Are blogs dead?  I am afraid they may be (boo!).  And, I have done little to help that phenomenon lately.  But, truth be told, I like blogs.  I like to journal and I like to read about athletes and people’s triumphs and tragedies, frankly.  Social media is great – but it is just too clean.   Blogs, although may be passé, allow us to get deeper into someone’s life AND I like that.

So, what is up?  Let’s do an update, as boring or titillating as it may be.

Racing:

Last year I loved the way that my schedule was set up.  I raced a ton and all local.  I raced 5 weekends in a row (aggressive) and then I decided to do USAT AG Nationals in August to end my season.  I loved, loved training for short course racing.  I was never gone too long, training or racing, and between raising (ie, carpooling) teenage twins and work, it was great for that time in my life.   I raced my guts out all summer and got to do what I really love to do:  Race head to head.   USAT Nationals is for me, the reason I train so hard and race.  I get to mix it up with some of the best short course athletes in the country – all head to head.  It is exhilarating and fun for me.  I really, really enjoyed it.  I left with a 7^th place finish at OLY (top 10 podium) Nationals and the Sprint Triathlon race came down to the last ½ mile, where I was in the lead and lost in the last ½ mile.  While I was surely disappointed; I left it all out there for that race and managed to walk away in 2^nd at Nationals the day after shredding myself apart in the Olympic race.  To me, that was enough.  I was nauseous for days after the effort I put forth that weekend.   I was satisfied and went into my off season.  I raced up to my potential 100%.  And, for me, that is all I ever want.

I took some time off training, like I always do each fall to recover, rejuvenate and figure out what is next.  I need to be super careful in my off season, since I coach full time, I need to make sure I take some time away from Triathlon a bit and really focus on something else.  Usually the week of Thanksgiving allows me to get away from everything and head to California with my family to visit my childhood BFF and visit sunny LA and make the trek over to Tucson to close out our visit.  I love this time with my family and it is the only time I do not work all year.  I come back from this trip ready to tackle Chicago’s winter and Christmas (favorite time of the year!) and the following year.

I have been itching to do another Ironman.  I have done 4, but each of them have been in a new age group.  I have done:  25-29, 30-34, 35-39 an 40-44.  Last time I did an IM it was Kona in 2013, when I was 42.  I am now racing 45-49 and it is time.  I waited because I really needed my kids to get their licenses before I started to train at that level again.  I did not want to miss anything major with my kids or have them miss anything because I was not around to take them to their activities.  Morgan has her license now (heaven) and Graham is slated for June 1^st.  Bittersweet for sure, but exciting freedom for them & a new phase in our lives.

With some egging on of my friend, Patrick Chalmers, we both signed up for Ironman Maryland in 2018.  I am excited to take on an Ironman again and do one aside from Kona.  My only non-Kona IM was Ironman Arizona in 2011, which I loved.  But, it was important for me to do it on a course I would like and would suit me well – Eagleman 70.3 is my all time favorite race and one I have done almost 8-9x over the years.  I decided that since I am going to do a full, I will go back to the Eagleman course and do it there.  So, 2018 is the year!  I should write about how different the IM is in each age group – I think I will do that after I finish this one!

Business:

With the downtime I had in the fall, I was itching to do something a little different too with my JHC Coaching business.  However, I did not want to change the core of my business.  I still love what I do and love the athletes and teams/groups I work with.  But, at the same time, I wanted to provide my athletes with a larger community and network of peers, sponsorship opportunities and experts.  My very good friend, Elizabeth, who runs Multisport Mastery, and I have always worked very closely together.  Over the years, we have co-coached teams, charity groups, a Para-Triathlete Olympian and top age group athletes.  We complement each other very well and it was a natural progression to combine our teams from a community perspective.  We have a very active Facebook group and are able to offer combined swim clinics, camps, educational opportunities and more.  The last two months have been fun and I know our athletes have enjoyed the comradery that the group offers.

Personal:

Every year I have done Triathlon, I have needed to find a new WHY.   I don’t really PR anymore at all – so I have to dig DEEP to figure out what I am trying to accomplish.   Train for an IM?  I better damn well have a very good reason to do that.  But, I am also not normal:  I do NOT have any issues waking up at 5:00am to train.  In fact, I have never, ever, used a snooze button.  Honestly, while I know what it is, I just never understood it.  I wake up, I get up and I go.  Now, I don’t have little babies at home either, so my nights are my own after I go to bed and that is key.  However, I like to be fit and I like to move.  I rarely get terribly out of shape.  But, there is a huge difference between training and working out.  This is the reason I have and will always have a coach (yes, Elizabeth still coaches me).  I like to work out.  I like to swim with friends.  I like to teach my Computrainer classes.  But, training is much more inclusive, specific and detailed.  I knew, once I made the commitment to big races in 2018, that I would train and not just workout as I feel.

Nevertheless, in December, I was in Key West celebrating a friend’s (Mia!) 40^th birthday and she wanted to do a 10k.  We all signed up and I thought I was in shape to run fast.   Well, I went out with the 1^st place girl, holding what I normally can hold and BAM!  I stopped right in my tracks and pissed off my hamstring.  I did not pull it, but I could NOT walk for awhile and I babied it for weeks.  That was a rude reminder that I should not chase the teenager out of the blocks while I am “working out” versus “training.”  And, a reminder that I MUST behave and be smart.   With age comes wisdom. Lots of it -luckily for me.

I am conservative (training wise) normally.  I like to do the minimum I need to perform at the level I want to perform at; however, that is a tricky line.  What is too much?  What is enough to meet my goals?  And, my goals are always aggressive, but very clear.  Otherwise, I would not do it.  I have many other hobbies (decorating my new house!) that I can do in my free time.

I am intrigued what it will take and how my body will respond in the 45-49 age group training for what I want to do at IM MD.   I recently had to add in stretching work – I see a guy named Dave from Elite Stretching regularly now to work on my hamstrings, posterior lower legs and hips.  I am tight and it only gets worse as I do triathlon longer and longer.  I also take Pilates 1x/week and have been for 5-6 years.  Again, another staple for me.  And, I take a hard TRX class for full body mobility, functionality and strength.  I like it.   But, I just really want to s/b and run and move on with myself…but I know I cannot have it all.

In a time when I do not really PR anymore, I still am grateful for the fire I still have to race and race hard.  I set new goals and new opportunities to define what it is like to race in each age group after 20 years.  I don’t need to PR anymore – but that doesn’t mean I will not go into each race I do with a very clear and aggressive goal.  Making sure I am the best version of myself at each age and setting a good example to my athletes and my children that we should never stop giving 100% and never settle – it really is the “why” I do all of this racing.   But, let’s be honest with each other – I will not give up the will and desire to win because THAT is really what drives me every day at 5am when the alarm goes off.