offset him, if he keeps racing and performing consistently in the T100.
Which would be pretty wild, if the guy who everyone wrote off as being unsuited for the T100 distance ends up taking the overall series title because he can consistently bike-run his way into the podium.
From what I see Sam is going to be racing T100 Singapore in the middle of his REM sleep period from US West coast. That is gonna be tough. 4-5 days to adjust is not going to be great however you cut it. however, he has three weeks after this to travel back and recover for St. George.
Is that different than last year where he performed exactly to the same standard in Singapore as he did in Milwaukee? I hope he can handle it and put on a show.
Is that different than last year where he performed exactly to the same standard in Singapore as he did in Milwaukee? I hope he can handle it and put on a show.
Last year’s race was during the early day North America EDT-PDT. This year it is North America EDT-PDT REM sleep period. It is completely different world. The reason why I remember is Blummenfeldt was going to be racing and I mentioned the time shift from Europe, but as it turns out, it was going to be in a very normal time in Europe becuase it was more of an evening race in Singapore.
I believe he is self coached after leaving Dan Plews
Maybe someone can confirm or correct thisThat’s what @Monty alluded to when he added “(cough, cough)” hoping Long would listen to his ‘coach’.
Yes my horse cam in again, and he looks like he could just keep going, while others are on the tarmac or stretchers. I was a bit worried that his legs would run out here from the travel and big hard race last weekend, but his coach must have really shut it down all week to get 99% of that out of his body, good job coach.
Now he has a little time to get back to some training, but honestly just keep the bike/run as is, and focus on the swim with Lionel. You guys are in the same pool most the time, just latch on and try and drop a second or two per 100 over the next weeks. Could be the difference of good feet, or swimming on your own again. But good thing about the Ironmans, fields are a lot bigger, and the quality of pros are a lot lower, so probably a group to swim with. Man he looked lonely out there in that race all alone, and minutes off the back markers even…
