Shamrock Marathon Race Report

A little late (like everything) on my Shamrock Race Report...but here it is.

Some background:
Last year my friend Jill and I PR'd big at the Shamrock Half-Marathon in Virginia Beach and before the dust had settled, we'd registered for the full 26.2 for 2013.  Additionally, we'd convinced many friends to do the same, including my hockey/triathlete friend Sue.  It seemed like a great idea until January when we started to doubt our decision and began discussing switching to the half distance.  Instead, we forged on with the long runs and suddenly it was March.  Sadly, Sue suffered a hip injury and Jill's sister began to lose her battle with cancer, meaning my closest commiserates weren't going to be there suffering alongside.  Sue was still able to make the trip and thankfully drove us there, or more importantly, was able to drive us back!  Before we left though, I had a conversation with my tri-coach, Jack about the Race Plan.

The Plan:
Jack's Plan for this marathon was to achieve the original goal Jill and I had set for ourselves (in March 2012) of a 4 hour marathon.  Jill and I, in one of our long training runs, had completely abandoned this idea, in favor of a more reasonable 4:30-ish.  We forgot, however, to pass this info along.

The gist of the Plan was to run around a 9:25 for a while and then begin to negative split the back half of the race.  Yes, negative split a marathon.  As I would say to Jill later on that day, "Well...I think Coach Puppies and Rainbows is back on his Unicorn."  (So sorry, Jack!)

As we drove to VA Beach I tried to figure out what my plan was really going to be: 1) Listen to my coach, (who by the way, is a professional that I've willingly signed up for coaching with) and stick to the Plan, 2) Just go out there to "have fun" and "see how it feels" or 3) Decide to change my plan to run 10:10s so that I could get my 4:30, which would be a PR.  (My previous PR for a marathon was 4:42).  I knew a decision had to be made soon so that I could mentally prepare and so shortly before dinner I decided I would go for it.

Race Day:
I woke up on race day ready.  I was really going to do this, I was going to stop setting the bar low and set it high.  As you know from previous blogs, I really love setting expectations below ground level and then being "shocked" at the far better result.  I liken it to Steve Urkle's uber-sarcastic, "Did I do that?"

axiomamnesia.com

Sue and I arrived at the start line and much to my surprise, given the 70 degree temps the day before, it was freezing.  And the wind...the wind!  With winds gusting over 20 mph, the flags along the finish didn't look like they could hold up.  This photo does it little justice, but you get the idea.

interactives.wavy.com 

Regardless of my now slightly damaged mental state over the weather, I got in my corral and the gun went off.  Miles 1- 5 were shielded from the wind and I was running right around my goal pace for the first half, 9:20.  Miles 6-16 brought the winds.  Sue met me on the boardwalk around Mile 10 where the winds were  the worst (I was running the opposite direction of the people in the photo above).  She was nice enough to be ready with kleenex, chapstick, and encouragement, "It should be better once you turn off the boardwalk! Just 200 yards ahead!"  Sadly, as is often the case with Sue and winds, it wasn't much better.  By the time I reached Mile 15, I had slowed to a 9:28 pace.  And then finally, it happened, the wind was gone!  I took off, I felt great, mentally I started to really believe I could do this.  Miles 16-20 were an average of 9:16, Mile 17 a 9:08.  At Mile 20 I made the turn around the horn of Fort Story and the Plan was destroyed.  My euphoria of being out of the wind was taken away...by more wind.  I came to a dead stop (by the way, this is the worst thing you can do in a marathon).  I was so sad, I wanted to sit down and just start crying.  You could hear the other runners moan and groan when that wave of air hit them, many coming to a stop as I did, completely defeated.  

However, when you come to a dead stop in front of a group of Marines cheering YOU on, you don't stop for long.  If these folks could risk life and limb for our country, pretty sure I could jog another 6 miles through  a little breeze.  Mile 20 a 9:38, Mile 21 a 9:43, Mile 22 a 10:03.  Wheels...falling...off.  Mile 23 brought the greatest relief, the tailwind!  Hooray!  Finally!!  Can't say I was flying, but I was moving, I managed to average a 9:39 those last few miles, finishing with a time of 4:11...a 31 minute PR.  

