The Year That Was and The One To Come

Good morning.

Well, here we are, the end of another year. It seems the older one gets the faster the years go by.

First, I feel very fortunate to have lived and enjoyed 2010. The road was not completely smooth but I don't have any complaints. How can I complain when I have my health. Without that, not much else matters.

This past year was my maiden voyage into triathlon. I started swimming, biking and running just about a year ago. I can still remember those initial swim workouts. Boy have things changed.

I've come to LOVE the sport of triathlon and all the training that comes with it. To borrow a qoute from 70.3 World Champion Michael Raelert:

"Triathlon gives me a direction in this crazy world. It helps me create my personal goals and dreams and stay focused on things I really care about. I have learned to handle defeats and get out of personal holes. And it is so cool to see people who also get inspired like I did."

That statement above says a lot and is so true.

This year I was fortunate to participate in the Boston Marathon for the first time. That was fun. It also was a PR (3:32:00) and also qualified me again for 2011. I'm looking forward to returning to run on April 18, 2011.

Some other athletic accomplishments for 2010 were completing 4 triathlons. Two were the Intl Distance (Bigfoot and Chicago Tri) and two were 1/2 Ironman distance, 70.3's, (Steelhead and Branson).

After those it was time to run the Chicago Marathon which was another PR (3:29:29).

There was also the 13.1 half marathon in the spring which was my best in that distance with (1:36:59).

So, it was a year with lots of PR's.

It was an interesting year (learning experience) in blending triathlon training with marathon training. Looks like it worked. I had to cut down on the run mileage in order to fit in quality bike and swim efforts.

I also got to really enjoy open water swimming in Lake Michigan. It was always a treat to wake up on a Saturday morning and take that drive south on Lake Shore Drive to the triathlete swim area. Once there, the walk along the lake to the beach was surreal. There would be other swimmers and if it was a quiet morning all you would hear would be the "breaths." Sounded like a pod of whales.

This coming year should also be fun and interesting. Currently I am looking forward to the following:

Fn Freezing Frozen Lakefront 1/2 marathon late (January), Boston Marathon (April 18), Ironman Racine 70.3 (July), Ironman Wisconsin (Sept), New York Marathon (Nov).

I may throw in some other events, but these are the main ones so far.

There may be another 1/2 marathon. I'm not sure about the Chicago Marathon yet because that would be less than a month after my first full Ironman. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to do: Ironman Wisconsin.. Chicago Marathon...New York City Marathon, in a span of 8 weeks. Probably not.

I would rather recover from the Ironman and put in a good effort in New York.

So, yes, it's been a very good year all around and I look forward to another healthy happy 2011.

My training continues to progress and go well. Wednesday was an morning 4 mile elliptical and an excellent late afternoon 8 miler.

Yesterday consisted of a swim, P90X legs and back and 20 mile bike.

So, the blend of workouts continues. For those of you that have not tried P90X I highly recommend it. The legs workout is very tough and will make your legs very strong.



Split Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:09:17 0:08:43 1 0 6 9:17 8:43 8:06 123 143 0 59
2 0:08:16 0:08:11 1 12 0 8:16 8:11 5:25 130 136 0 65
3 0:08:03 0:07:56 1 0 0 8:03 7:56 5:40 132 136 0 59
4 0:08:12 0:08:11 1 0 16 8:12 8:11 5:36 130 132 0 57
5 0:07:59 0:07:55 1 18 0 7:59 7:55 4:26 134 141 0 53
6 0:08:02 0:08:03 1 0 2 8:02 8:03 6:47 134 145 0 54
7 0:08:00 0:08:00 1 0 4 8:00 8:00 7:06 136 140 0 52
8 0:07:29 0:07:20 1 0 10 7:29 7:20 6:27 139 148 0 52
9 0:01:02 0:01:01 0.15 6 0 7:07 6:59 6:21 148 149 0 8
Summary 1:06:23 1:05:20 8.15 36 38 8:09 8:01 4:26 132 149 0 459


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!




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" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin