2012 in regards to triathlon.

My training has been about as consistent as Kim Kardashian’s relationships lately…but I’m not complaining.  After completing my season last year with Lake Stevens 70.3 in August, and then an Olympic distance race one month later, I needed some serious time away from the sport.  I was mentally burned out and my body was just exhausted all the time.  I told myself I deserved a good month off.  I could still workout, but only when I wanted to.  On days that I couldn’t decide if I wanted to lay on the couch or go for a run, I would lay on the couch.  For once, it felt wonderful to be a complete couch potato.  My student teaching started, and before I knew it, my days were filled and I was back to the busy hustle and bustle that my life usually consists of.  This “good month off” that I promised myself very quickly stretched into two….then three.  I would sneak in workouts as much as I could, but every workout lacked structure.  

Here are the positives:
-I gave my body a rest
-I gave my brain a rest
-I caught up on 3 years worth of sleep deprivation
-I discovered TV shows that are entertaining
-I had time to cook and discover new recipes
-I read
-I had time to make this website
-I made student teaching my biggest priority

Here are the negatives:
-It’s hard to get back into a schedule after taking time off
-I’ve started to look like a real couch potato
-Speed work is hard!

This is what I look like curled up on the couch.

Whenever I make lists like this, I always make sure I have at least one more positive than negative.  As you can see, that wasn’t an issue in this case.  When I look at this list, I am perfectly content that I took the time off that I did.

So what does 2012 hold?

The New Year isn’t just going to bring in lots of champagne or kisses at midnight for me…it’s also going to be the beginning of my next set of training.  

The first (planned) race that I will be doing after the long, dark, cold winter is going to be American Triple T.  This race is very unique in many ways.

First…it’s a whole weekend of racing.

            Friday evening:  250M swim, 5 mile bike, 1 mile run

            Saturday morning:  1500M swim, 40K bike, 6.55 mile run

            Saturday afternoon:  40K bike, 1500M swim, 6.55 mile run

            Sunday morning:  1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run

Second…located in Portsmouth, Ohio, this race has some serious climbing.  These hills are the kind where you would do anything to have a granny gear magically appear on your big chain ring.  The bike course is pretty technical and very challenging.  The run is entirely on a dirt two-track road…an out-and-back that literally goes uphill for 3.25 miles and then downhill for 3.25 miles.

Third…you have the option to do this race solo or as a “team”.  Racing as a team means that the second two races you must race side by side with your teammate.  I’ve competed (or shall I say finished) this race twice already.  The first year I did as a team with my amazing training buddy and friend Emily Bolthouse. 

Although the race had its ups and downs, we had a great time racing together and enjoyed ourselves enough to sign up for it again!  The second year I participated in this race (last year) I raced solo.  I can hardly say I raced though, because my IT band was so bad that even my walk looked like a gimpy hobble.  My plan going into the weekend was to do every swim+bike and then drop out of the race for the run portion, knowing that the only place running could take place was in my wildest dreams.  However, being the stubborn athlete that I am, once in the race, I put my head down and stayed determined to finish (even if it meant walking/hobbling the entire run course).  Although the weekend was long, and the running portions of my races took just about double the time to complete, I learned a lotabout myself on that course and I am proud that I toughed it out…letting my ego get smashed into the gravel.   

I’m not sure what compelled me to sign up again…oh wait, I do; one of my best friends Nancy said that she wanted to race as a team with me!  Team Hoof Hearted will be destroying the course at Triple T this year and I can hardly wait J

 Nancy just competed in her first Ironman this past fall and did amazing.  

She is one of the most dedicated athletes I know, and I loved joining her on some of her long Ironman training workouts.  She somehow juggled Ironman training, PT school, a boyfriend, friends, CMU tri club, and a billion other things that she does all at the same time.  The most inspiring part about Nancy though, is that regardless of how many things she has on her agenda, she performs everything with a quality and level of excellenceunmatched by others.  

Many adventures to look forward to!  I can’t wait to see what all this new year brings…