Of course I was disappointed, but who can complain about a 31 minute PR?  Especially in those conditions. In the end, the conditions weren't the issue, just an excuse.  The real problem was that I waited until the day before the race to believe in myself.  Had I believed all along, I probably would have trained at a faster pace, not letting the fear of not finishing dictate my long runs.  I would have pushed just a little faster on the speed-work, believing I wouldn't fly off of the treadmill.  And most importantly, I wouldn't have abandoned my goal when things weren't going perfectly and the conditions weren't right.

In the end, this is the race I'm most proud of, not only the way I ran, but the way I'm slowly working on changing my attitude.  Being the over-under-achiever isn't fun anymore.  I started this sort of self-reflection and development last year mostly through racing triathlon and it's an on-going transition.  Recently my women's ice hockey team went to the Over-30 National Tournament in Tampa, Florida and finished 3rd.  Having the expectation of taking first was a hard adjustment, but it forced me to hold myself to a higher standard.  And of course the disappointment of taking 3rd burned a little, okay, a lot.  I realized however, the challenge of the unknown is fun.  I'm sure there is some inspirational quote splashed all over Facebook about this, but when you set the bar low, you already know the outcome, and really, why bother trying at that point?

Broad Street Run is coming up this weekend and for the first time, when I got my Race Plan from Jack, I didn't write back some sarcastic comment or make up an excuse. I simply wrote "Sounds good."  

2013 Race Schedule

So yet again, I've let this blog slide into oblivion.  More on that in a later post.

As I've written before, I'm a big believer in resolutions, goals, objectives, ambitions, dreams, etc. and particularly in writing them down on paper, by hand, in permanent ink.  I take all opportunities to write and re-write my goals.  For some reason I didn't do this for 2013.  For the first time that I can remember, I didn't finish writing my New Years Resolutions, February 10th came and went with no resolutions for the Chinese New Year, and here it is mid-March...figure out my goals by May 12 (my birthday) or should I just wait until Rosh Hashanah?!?  (Before a debate is spurred over my apparent ignorance of cultural and religious holidays and appropriate celebration, I write resolutions each year on these dates because anything that has New Year associated with it excites me as a new beginning and honestly, re-writing my goals every hour/day/week would be a little tedious.)

So while my life resolutions are still not written, and may not be for 2013, I must at least get in internet print (same as ink, right) my 2013 goals and racing schedule.  One reason I think I haven't done this activity yet is because I have only one athletic goal this year, only one "A" race, and that is Ironman Mt. Tremblant (IMMT).  Of course, many smaller races will lead up to this event and every event needs one of those measurable goals.


And here it is so far:

March:

• 17th, Shamrock Marathon, VA Beach.  Goal: 4 hours

April: 

• 25th-28th, USA Hockey 30+ National Championships, Tampa FL. Goal: National Champions

May: 

• 5th, Broad Street Run 10 Miler, Philadelphia PA. Goal: Sub 90 min
• 12th (my birthday!), Race for the Cure 5k, Pittsburgh PA. Goal: sub 25 min
• 18th, American Zofingen, New Paltz NY. Goal: Finish Middle-Distance

June: 

• 23rd, Philadelphia Olympic Triathlon, Philadelphia PA. Goal: 2:50 or Top 30% of AG

July: 

• 20th, MidNight Loop 8.4 miles, Philadelphia PA. Goal: 1:15
• 28th, Pittsburgh Olympic Triathlon, Pittsburgh PA. Goal: 2:45 or Top 30% of AG

August: 

• 18th, IM Mt. Tremblant, Mt. Tremblant, Quebec Canada.  Goal: Sub 14 hour

September: 

• 8th, NJ Gran Fondo, Morristown NJ. Goal: Sub 14 min on each hill
• 15th, Atlantic City International Distance Triathlon, AC NJ. Goal: 2:25 

On Politics

So you know who I'm defriending next on Facebook? The next person to write, "OMG, I'm hiding all of these political posts because I can't believe my friends have opinions!  And they are DIFFERENT than mine! #IDontCareAboutPolitics. Except enough to want to defriend you over it."

