Well hello March, I have been waiting for you!!

I was whining on Twitter about not being motivated to work or blog or finish up the article I owe to Training Peaks. You know when you have no thoughts in your head?  That is how I feel tonight.  THE only reason is that it is late for me @ 7:35pm!  I know, I know….but Graham is at soccer practice and I am at some café pretending to work.  Yeah, that got me as far as Twitter, FB and Pinterest  thankyouverymuch.

Little Miss Molly on Twitter asked me to blog about my 2012 races.  YAWN!!!  I told her it is NOT riveting at all.  I was just laughing about this with Jerome this past weekend in Tucson (which, by the way, was dreamy thankyouverymuch)….and I was telling Jerome that I cannot believe I am this fit in March (bike and swim coming along) and I really have no major races on the horizon.  I am so not like that.

But, here is the deal…and for those who read my blog regularly you understand….I had not run hard since last August….my Achilles was screwed….and after IMAZ I did not run one step for 6 weeks.   January 1^st came and I said I would start slowly again with the running and I did.  3 x 20 min runs, 3 x 25 min runs, 3 x 30 min runs, 3 x 35 min runs…oh yes….just like that with NO intensity (of course)….I mean super slow and because it was winter cold, I was smart (stretched, rolled, etc)….and kept up my strength sessions (OF course, I would be a bigger mess w/o them)….so by the time I got up to March 1^st, I allowed myself to add the speed back in…8 weeks is not a huge base, but for someone like me who has a massive base from years upon years of training, it is sufficient.

March 1^st rolled around….I picked up my phone and called one of my favorite people:  Dave Walters and told him I was driving my A$$ down to see him and run with him…even if I need a wheelchair to get through his workout.  Last week I drove to run with him.  This was after I was nauseous after I brilliantly decided to do TWO back to back 10k TTs on the bike on Sunday AFTER Masters….yep, I am smart like that.  OH and smack talked about the whole event (s) all day too.  Best day EVER.

Anyway, I had warned Dave that this was my first speed workout since..well August (run wise) and this could be a total disaster.  My Achilles is basically 100% now, but the body is out of run shape.  We started to warm up and I thought, “just go with it, Jen” and I did.  I turned off my brain and ran as hard as I could up those hills and for the repeats of the main set.  Dave was pleasantly surprised and told me I am a sandbagger.  Ironically, I have been called a lot of things but a sandbagger, rarely.  So, maybe I am in better shape than I think?

Now, truth be told, I paid for that TT effort /Masters on Sunday and stress from putting our house on the market last week AND this hard 75 min run with Dave….I got a cold sore on Friday in Tucson…felt like I was hit by a truck.  But, that was all that I walked away with…pretty damn impressive really (because I was stressed out).

Then, in Tucson I was able to put in my long run….I ran 2 hours pretty easy but in the rolling terrain at Sabino Canyon…dreamy – but I was no worse for the wear.  So, here we are, early March and the game is ON.  So, now I can plan the season.

BUT, I promised myself (and Jerome, who is flexible) that this would be a step back year for me…all local because this house can sell at any point and we have to move and all that good stuff (to where, who knows!).

But, on December 31^st, when I was NOT even running, I signed up for a ½ Marathon on March 17^th.  Wholeheartedly knowing I would not be able to race it, but it fills so fast that I would lose my slot if I waited longer than 15 minutes.  So I entered.  Now I am in a position, 8 weeks later to run it.  Race it is a dicey word…but I can run the course and be respectable.  Five years ago I would never have done that…I would have to go with all guns blazing or not go at all.  Ah, with age comes wisdom.  And desperation.  I saw the other side:  The side of no running and I will tell you what, it is UGLY…so if I am 3, 4 minutes slower b/c I healed up this injury, I will take it and do the HAPPY Dance!!!

Now my 2012 just fully opened.

So, with that, I read the recent www.ironman.com article on the girls from 40-44 that qualified for Kona at IMAZ…well, that was me, but I was not mentioned b/c I turned the slot down.  BUT for some reason it made me crazy for a brief minute and I immediately whined about it and then said, “your choice, Jen…your choice.”  And, so it is.

So far this is my schedule for 2012:

• I have done 3 x 10k Bike TTs so far
• Racing ½ Marathon next weekend
• I have done a big swim meet already
• I am swimming in a big meet this weekend, HELLO 200 IM
• I am swimming out of MY SKIN at the IL State Swim Meet next month:  400 IM + 9 events
• Galena Triathlon in May
• 10 mile run Race in May – Memorial Day weekend
• Leon’s Oly Triathlon in early June
• Lake in the Hills Triathlon (same weekend as Eagleman, which I am not doing this weekend, Morgan has a dance recital that I would never miss)
• Twin Lakes Sprint Triathlon late June
• Bike TTs all of June, July and August…from 20k – 40ks
• Door County ½ Ironman (see, I threw in a ½ IM in the mix!) in mid July

I need to figure out past mid- July.  No marathons…no major travel, so we will see!  Maybe I do the Chicago Triathlon – what a concept!  Or another local ½ IM.  I know REV3 has a ½ IM up in Wisconsin Dells, which is only 3.5 hours north of me…so we will see!   I am open to anything!  I just want to race a lot and have fun.  I want to be in good enough shape to jump into anything but a full Ironman…but also flexible enough so that I can pack up and move and start building a house if I have too quickly.  That is my theme for 2012.

And, soon back to the track..oh have I missed the running track.  I left a message for Dave begging to meet me at the track soon.  SOON!  And after nursing this darn Achilles for months, I am JUST happy to be 100% again.