New Year - New Focus

HAPPY 2012!!!


Before I get to my goals, can I just say that I cannot believe that it's the beginning of the new year already.  Where did the time go??  So many wonderful things happened last year from selling our house, buying a new house, my oldest starting Kindergarten, and finishing IMAZ!!!  It was definitely a crazy, BUSY, adventurous year!

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This new year is going to be a little different for me.  Usually, I pick an "A" race, figure out a training plan, and do races throughout the year that won't interfere with the "A" race too much.  This year however, I'm not going to really have an "A" race.  Plus, last year it was pretty much ALL about my training, and my husband didn't get to do some of the things he wanted.  So, not having a big "A" race will allow my husband to do some of the things he's wanted to do. Yay!  SO...my goal for this year is to HAVE FUN doing the things that I may not have been able to do in the past.

Here are some of the things I'd like to do this year:

1)  Trail Running:  I LOVE trail running.  But, in the past, I could never really do it for fear of getting injured and blowing my racing season.  This year, I want to do a lot of trail running and attempt a 50k, maybe even a 50M (YIKES!!!).  Here's what that may look like:
*  May 5th - Greenland 25k [HERE] (This is to get "my feet wet" in the whole trail running experience)
*  June 2nd- Golden Gate Dirty Thirty 50k [HERE]
*  June 15th- Fibark Trail Run [HERE] (My husband and I did this last year and we'd like to make it a yearly tradition)
*  Sept. 30th - The Bear Chase 50k OR 50M [HERE] - This is still up in the air and will just depend on how the summer goes.

One of my Christmas presents were these awesome shoes:

The New Balance Minimus Trail Runners.  They are light and super comfortable, and I can't wait to take them out on the trails!

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2) Sprint Triathlons:  I really like the sprint distance!  It's fun, short, and super fast.  Plus, you can do the race and still have the rest of the day to enjoy with your family.  This year, I really want to do some of the sprint tris that I haven't been able to do in the past.  In CO, there are several sprints every month over late spring/summer, so I have A LOT of options.

3) Camping/Hiking: With selling our house, buying a new house, and IMAZ training, we didn't get to do a lot of camping last year.  So, this year, we really want to go camping/hiking as much as we can!  Not having a big "A" race will let us do this whenever the mood strikes us! :)

4) Spending lots and lots of time with my three guys! With IMAZ training, I missed out on a lot of family time with my husband and boys.  Don't get me wrong, I am sooo glad that I did IMAZ because it was an amazing experience.  But, they sacrificed a lot in order for me to do that race.  So, this year I am going to focus on them and support them in what THEY want to do, and the thought of that makes me very, very happy! :)  

I hope you all had a wonderful New Years!  I have no doubt that 2012 is going to be an amazing year for all of you!

Souce

New Year, New Goals

First off, I'd like to say, "Happy New Year" everyone! I really can't believe that it is already January. Where did Fall go?? I'm actually excited for the new year because it means the beginning of tri training again! Of course I've been running and biking here and there, but I'm talking about an actual "plan" with set times and distances. I do much better with keeping up with my fitness when I have something telling me what I should be doing. Otherwise I tend to slack off and before I know it I've gained 10 pounds and my fitness is completely shot! Of course I'm only starting a winter maintenance plan right now, but come March I'll be starting my training for my Half Ironman in August...woohoo!

I know a lot of people make New Year resolutions, but I like to phrase mine more as goals. So, here are some goals I'd like to accomplish this next year:

1. Take swimming lessons to help improve my swimming.
I'm not a horrible swimmer, but I am slower than I'd like. Last year I would get so frustrated after a race when I would look at my times compared to other age groupers. I would beat them in the bike and run, but they always killed me on the swim.

2. Become a speedier runner
I think I have pretty much had the same pace for as long as I can remember. For some reason I have this mental block when it comes to increasing my pace. I know what pace I am comfortable with and have a difficult time pushing myself to become better and faster. So, my goal for running is to get outside my comfort zone and see what I can really do!

3. Learn how to train my dog so I can run with him
I've always wanted a running dog partner. I see people running with their dogs all of the time and I get so jealous. We have a black lab mix that weighs about 95 pounds. He's all muscle and is very very strong. I weigh around 125, so he can literally pull me around and if he were to take off after a squirrel or something I wouldn't be able to stop him. But, I would love to be able to run with him and I know he would really love to run with me. Plus, I think I would feel more comfortable running in the dark if he were with me. I mean, who's going to mess with a 95 pound dog??

4. Beat my first HIM time of 5:42
I'll be doing my second HIM this year in August. I wanted to do the same HIM I did last year, but the timing just won't work out this year. Plus, the HIM I picked is the new Boulder 70.3, and I'm excited about doing another race in Boulder. It's such a great venue for triathlons and August is a great time of year in Colorado. This goal really stems from goal #1 and 2. Yes, I know they are two different races and it's like comparing apples to oranges, but it's my goal and I'm sticking to it! :)

5. Spend more weekends hiking and camping with our boys instead of racing
Last year between my husband and I we had a lot of races scheduled during the spring and summer months. On the weekends that were free we either went hiking or camping with our boys in the mountains. They absolutely loved it and so did I. This year, we want to camp/hike as much as possible. Races will always be here, but having our kids want to actually spend time with us won't last forever.

6. Be a more consistent blogger
Let's face it, I haven't really been that great at posting on my blog. It's my own fault and I could list some reasons, but they would be more like excuses and there really is no excuse. I promise to be better.

Alrighty...so there are my 2010 goals! Woohoo! I like putting them down on paper (well virtual paper...ha ha)!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and a very happy new year!