And after that?  The next person that posts this e-card on their Wall:

From Someecards.com

Did you really think that your friends were mindless dolts with no relevant thoughts?  Were you not aware when you hit "accept" that these people might not share the same beliefs, thoughts, or political views?  If you hate their personalities, why are you friends with them anyway?

The third group that may lose the illustrious title of my Facebook Friend in this Election Year is the group that continues to post something along the lines of, "Like your Facebook status is really going to change my mind!"  Am I the only one who believes that debate and the exchanging of ideas and information is what will move our country forward and get us out of this Partisan Disaster?  What's wrong with reading an article on someone's Wall and saying, "I feel that is biased because it was reported by XYZ News Outlet...here's a post from the other side."  Or, "Here's the full text of Candidate A's comments, if you read it all, you will see that he is misquoted in this snippet that you posted."  Or better yet, if you're the one that posts a misquoted snippet and is called out, wouldn't it be nice to respond, "Oh wow, I see how those words were misconstrued or taken out of context."  And finally, if you really disagree, "That's against how I feel or believe, but to each his own, maybe if you understood where I was coming from you would understand why I feel this way.  Perhaps we could talk about it sometime." If we insist that what we believe is always right without listening to other opinions, we will never achieve compromise or progress, in my opinion anyway.

And for those of you in the #IDontCare camp...shame on you!  Perhaps you should move to a Communist Country where you don't get to have an opinion since you're happy to move along in his world without a thought.  We live in the Greatest Country in the World!  One where our candidates can argue on a public stage, broadcast by multiple TV networks for the entire nation to see, and then shake hands at the end.  While there are some that will disagree with me here, I don't believe for one second that you decide to run for President of the United States of America if you don't genuinely believe that your ideas are what is in the best interest of this country and it's people.  Here's the deal, we only have two candidates with a chance of winning...one of them will win...which means one of them will be leading us Americans.  Have a say, will ya?

Many people say they don't vote or can't choose someone because they don't fully agree with either candidate.  Unless you actually are that person, NO ONE believes everything their chosen candidate says or does is what's best.  But you don't need to vote for someone because you share all of the same ideas, you just need an educated, logical reason.

So here are my suggestions on how to be part of the system without me (or anyone else who gives a damn) dropping you from our friend list:

1. Think about two things: What issues matter most to me? and What issues matter most to this Country?  (There are many items to choose from: Foreign Policy, Health Care, Citizens' Rights, States' Rights, Unemployment, a Balanced Budget, Women's Rights, Gay Rights, Gun-Owner Rights, Agriculture, the Environment, Public Health...and so many more.)  
2. Once you have a priority list, do some research as to which candidate seems to have a plan that is aligned with your belief system.  (Word of caution here: In the month of October, candidates are trying to win over people "in the middle" so answers you find in the media might be a little vague.  A quick trip to the candidate's website should clear things up.)
3. Choose the candidate that seems to have a plan to help you with the issues you've chosen as your top priority!  It's okay if you're split on #1 and have to go down your priority list a little further, it can happen.
4. GO VOTE!  On election day you don't need to disclose to anyone who you voted for, but you will know that you voted for someone based upon your priorities and beliefs.  Should someone ask you and you wish to disclose you can confidently say, "I voted for Romnibama because I support X and he does too." Or, "I think Obaney's plan for job growth will positively impact the industry from which I am currently jobless."  
5. Do not judge those who voted for a different candidate than you did, they have their reasons and priorities as well.  Perhaps you can even have a discussion about why you each voted the way you did so you can achieve a greater understanding of the other.
6. Don't whine if things don't go your way.  Don't threaten to move to another country (unless you are the a fore mentioned thoughtless, absent-minded person that posted #IDontCare, then by all means, go on not caring somewhere else.)  Just because one party wins over another, it doesn't mean that your thoughts and ideas are gone now too, it just means that you need to continue to be involved about what matters to you and how the political system can help you as a citizen achieve what matters to you.

Now get to it!  Below are cheat-sheets to help you with item #2.  You don't even have to use Google. 

http://www.barackobama.com         http://www.mittromney.com

Poconos 70.3 Race Report

So here it is...a race report from the most disappointing 29 minute PR ever.  Sorry for the length.

