I've been thinking about my 2016 season for a couple months now, sometimes it still doesn't seem real to me that last September I qualified for Kona. While Kona probably contains my biggest goal - I would like to qualify for the Boston Marathon during the marathon at Kona - I still have a few races in between with some goals that pretty much scare me to think about let alone actually put them down in print.
I'm doing a half-ironman distance race in March and I REALLY want to break that 5 hour mark ..... my 5:00.25 finish at Steelhead last August left me a little bummed. I turned that frustration into a great training cycle for Ironman Wisconsin but it still leaves me with a fire inside to work extra hard on my bike intervals this winter and to continue to work on that mental strength in the run. At Steelhead I gave up and became comfortable on the run and was worried about heart rate numbers and pace numbers - racing is not about being comfortable, it's about being uncomfortable and listening to your body and not your mind!
For the Boston Marathon, I've decided to run this for fun but still make sure I run fast enough to re-qualify for 2017. Looking at the calendar, Boston falls right in the middle of what should be a big training block for Ironman Texas. While it's really hard for me to say that I'm going to run a race for "fun" I know it's best for my triathlon goals. Ross and I will travel to Boston together, volunteer at the 5k on Saturday (my 3rd year to volunteer), and I will enjoy race day while Ross runs hard. Which brings me to my Ironman Texas goals. I have 3 of them - and 3 is my lucky number - swim faster, bike faster, and maintain the run in the Texas heat. I know swim and bike faster seem like broad goals. Last September, I finally broke the 1:10 swim streak that I had for my last 4 IM races - I swam a 1:06 and in Texas I want to be closer to the 1 hour mark. I've been putting in a lot of swimming yardage lately and have seen some improvement in the pool, I want to be able to come out of the water faster so I don't need to claw my way up on the run. I know some interval work on my bike this winter and early spring will help my bike time --- and my new bike should help too :) Ross did promise me a new bike if I qualified for Kona and he came through with his promise! I struggled with the run and my nutrition in Frankfurt, I decided early in the run to reduce my calories only taking in about 400 calories and a few glasses of coke here and there which mid-race really didn't seem like the best choice as I started to slow down on my run. So I'm going to stick with my nutrition plan in Texas and continue to work on mental strength this spring with my running.
I'm racing Vineman 70.3 in July and 70.3 Worlds in Australia in September but will wait until after my race in March to think about my goals for these races.
For 2016, I have goals that scare me but a fire inside that motivates me. And these people below motivate me to be the best I can be everyday and to be a positive role model in their lives.
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| enduring tough conditions - with a smile |
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| hard work and dedication pays off |
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| Mental focus is the key |
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| I love getting out to explore life with my family |
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| Ross supports me 110% and I'm so thankful |
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| there are days I feel like sleeping in my cereal |
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| but it's moments like this where I know they are cheering for me many miles away |
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| Sharing my love for the sport with them |
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| Long rides on the trainer and my husband texts me to see if I need anything |
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| Team Freeplay 2016 |
Team Freeplay 2016. Late last year, I was chosen to be a part of Team Freeplay - Freeplay Magazine is an Endurance Sports Magazine for women. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to meet and train with the ladies on the team and they are all AMAZING! They have goals for their sports and a plan to execute them. I'm excited to be a part of the team.
