Events for 2010!

Well, I'm back after taking several months off after the Chicago Marathon. I've now been training for about a month or so for several triathlons this year, as well as a few half-marathons. People have been saying to me, "But... didn't you do a full marathon, and aren't you going to stick with those for now?" Well, not quite. I found that as easy as it is to "fake" a half-marathon (i.e. complete one with little to no training - no matter how agonizing that is) you can't do that with a full. So, I'm back to half-marathons with some sprint-length triathlons in between.

So far on the agenda for this year:

January - sprint trithalon (400m/6m/3k)
February - sprint triathlon (400m/12m/5k), Mardi Gras Half Marathon
March - Anthem 5k, Rodes City Run 10k, sprint triathlon (400m/12m/5k)
April - Papa Johns 10 miler, Derby Festival Half Marthon, St. Louis Half Marathon
May - sprint triathlon (400m/16m/5k)

Those are the ones I will definitely be signing up for (or have already) and I'm also looking into some longer bike rides as well as a half-Ironman in September to help me celebrate my 34th Birthday!

Since completing that first triathlon I am completely hooked! My friend Alicia and I have been working with a swim coach for the past month and have improved our form and time in the water significantly from last September. I find that I get bored easily with 'just running' and that the three separate events switches it up just enough to keep it interesting and keep my adrenaline pumping. So, I'm super-psyched about these upcoming events - the first of which is a mere week away!

Training, at this point, has consisted mostly of swims with a little running thrown in. Ran my longest distance of the new year (four miles) just yesterday, and haven't been on a bike since Fall, but feel confident that I can pull off the small distances in next weeks event with no problem. I've joined the YMCA where they offer spin classes and a pool, to keep my legs strong and to continue working on my stroke and form for the swim. I still have the treadmill at home, and am planning on utilizing that a whole lot more in the coming months - especially if I DO end up registering for that half-ironman in September.

I'm nearly off to bed now to get ready for an early 6:30 a.m. swim lesson. As always, I will continue to post with my training, thoughts, epiphanies, etc. during this crazy time. Happy 2010!