"The hardest part of finishing is starting."  This couldn't have been more true for this race.  Sadly,  this event corresponded with my school's New Student Orientation, for which I am solely responsible.  On top of Orientation, I've recently assumed responsibility for our International Students.  Many of which planned to arrive (planned being the operative word) over the weekend.  A series of unfortunate events and some snafus with Immigration greatly delayed me getting to Packet Pick-Up and another very special event, which sadly, I had to miss completely.  Luckily, around 3pm on Saturday, I was able to leave my post at Orientation and race like a lunatic to the Poconos in an attempt to get to the Expo before it closed.  

Around 5pm, I made it to the Expo.  It was in the same dark, windowless room as it was last year.  The volunteers were wonderful in helping me get my wristband and pack of bags and stickers (point to point race).  Sadly, as I went to pick up my t-shirt (it should be noted here that I registered for this non-sold out event shortly after registration opened), I was told that only Large and X-Large shirts were left.  As was the case with the New Jersey State Triathlon (for which I also registered early), my husband got a fantastic tech shirt to run in.  I asked if there were directions for getting to each Transition and was told by the lead volunteer, "We sent you this in your Athlete Packet, use those directions."  I was a bit annoyed, but knew I had the packet in the car, so we departed for T1.  

The swim start was only 4 miles from the expo and was quite easy to find.  I would have greatly appreciated the lead volunteer telling me, "turn left, drive 4 miles, turn left again at the sign" instead of having me sit in the car cursing my phone for 10 minutes to tell me that very thing.  We made it to T1 without issue.  I was able to set up my bike (but nothing more) in preparation for the race.

Next, it was off to T2.  It was only a few miles from T1, but it took 45 minutes to get there.  I made it there with plenty of time to spare to drop off my running gear...shoes, socks, hat & race belt.  I hadn't yet talked to my coach and was quite nervous.  Luckily I ran into training friends Patrick and Brady whose familiar faces  were a welcomed sight. 

After that, we were off to the Ramada Limited in Tannersville, PA.  Check-In was a breeze.  The Husband checked us in and I had a few minutes to chat with my coach, Jack (well-deserved plug here for Walton Endurance).  Jack is one of the most positive, yet calming, influences you could possibly imagine.  When it comes to racing, it's very matter-of-fact as to your race plan and then the rest is mental affirmation...eg - "Believe you can finish in the top of your age group,"  "Know that you're capable of running 9:40s," etc.  After our chat, I knew this race was going to be a huge PR.  How huge was going to now be the question.

The Ramada first put us in a Smoking Room (seriously, that still exists!).  Though it had a great fireplace, 20 seconds in the room and I felt like I was being strangled.  They agreed to move us to a room that didn't have the mini-fridge, microwave or fireplace, but was Non-Smoking and had a Jacuzzi tub...in the middle of the room.

Only two shower curtains between the toilet and the bed - awkward!

We went to a local brewpub for dinner.  I had a  few sips of Stout, Husband enjoyed the beer sampler.  I had a wonderful pasta dish and was happily tucked into bed by 9pm.

I slept like a log.  I woke up around 4:45am, mentally walked through my race plan again and got out of bed just before 5am.  I had some coffee and a Clif Bar.   The Husband drove me to the Shuttle Stop to get to T1.  I was lucky enough to sit with a great guy from central New Jersey who was an accomplished runner but in his same year (two and a half) of triathlon as myself.  We had both been cursed with cancelled swims in 2011, and badly sized t-shirts in 2012.  Chatting with him calmed my morning anxiety.

We finally arrived at the start and it was cold...very cold.  I went to my bike to check the brakes, put air in my tires and set up my bike gear.  I had been there just a few minutes, when I mentioned to one of the women next to me that I wanted to use a Port-o-John.  She pointed to a VERY long line, with less than 20 Port-o-Johns and said, "I waited for over 30 minutes, it's 6:45, you'd better get in line."  I quickly got air in my tires, laid out my gear, grabbed my wetsuit, goggles, cap, Morning Clothes Bag, and got in line.  My wave was slated to start at 7:18am.  At 7:15am I was still 10 people back in line for the restroom and the gun hadn't yet gone off for the Pros.  After using the facilities, I handed my Morning Clothes Bag to another competitor's mother, who was nice enough to run it to the bus (as it was pulling away) and we took off in a sprint to the water's edge.  I had just barely zipped up my wetsuit when my wave entered the water.

