2012 Goals

1. Less work, more family.
Have you seen my gorgeous family?




This year is about the four of us. This summer will be our first family vacation (more than a weekend). Depending on the next few months, we are either going to Europe (I'm pushing for Germany) or renting an RV and seeing some of the U.S.

2. No race goals.
If I race, do it for the company and the fun (it's not like I'm going to win)!

3. No race planning.
Sign up if I feel like it.

4. NO RUNNING!
I can say that now that Goofy Challenge is behind me. I have to give my back a break or I will be under the knife by year-end! (BTW, check out the Goofy Bling)


5. Find events that Dude and I can do together.
Cycling comes to mind. And I see a lot of hiking in our future. Any suggestions?

6. Cook more!
I live next door to Wegman's, this should be easy! Don't forget to check out my other blog - TRI TO COOK! I foresee more posts there than here over the next year!

7. Eat healthy. See above.

8. More time with friends.
I'd like to do a once a month pot-luck/get-together. I know I live in the sticks, but I figure if you offer good food and good wine, they will come!

9. Better (more) Dude time.
Work has been insane. Then there was the stupid Ironman thing. And the move. And the new dog. And have I mentioned work? It's time to get back to the basics.

10. Me, Me, Me.
After #1 and #9 I have to say, sometimes it is all about me! More family and more Dude time = Happy Me. In addition to that, I swear, I'm going back to school to finish those last four classes for my MBA. And I'm stalking Groupon/Daily Deals/Specialicious for massage, manicure, pedicure, and spa day deals.

2010 - Year in Review

Or Better Late Then Never...

2010 will not go down in any record books for me. Truth be told, I'm just glad that it's over. This is also delayed because the year ended with me sick...sick almost consistently from 7 December until YESTERDAY (I did have a 5-day break in there, but still) a MONTH of sinus infections, ear infections, walking pneumonia, and bronchitis. Apparently my immune system went on holiday.

Rather then go month by month, here's a summary:

- I did my first Polar Plunge, and will be repeating it in 2011.
- I ran my first half-marathon, guess you could call that a PR!
- I participated in one Relay (should have been two but more on that in a bit) and did one Oly - did NOT PR in either.
- I did two 70.3's. One in Hell (Florida) and one at a fantastic venue (Musselman - Lake Seneca, New York) that I'll be returning to in 2011. Did NOT PR in either.
- I got robbed in the MicroMussell and will redeem myself in 2011.
- I did not do Marine Corp Marathon (but if you look at my results you'll see that "I" finished in 4:08 - that was actually my ROCKSTAR cousin who came down here with 3 days notice and still finished in 4:08. BTW, she's also skinnier and prettier then me...BIATCH).
- I ran the Marine Corp 10K against Doctor's orders. Did NOT PR.
- I travelled to North Carolina to do an Ironman Relay and ended up attempting the whole dang thing. I got to the halfway point in the marathon and called it a day (and I am STILL kicking myself for not finishing)!!!!

If you remember my Motivation Plan, I was to "give myself" $5 for every workout I did. Well, I "made" $605 - that is sadly 2.32 workouts a week which is almost exactly what IM AZ costs. Convenient!

In total...
I swam 52,365 meters, or 12.4 Iron-Distance swims,
I biked 1,217 miles, or 10.85 Iron-Distance bike rides, and
I ran 445 miles, or 16.97 marathons.

Compared to 2009 (which I quit tracking in Sep 2009):
I swam 100,312 meters, or 23.75 Iron-Distance swims,
I biked 1,518 miles, or 13.53 Iron-Distance bike rides, and
I ran 512 miles, or 19.52 marathons.

Aside from racing/training, I had a blast in Vegas with some great friends, I got promoted at work (which includes my very own parking spot), I got a bad-ass tattoo, I went on a non-race related vacation in Grand Cayman and I'm still head over heels, madly in love with Dude.

All in all, LIFE IS GOOD!

BRING IT 2011 - it's time to KICK AZ!!!!

2011 Race Schedule and goals coming soon!

9 - 13

Dang it, I couldn’t even do the three days in a row. If it’s any excuse, I worked 12.5 hours Thursday night, busy on Friday, and I make it a goal to not get on my computer over the weekend.

9. 2010 Motivational Plan – It’s going ok – I’m a little behind on my monthly $$$ goal because my back pain made me miss a week. I’m learning that in addition to the monetary incentive, it helps when I have someone depending on me to show up. Jason texted me the other day and we met at the gym to work out. I also made the team run because I told him I’d be there. GREAT 2 hour run with Jill!!! Didn’t make Sunday’s bike ride though – too tired and it was raining.

10. Sleep Deprivation – Every once in awhile insomnia hits me like a mack truck. And it’s been running me over for about three weeks now. Basically I sleep for 2 hours, I’m wide awake for 2 hours, repeat until the alarm goes off at 5:40. I’m exhausted, I’m grumpy, and my concentration is shot. I AM MISERABLE!

