Thankful for Another Great Year of Competition

After popping his soleus a half mile into the 5km run at the April Richmond Sprint Triathlon, lawyer Landau hopped the remaining miles & then hobbled onto the podium for his prize. The rest of the season required careful training, therapy, pre-race rest & recovery

Three regional championship podium finishes, two national championship races and a series podium spot make for a successful year of multisport racing. While constrained by injury and travel, 2016 saw numerous award-winning competitive performances. Though not permitted to compete at the World Championships because of happy family events (his kids’ wedding, college and medical school graduations), Landau overcame an early season injury (torn soleus) and late season surgery (double inguinal hernia) to nevertheless have a great sporting year. Here are some of the highlights:

USAT Duathlon Mid-Atlantic, New England AND SouthEastern Regional Championship Runner Up.
Virginia & Maryland Triathlon Super Series Age Group Runner Up
Age Group Prizewinner at over 20 Duathlons, Triathlons, Track & Road Running races throughout the East Coast
Qualified for the 2017 World Championships at the USAT National Duathlon Championships
Podiums at every MidAtlantic Duathlon Series race he entered
Raced in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, California, Oregon, Nebraska & Washington, D.C.

Just 6 weeks after injury, & without his run at full speed, Landau was still winning his age group, working as a volunteer & threatening for overall honors at races like the Warrenton Virginia “Salute to the Military” sprint triathlon at the former Vint Hill base.

While Lawyer Landau is still healing from his surgery in December, he has committed to race at the 2017 US Sprint Duathlon in June and Triathlon National Championships in August, as well as to again help sponsor the Virginia Maryland Triathlon Super Series. Landau hopes to be a top TeamUSA finisher at the Duathlon World Championships in Penticton, Canada in August. Following up with his surgeon next week, the Herndon injury and disability lawyer intends to start training again as soon as Dr. Trad gives him the “thumbs up.” He notes,

“It’s been hard to not do anything but walk, do seated exercises and use only the light hand weights from the ’rainbow rack’ at the gym. Gentle recumbent cycling helps me keep some level of fitness, as does long walks, but as a sprint distance athlete, I wonder how much speed I am losing each week. I will have to start slowly, with lots of ‘LSD’ over the winter to get my ligaments, bones and other connective tissue back to withstand my intense, interval heavy, pre-season training regimen. Likely I’ll be working on form a lot this winter until I can test my mettle at some early spring races. I am hoping that the years of training will enable me to get back quickly and give full value at every venue. However, I have been advised that the surgery may take a year to completely heal, and that a reoccurrence will put me out for a much longer time, as the mesh in my stomach has to heal gradually in order to be fully effective. As a scientist, it will be interesting for me to see what my body is able to do. Because I simply do not know whether I will be at or near top form, I am reluctant to commit to other major races at this time. By mid-February I should have some idea as to the trajectory of my recovery. Until then, ‘stay tuned !’”

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