The water was frigid.  We all gasped as the chilly lake water creeped into our wetsuits.  I immediately went to the right side (knowing we were making right turns) and got to the front.  The gun went off and we took off at a furious pace (mostly to try to warm up).  A few girls took off never to be caught.  About 10 other girls were in a pack, swimming at a good pace.  I decided to draft off of this group and see if I could hang with them.  For the entire 1.2 mile swim we took turns swimming over each other, drafting, passing the violently thrashing men from the previous wave, and pushing each other.  There was never a moment of peace for the 1.2 miles.  I swallowed way more water than I wanted, but came out of the water 16th in my Age Group.  Though I lost track of the others in the final 100 yds., the results show that 9 girls from my age group finished within 20 seconds of my time, so the pack stayed mostly in tact through the finish.  I was feeling great knowing that I was somewhere near the top of the group.  In fact (though only by 6 seconds), I actually beat the overall Age Group winner in the swim portion!

I had a great transition and despite not being able to feel my feet, and took off down the 4 mile descent that was the start of the 56 mile bike ride.  In my previous 70.3 races, I had only averaged 15.5 mph on the bike.  I wanted desperately to have an average of over 16 mph.  I'm happy to report that my Garmin showed 17.9 mph as my moving average.  I felt so good on the bike...easily climbing the hills, pushing hard in the big ring on the flats and passing lots of people.  Shortly after bottle exchange around Mile 40 however, my stomach started cramping.  I shrugged it off, slowed down a little bit and pushed through.When I arrived at T2, there were no other bikes on my rack!  I told The Husband that I didn't feel too hot, but was so excited about the bike situation, I threw my Newtons on and took off.

Still feeling pretty good about this race!

 I happened to glance at my Garmin about .5 miles in and I was running 9:22s.  Holy crap!  I've never run under 10:30s after a swim and bike!  The excitement was fleeting as it all fell apart just before the 2 mile mark.  My stomach started cramping severely, forcing me to walk.  A few seconds later, I was throwing up on the side of the road.  At Mile 6, I had my head on a water station table and was sobbing.  My mind had long gone to a dark place...I was mad at Mark for not coming to get me when I told him my stomach wasn't feeling great at T2, I was mad at every volunteer and competitor who told me to "keep going" or "hang in there,"  I was mad at Jack for telling me I could do this, when clearly I couldn't, I hated myself for every run I'd missed or cut short, and much of my misguided anger was at the Official Motorcycle for not letting me jump on the back and take a DNF...  After being sick again around Mile 10, I started to feel okay.  I started to jog a little faster and finished the last 3 miles feeling pretty good. The last two were even under a 10 minute pace.  My half marathon time was my worst yet, 2:20:34, a 10:43 pace.

I finished the race in 6 hours and 15 minutes.  About 29 minutes under my Syracuse time of 6:44.  My goal at Syracuse had been to break 7 hours and here, I'd beat that by nearly half an hour.  After getting my medal, I took my heat blanket, sat on the sidewalk, and cried.  I've only ever set measurable and attainable goals because I hate to fail or be let down.  I always play it safe so that I feel accomplished when things go better than expected.  As an example: it's been nearly 15 years, but I still regret applying to a "reach" school for college.  Of course, they rejected me, the only school that did...and to this day it upsets me.  Not because they said "no," but because I knew they would and took a chance anyway.

After the race, I was sad that I foolishly let myself believe I could run a sub-10 pace after a swim and bike, I immediately thought, I'm NEVER doing this again.  My typical reaction after a race is "When's the next one?"  A few minutes later the Husband found me, pulled me off of the curb and told me how proud he was of me.  I realized I was proud of myself too, 29 minutes is still 29 minutes, a great PR!  And I didn't flag down that motorcycle and beg for a ride to the finish.  Sure the run was a complete disaster, but I used to hit my brakes at 30 mph on biking descents and I'd hit 43.7 mph during this race, I'd hung with the top girls in the swim, and most of all, I faced adversity and gutted it out, that was something to be proud of.