12. Social Networking – How much is too much? I Blog, I Facebook, I Email, I Text, I’m Linked-in, my Blackberry is always within reach, and I have a Twitter account (but I’ve never twitted – and I find it odd that strangers are following me even though I like that strangers read my blog – I’m just weird like that!) Is all of this really necessary though?

12. Weight – Remember that whole thing I said about eating less and exercising more. Well, it still works. I’m down 4 lbs! 5 till I’m semi-happy, 7 till I’m happy, and if only I could lose 11.4 I’d be ecstatic!

13. Zone Workouts – As you know, I haven’t exactly been keeping with the training schedules. Well last weekend I did 8 miles at “my pace” (what felt good, versus monitoring my heart rate) and was a little sore on Sunday – not horrible, but there was some tenderness. Sunday, Jill and I did 10 miles, pure zone 2, and no pain. None, Zilch, Nada. The stuff works people – try it!!!

Year in Review (Thursday 13)

January – Ran my first 20 mile. Also had a wonderful trip to Colorado with Dude (pic) to do some skiing and snowshoeing.




February – First marathon and Jason and I ran every step (pic). We did miss the 5-hour goal by 3 minutes but c'est la vie. Most important though, there was a new addition to my family. Penny arrived on 7 Feb at just over 18 pounds (pic).

March – Big training month and finally back to riding outdoors (pic). Unfortunately the weather never agreed so the riding was miserable (you can't tell in the pic but it was cold). I also started getting a sport massages every other week and bought a bunch of gear during March!

April – Race season has begun - Cherry Blossom 10 miler (pic) and Rumpass in the Bumpass (still the best named triathlon) – had a blast on the Olympic relay, serious fail with the sprint. This was not the best training month in terms of performance but I got it done.

May – First 70.3…and I got injured (pic). YIKES! Took some down time, then eased back into training. In other news – I planned and arranged our post Ironman vacation to Lake Como, Italy.

June – Second 70.3 and it was Awesome! (Sang in a high pitched voice) (pic). Then came the final long days of training and the expected angst leading up to race day. That angst turned into an odd calm as THE day got closer.


July – I AM AN IRONMAN!
Oh, and I had a fabulous vacation to Lake Como (pic).




August - Basked in the glow of being an IRONMAN. Also did some local exploring and found some incredible places. Due to those finds, I cooked a lot this month (pic). Dude and I also went to Pennsylvania for a Metric Century and I even managed to get some marathon training in.

September – Two firsts this month – my first Olympic distance tri (other two I participated in either cut the swim or turned into Duo) and my first 10K run. Decided not to do Marine Corp marathon. Highlight of the month was going home and hangin' with my highschool friends (pic).



October – PID set in…BAD! Barely trained, hell, I barely exercised. I also cut out a lot of socializing. I injured my jaw and I think I spent most of the month in pain and depressed.

November – PID still there - Depression sucks!! Managing to do some exercising on my own and a little bit of socializing. On the positive side, Dude and I have decided to buy a house together – but it will be awhile until we are living in sin - must sell two places before buying one.


December – Typical in that there were a lot of parties (pic), socializing, eating and not a lot of exercising. Developed my New Plan. Had a massive snowstorm on my birthday weekend. Celebrated Christmas with Dude and his family. And am planning a quiet evening to bring in the New Year.



Plans for 2010 are in the works. Continuing with “The Plan”, increase training with Team Z, a couple races, selling/buying a house, try to squeeze a vacation in, work on 101 in 1001, and enjoying the happiness I’ve found with Dude.

I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

Bring it 2010!

New Plan

If you’ve noticed in the past couple months I have been aimlessly getting by when it comes to fitness. I’ve been blaming it on PID (Post Ironman Depression) but I believe it boils down to I’m not working towards anything.

Motivational Failures:
- Marine Corp Marathon – I was still injured and it was too much after IMS
- Training for the Shamrock 13.1 - after last years uber-exercising 13.1 miles is JUST 13.1 miles (I’m still doing it, it’s just not a strong enough focus)
- Worrying about my weight – it’s just depressing and makes me want to eat more

So in looking back at what got me to/through Ironman (other then the debilitating fear) what kept me motivated was #32 in my 101 in 1001 – money towards Finisher Gear (which, by the way, I only spent ½ of what I had earned).

Apparently, my career in finances has rubbed off and it’s all about money. So here’s my new plan:

Starting on 14 December, for every workout I finish I put $5 in the coffer (ok, I document it in a spreadsheet). Next year, on 13 December, that money will be used to buy myself either a really BIG gift or a substantially smaller one.

The missing piece to this plan is still a goal though. You see, I’m one of those people that rarely ever WANTS anything. And on those rare occasions when I do, well, quite honestly, I’ll just go get it. For this to work I think I need to be able to say, "The money is going to go towards…"

- a long ski weekend vacation for Dude and I ($1,000) = ~4 workouts a week
- cooking class once a month ($1,200) = ~5 workouts a week
- a spa day every other month ($1,500) = ~ 6 workouts a week
- a cycling vacation($2,000) = ~8 workouts a week

What should it be? Then again, perhaps it will be more fun to keep an on-going list...