One of my favorite things to do each morning before I go to work, is to look at my "On this day" feature on Facebook. It reminds me of all the things that happened a year ago, two years ago, five years ago, and on and on. Yesterday, my reminder was that a year ago I signed up for Ironman. I posted about how it wasn't hard to click on the "submit" button like I had anticipated. This morning as I laid in bed, I started thinking about how Ironman was over two months ago. I crossed the finish line with tears in my eyes. I had achieved my goal and was so proud of what I had accomplished. There were times where I wanted to give up but I fought through every day leading up to race day. I am thankful for finding the strength and courage to finish what I had started. All of this got me thinking, "So what do I do next?"
This is a question that I feel like I still don't have an exact answer to. Do I find something even MORE challenging? (Like what????) Do I try another one and improve my time? (Do I really want to wake up at 4am again?) Do I try another sport? Do I try to improve my times in running?
In all honesty I don't know what I want right now. I thought about trying crossfit but can't justify the price of the membership. There are not many other sports that I find appealing, and the thought of ONLY running sounds boring to me. I also can't say that I miss waking up at 4am (and sometimes even earlier, believe it or not) to work out. My friend Kristie and I have been talking about doing a half iron distance triathlon in April. That pretty much means that I must start base building now. I haven't been in the pool since the Thursday before Ironman, and I haven’t been on the bike in about two weeks. I have been running somewhat consistently to reach my goal of running 504 miles this year. Why the weird number? At the beginning of the year I signed up with a team to run 2016 miles this year. Each of us would have to run 504 miles to make it to 2,016 miles and I want to honor my commitment to the team. It's unlikely that we will reach the goal as a team, but I want to at least have done my fair share of the mileage.
In all honesty I don't know what I want right now. I thought about trying crossfit but can't justify the price of the membership. There are not many other sports that I find appealing, and the thought of ONLY running sounds boring to me. I also can't say that I miss waking up at 4am (and sometimes even earlier, believe it or not) to work out. My friend Kristie and I have been talking about doing a half iron distance triathlon in April. That pretty much means that I must start base building now. I haven't been in the pool since the Thursday before Ironman, and I haven’t been on the bike in about two weeks. I have been running somewhat consistently to reach my goal of running 504 miles this year. Why the weird number? At the beginning of the year I signed up with a team to run 2016 miles this year. Each of us would have to run 504 miles to make it to 2,016 miles and I want to honor my commitment to the team. It's unlikely that we will reach the goal as a team, but I want to at least have done my fair share of the mileage.
I keep up with local and state calendars for potential races and have a handful in mind. Then comes the thought of how much things are going to cost. Being an athlete does not come at a cheap price. It's not that I need new gear, because I don't. It's more the cost of signing up for a race that makes me cringe. At the same time, nothing compares to the price tag of Ironman. The cost of admission was just under $800.00.
The one thing I am most excited about for 2017 is being on the Base Performance Race Team. This is the first time I have ever been selected for a team. In the last few years I have applied for various teams but ultimately get the "We're sorry to inform you that you were not selected this time" email. After Ironman, I found myself with a new confidence and when I got an email inviting me to apply I thought, "I got this!!" After several weeks, I got the email saying that I was selected for the 2017 team. My team gear will arrive in February and I cannot WAIT for that box to arrive!! That is another reason why I have been thinking hard about a race schedule for next year. I want to make sure that I am adequately prepared for every race that I sign up for so that I don't disappoint the sponsor. I want to make a statement and be invited back year after year.
Between now and the end of the year I plan to enjoy every moment of training and non-training. With winter break in just two weeks, I am making plans to get some long hikes in with my dogs, Haro and Bud. January will be here soon and it will be time to get serious again.
In my next post, I will reflect on 2016 as a whole. Last year was a very tough year for me in so many ways, and this year has been the total opposite. There are so many highlights to look back on and I am excited to start reflecting on an incredible year. This year has been good to me in every aspect. Until next time....
In my next post, I will reflect on 2016 as a whole. Last year was a very tough year for me in so many ways, and this year has been the total opposite. There are so many highlights to look back on and I am excited to start reflecting on an incredible year. This year has been good to me in every aspect. Until next time....
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