I have no idea why my stomach decided to revolt, perhaps I didn't mix the right amount of powder into my water bottle, perhaps I swallowed too much lake water during the swim, who knows.  It wasn't a matter of training, that's for sure.  Other than a tiny bit of soreness the day after, my body felt great.  Maybe I did push outside of my known limits, or maybe it was just some bad luck.  The only way to know for sure is to train hard during the winter and try again in 2013!


Other stuff:

• Though I was critical of the Expo, I highly recommend this race.  The new course is great, challenging, and lot of fun, especially those first 4 miles!  Point-to-point races are a pain in the ass, but this one is very well-organized.  The Finish Line Festival is awesome, especially for families.  Gear retrieval was no problem at all.  More Port-o-Johns are needed and I think some of the Shuttle Buses arrived late in the morning, but those are things that can easily be worked out for next year.  
• People often ask why I utilize coaching for triathlon: Am I trying to win something (like money)?  Do I want to be a pro?  Isn't coaching just for people trying to be on the podium?  I'm sure I could write another blog post (and just might) about why coaching is such a great idea.  For me, it's about structure, learning something new (I've only owned a road bike for two years now) and having someone help push me beyond those comfortable limits.  It's as much about a physical challenge as it is a mental one.  I'm doing an Ironman next year and I can't imagine navigating such a task without a training group and coach.  For those who have asked, I'm coached by Jack Braconnier (Professional Triathlete) at Walton Endurance ( http://www.waltonendurance.com/).  As proof that coaching isn't just reserved for Elite Athletes, Walton put my PR on their wall of recent highlights!  Of course many people are up there for winning things, but they celebrate those of us who just want to get faster too!

From Walton Endurance Facebook page.

A Year of Exceeding Expectations

The comments from nearly all of my parent-teacher conferences growing up read as such, "Ashley does well, but does not work up to her potential."  Starting sometime in the 1st grade and haunting me all the way through high school, that was the theme.  If my college professors remembered who I was based upon my spotty attendance, I'm sure that they would have the same thing to say.  I've always done the bare minimum...and gotten away with it.  I didn't have the best attendance, but would still come away with good grades; I didn't read the whole book, but could write an A paper; I can spend a ton of time procrastinating, but always get the job done.

When it comes to sports, there is no shortcut.  You can't do it well (or sometimes at all) if you don't put in the work.  So, to compete in sports, you have two options: 1. Work hard and see what your "potential" is or 2. Don't work hard and make excuses for why you're not as good as you "should" be.  But, there is no cover-up.  Of course, working the hardest will never guarantee that you're the best, or even that you're good, so to protect your ego, #2 becomes the safe option.  This year I made a pledge to myself, that I would try, even if my potential isn't what everyone expects it to be, or thinks they see,  to not cheat and make excuses, but to truly try my best.

Below is my Feb 2012 - June 2012 Racing Schedule with the results of "trying."

February

11 - Cupid's Chase 5k - Philadelphia (goal = sub 26 min) - 25:43 J

March

18- Anthem Half-Marathon - VA Beach (goal = sub 2 hours) - 1:53:28 J

April

1 - Cherry Blossom 10 miler - DC (goal = sub 1 hour, 30 min) - 1:28:17 J

May

6 - Broad Street Run 10 miler - Philadelphia (goal = faster than Cherry Blossom) - 1:30:48 L

13 - Komen Race for the Cure 5k - Pittsburgh (goal = sub 27 min) - 26:53 J
20 - American Zofingen Duathlon - Catskills (goal = finish) - I finished the Short distance, but took a DNF on the Middle Distance.  Very J I made it that far.
June
3 - Nav-E Sink or Swim 2.4 miler - Jersey Shore (goal = sub 1 hour, 20 min) 1:29:16   L 
24 - Syracuse 70.3 - Syracuse, NY (goal = finish)  The real goal here was sub 7 hrs.  - 6:44:35 J

I still have a few races left in the 2012 calendar year, mostly notably the Poconos 70.3 in a week and a half.  I'm also signed up for a full Ironman for 2013 (more details on that soon).  I'm still learning what this "potential" thing is all about, how to understand why people "see" what they see and have slowly accepted that my ego can handle laying it all out there, even when the results aren't what you wanted.  I've always had this confidence and cockiness that I was able to be lazy and still accomplish what I wanted, I'm finding that the fulfillment of hard work brings a different, yet equal satisfaction...and so far I'm liking it.  

