Thinking of 2011

Yes it's that time of year again, the weather is cold and snowy out there and all of us who live for the summer are left to wait it out. Christmas is a great time to just be a normal person again and not feel like you HAVE to train for something. That being said, this is probably the longest I've gone without training for something specific in many, many years. I feel a little lost without a big goal to shoot for but I'm learning patience is probably the most important aspect of the off season. It is nice to just swim, bike and run when I want to and not feel pressure to get in a specific workout. However having that specific goal keeps me driven and focused not only in the physical aspect of my life but also the emotional one.

Last night I decided to just jump on the treadmill and do a little run and when I was finished I felt like the world made sense again. All the pressure I was dealing with all week with work stress, and an exam I have to write next week just went away. All of the sudden I realized how much training adds to my emotional well being. I can't imagine how people that don't train deal with everyday life? I was ready to throw in the towel and move to Costa Rica with some of the crap I was handed this week but none of it seems important now, and in the grand scheme of things, it isn't.

So I'm very excited about 2011 and I've posted my race schedule. Nothing terribly new other than Ironman 70.3 San Juan in March, I don't know if it's a good idea to do a 1/2 IM in March but I'm going to just go and have fun. It's a wonderful excuse for a holiday and by March Amber and I will definitely want to get away from the cold for a while. Also we're doing Tour BC again!! I'm very excited about that week and the route looks awesome, 760kms of biking and I feel like a rock star on my bike leading up to IMC, I can't wait. I might sneak in a couple other races but last year taught me to pick the important races and peak and recover. I've found a good balance between build up and recovery and 2011 is going to be a very good year.