2010: A Year in Review. 2011: A Look Ahead.

I can’t believe another year has been and gone. The older I get, the faster they go! This one has been an interesting one, filled with ups and downs and quite a few firsts. Without getting too wordy or boring, let’s take a look at the year, race wise.

The short of it: It was a lack luster season.

The long of it: It was a lack luster season, but what are you going to do about it now? The season opened with a dud, as you may recall from my disastrous experience at Bluff Creek. Then it fizzled at Hy Vee (although that was due to weather and not me, as I PR’d and podiumed). I had a short break before the highlight of the year: Racine, which could not have gone better. However, after the high of Racine, I suffered from a severe case of I-Don’t-Careitis for training and had a hard time preparing for Ironstar…which of course we all know, ended with a DNF for stomach and heat/cold issues (…never again…never again).

My heart did not seem as into this season as the 2009 season although I’m not able to pin point why. I knew this year was going to be challenging due to personal stuff (finishing the Masters, moving to start the PhD) but I didn't think my training would suffer so much at the tail end of the season. Lesson learned: never go 4 months in between races!

I’ve taken some time off from formal training as well as blogging (although that wasn’t on purpose). I’ve successfully finished my first semester of the PhD program and now know what to expect from future ones. I haven’t been living and breathing triathlon the last few months and I haven’t gotten anything new triathlon related for a while. Now before you start thinking that this is my letter of resignation, chill out. Being ‘away’ from the sport has been a good thing. Now, I’m home for the holiday spending time with the family and thinking about the 2011 season.

The short of it: I’m f-ing excited!

The long of it: I’m f-ing excited but nervous. I’ll be working with Coach Grant again which means structured training time, which is a good thing. I’m ready to make the commitment to train for Redman although I don’t think I’m prepared for the sacrifices that will come as well (how do you prepare for that?). I’m lucky enough to once again surround myself with awesome people in Texas who will be supportive, and my Texas sherpa will kick my ass if I don’t train properly, which is another good thing. I’ve got some good races that are spaced apart well, basically one a month from May until September. Not to mention (although it is important to point out), I’ve got you guys to support and motivate me! I’m friends with quite a few of you on facebook so its always good to see how you’re keeping up with your training and it reminds me that I need to pull my share of the weight in this community as well. I can’t call myself a triathlete if I’m not putting in the time and effort needed for my respective race distances…its not fair to the rest.

For now, I’ve got just over 2 weeks left at home in the freezing tundra of Iowa before I head back south. I’ve been swimming a few times and will continue to do so. I’ve also got some strength training routines to make sure I’m not completely out of shape before I hand myself over to Grant to get my butt kicked into shape. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, we’re still waiting on Christmas to happen, my brother was out of town at the Insight Bowl (which, the Hawks are 2010 champions of!) and won’t be back for a few more days.

If I don’t report back before the new year, Happy New Years everyone! Have a safe one!