2013

As 2012 comes to an end, I cannot help but think how hard it will be to top this year.

 I married my best friend.

I found an incredible teaching job.

I moved into an adorable little house with the love of my life.

Our race that we put on (www.eggshellshuffle.com) sold out in only it's SECOND year!!!!!

Oh, and running wasn't too bad either;).

Truth be told, going into this year, I had been telling everyone that there is NO way that 2013 (or any other year for that matter) could ever beat 2012.  However, as 2012 comes to a close, I am starting to think that 2013 could be just as good, if not better.  

Obviously I won't be getting married or buying a house again, but I'll still be living in that house with the man that I married, so that's pretty cool.  I am hoping budget cuts stay away from my incredible school and that I'll be "safe" this year as well.  And, naturally, I am hoping that our 1/2 marathon and 5k, Egg Shell Shuffle, will sell out again and be another success in 2013 as well.

That being said, my goals have shifted a bit for 2013.  

The 2016 Olympic Trials for the Marathon are still a big goal and will be until I qualify.  However, Ryan and I have something unique that we want to do.

We got married on October 13, 2012.  Guess what happens on the weekend of October 13, 2013?  Yeah, it's our one year anniversary.  Yeah, it's the Chicago Marathon.  BUT, it's also the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WEEKEND FOR THE IRONMAN.

Yep, we are trying to qualify for KONA!!!

Coach Cari and I talked about this as it obviously means a small shift in priorities (sarcasm is hard to convey in text, but that was a sarcastic comment).  For me, my weakness is swimming.  Most people would see that as the area that I would need to focus on.  But, the cool thing about an Ironman is that really it is a LOT about the bike.  My swimming and running basically cancel each other out.  This means that if I want to qualify for Kona, I need to bust my butt and get my bike speed up there with all of the other fast girls.  

Ryan and I did a power test before we left for our cruise.  The last time I did a power test, my average was 200 watts, and this was while training for the World Duathlon Championships (before I got my teaching job).  When I did my power test 10 days ago, my average was also 200 watts.  This tells me that I have not lost too much on the bike, which is really good since I only have a good 5-6 months of training in me before I need to start tapering a bit.

Ryan and I have a workout room in our basement.  We painted the walls with a chalkboard paint so that we could write our goals and such on it.  The power test is written right next to the tv, so we know how we do every single time.  We also have our goals written down so that every time we go down to either bike or run, we see "QUALIFY FOR KONA" on both of our goals.  I really believe that having someone close to you having the same goal as you is SO helpful, motivating, and inspiring.  

I am hoping that we qualify in our first attempt.  That definitely sounds (and looks) crazy as I'm typing it, but we both have other goals that we are putting aside until we qualify for Kona, so this first attempt is extra important.  

Training for the 2016 Trials is still happening as well.  My body thrives when I incorporate cross training as I had SO many stress fractures and stress reactions thoughout college, that cross training is a welcoming break from running.   I really believe that it is possible to continue to improve my tempo runs (critical parts of marathon training) while also training to qualify for the Ironman World Championships.  

BUT...every little thing will matter.  Sleep.  Diet.  Vitamins.  Stretching.  Strength.  My future posts will detail some of those things that many of us take for granted and don't think twice about.  

I'll still be updating my blog, but now it will just include more biking and swimming stuff too.  Plus, I have my secret motivation that I'll probably be posting soon too.  Everytime I think of this, it fires me up and I just want to go out and prove this person wrong! 

Here's to hoping for an incredible 2013--congratulations, running and triathlon friends, on all of your accomplishments in 2012 and let's bring on 2013!