It's Alive!

Time to raise this blog from the dead... Okay. It's been about two and a half months since I've posted here. That was my post-season break. It's November 1 and I wanted to look back on last season's races and training and think about where I want to go from here.

Triathlons

I only did two triathlons this year: Quad Cities and Steelhead. I definitely would like to do more races than that next year. I think the pressure of the 70.3 made it hard for me to enjoy my training as much. I'd like to avoid that going forward, so I want to focus on shorter races in 2008.

As of right now, I'm planning on Accenture Chicago being my "A" race. It's the biggest triathlon in the world and since I live right here, how can I NOT do it at some point. It's likely one of the best chances I'll have to race alongside (okay, behind) professionals, so I'm excited about giving it a shot. It's olympic distance (1500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run), so it's a reasonable distance to train for, but will still be a good challenge.

Other races I'm considering are Galena (May), which is hilly and challenging, a long sprint distance, and a good early season race. I'd like to try to do the Quad Cities Tri again to beat my pretty awful performance from last year. There is also a triathlon in Waukegan that would be good since it's so close to home.

Running

I did a few running races this year including the Shamrock Shuffle, the Corporate Challenge, the Race Against Hate, and just recently the Trick or Treat Trot. I plan on doing the 8k Rudolph Ramble the second weekend in December, and possibly a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. I'd like to do more running again next year, possibly working up to a half marathon. I'll certainly do the Shamrock Shuffle and a few others again next year. I'll have to see if Heath is up for a New Year's Day run, like I did last Jan 1st. The running races I haven't thought out as much as the triathlons, so I'll be doing more researching on those coming up. I'd also like to do the Muddy Buddy, which isn't a tri, but a sort of adventure race.

Cycling

Last year I did the Indoor Time Trial series, and was very pleased with my results, especially since I was (and still am) such a cycling newbie. It makes me excited to think about how well I could do if I really turn on the training this off-season. I'd like to do that series again (though it's a bit farther away now that I live in Evanston - probably worth the drive, though). I'd also like to a few more outdoor time trial races as these will help with my triathlon cycling. The races range from the 10k indoor races, to 16k to 40k outdoor races. They're not very expensive, but they tend to be kind of far away.

My big challenge will be to schedule my races such that I don't feel like I have an obligation every weekend. I want to have a good balance so that I feel like I can relax and/or go camping or visit friends and family without feeling like I'm constantly on the go.

Overall, I'm really excited to think about how much I can improve for next year. I figure if I can do as well as I did this year on really inadequate training (have to be honest with myself here - there is no way I should have been able to finish Steelhead like I did.), just imagine how fast and fit I could be if I put in a more solid commitment. My new training plan starts today. I signed up for a winter maintenance/base building training program through beginnertriathlete.com, which is a great resource for triathletes of all levels. They have forums, training programs, training logs, articles, and all sorts of features that build a kind of DYI triathlon community. I don't have the $ to plunk down on a personal coach, so the online resources are great. Once I get my online training log set up, I'll link to it, so I can be accountable for sticking with my program.

My main initial goal is to get into a routine where I exercise in the mornings before work, rather than after work, when I'm burned out from the day and my commute and don't have the energy to exercise. Once I get into that habit, I should be able to manage the training quite well.