Hi Everyone
After the National Triathlon Championships I immediately
went into a new phase in my training plan. It was off-season time. It was a
month long and I took the opportunity to relax a bit and recover from the
stress and pressure I had during the 2013 season. My aim during this period was
to spend some quality time with my wife, who really helped me throughout the
whole year
2013 was another successful season where I achieved a lot. I
won the National Championships for the third time in my career, 1st
overall in the Birkirkara St Joseph Triathlon Series for the 6th
time in my career and setting the course record in the 3rd race, 2nd
overall in the Birkirkara St Joseph 5km Running Series, 3rd overall
in the Birkirkara St Joseph Swimming Series, 3rd Maltese in the
Malta Half Marathon, 4th overall in the MAAA Road Running League (1st
age group), had great performances in the World Triathlon Championships held in
London and in the Garmin Cernobbio Triathlon were I raced with professional
triathletes and won the Bronze Medal in the European Triathlon Championships
where I also registered a New National Record on an Olympic Distance of 1hr
57minutes. In all I won 7 races this year with is very good. However If I had to
choose the best moment of 2013 is none of the above. The climax of my 2013 is
when Elizabeth became my wife on the 15th March, the most important
and beautiful day of my life
With the amount of training I trained I pretended to be much
faster, much more dominant. 2013 was a very difficult year. There were two
particular races which I really wanted to win, the Malta Half Marathon and the
National Duathlon Championships but due to sickness and injuries I could not
perform as I wished. The Half Marathon was just before the wedding. I trained
specifically for it but unfortunately I got sick and went on the starting line
with 102 temperatures. At least I managed third although till 1km to go I was 1st
Maltese. Then the Duathlon came 8 weeks after the honeymoon. They were 8 hard
weeks where had to get my top form back. I managed to do so but in race week I
injured my hamstring and did not performed. I was thinking that I was having a sort of bad
luck for the whole 2013. Things were not going as planned
Then from that race everyone where questioning my abilities.
Some people were talking nonsense, that I will not perform well, but how can
you judge an athlete from 1 single race? These same people forgot what a great season I had in 2012. I was
very angry and as my wife tells me I gave an answer not with words but with
facts. The answers they got are listed above.
I started pure training in the first week of November and in
December the training load increased with an average of 28 hours of training per
week. At the moment I am training only on Endurance, Long sessions in every
discipline. I am taking care of every single detail. I am training hard but
sensible, my nutrition is in conjunction with my training as well and the
results are coming. I came 3rd in the Fleur de lys 5km organised by
my club and registered a good time of 16.24 just 8seconds away from my Personal
Best. It was an unexpected time at this stage of my training.
2013 finished on a high note as I won a special award at the
MOC Sports Awards night on the 30th November and made it again for
the third time in my career in the semi final of the Sportsman of the Year
award for the Ghazla Sportivi Nazzjonali. For 2014 I have high ambitions. I
want to achieve all the targets I set. I want to repeat the 2012 season or even
better. I am determined and am really focused to have a great and successful
2014.
I would like to thanks my coach Dermot Galea, my swimming coach Catalin Stan, my parents, wife's parents, my sponsors Garmin Malta, Starbene Shop of Mosta, BB Bike Parts Malta and Jaycee Malta, my club Birkirkara St Joseph especially our General SAecretart Euchar Camilleri and the Malta Triathlon Federation for the constant support. But most of all thanks to my wife Elizabeth for her great patience and support through out this difficult year. Its thanks to you that I am still the top Maltese Triathlete.
That's All for now. Hope you had a nice christmas and wish you a prosperous and healthy New Year 2014
Yours in Sport
Keith