Return of the Yinzer

So, I really didn't think it had been since January when I last posted, but alas, that's the case.  I quit blogging for a number of reasons, most notably was a struggle for clear direction of this thing.  I was worried that some people thought this self-described Yinzer should write mostly about Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Sports, and that others wanted to read more about adventures in Triathlon.  I also know that people read their friends' blogs while procrastinating at work and don't give a damn what the blog is "about."

So after 8 months of thought (ok, I didn't think about it that long), I've come to realize a few things:

1. Not many people read this blog.  
2. I don't care how many people read this blog, I enjoy writing it.
3. It's my blog and I'll blog what I want to.
4. Maybe, just maybe, I'll post something interesting enough to inspire, motivate, or in some other way provoke thought, discussion, or action.
5. I'm still a Yinzer, I still live in Philly and I still have lots to say about that.

So there it is.  I've got a few topics lined up over the next few weeks including an update on my January race post (2012 Racing Schedule), my quest for a 2013 Ironman Race (To MDot or MNot), politics, the NHL lockout, and, most importantly, my pet rabbit Mr. Hunny Bun...cause that's really what most of you want to know about anyway.

2012 Racing Schedule

With the Penguins finally adding to the 2012 "W" column, Tim Tebow out of the playoffs (some please let ESPN know this) and my husband (the NY Giant's fan) happy, it's time to get around to setting my race schedule for the new year.

Typically I've done my "big" race in the Fall, but this year, things are going to be different.  Upon finding out that the swim would be cancelled during the 2011 Poconos 70.3, I made a knee-jerk reaction and registered for the Syracuse 70.3 which is being held in late June.  (In my defense, I couldn't wait a full year to put that 70.3 sticker on my car and since they don't make 69.1 stickers, I had to do what I had to do.)  

A few things about the Syracuse 70.3... 

1. It's the same weekend as the Philadelphia Triathlon, an event that my tri coach usually places highly in, the event all of the people I train with will be doing and basically the highlight of the summer for triathletes in Philly. Very sad to miss this.
2. The first 12 miles are a hill.  Including a 3.57 mile 3.5% grade hill.
3. I've never done a big event this close to winter.  Loving the weather so far, but nervous about Feb-March and getting long runs/rides in. 
4. My husband has family around Syracuse and I'll have a ton of friend support having gone to college so close, this is a huge bonus! 

Here's what I have leading up to the Syracuse race...so far...

February

11 - Cupid's Chase 5k - Philadelphia (goal = sub 26 min)

March

18- Anthem Half-Marathon - VA Beach (goal = sub 2 hours)
24-25 - UWHL Hockey Playoffs (goal = UWHL Championship)

April

1 - Cherry Blossom 10 miler - DC (goal = sub 1 hour, 30 min)

26-29 - Over 30 Women's Ice Hockey Nationals - Tampa, FL (National title)

May

6 - Broad Street Run 10 miler - Philadelphia (goal = faster than Cherry Blossom)

13 - Komen Race for the Cure 5k - Pittsburgh (goal = sub 27 min)
20 - American Zofingen Duathlon - Catskills (goal = finish)

June
3 - Nav-E Sink or Swim 2.4 miler - Jersey Shore (goal = sub 1 hour, 20 min)
24 - Syracuse 70.3 - Syracuse, NY (goal = finish)

In addition to my full book of resolutions written for 2012, I've written a few that relate to my athletic endeavors.  Right now, I only have two races on my schedule that I did in 2011...that will be the Cupid's Chase and Broad Street Run.  While I've run other half-marathons and 10 milers, those are the only two races that can be fairly direct comparisons.  Sadly, I will only have one triathlon to compare (NJ State Triathlon in July) and that's only if I chose to do the Sprint.  I will do Poconos again this year, however without the swim last year, it'll be hard to compare - sadly given my luck it could turn out to be a 69.1 again anyway.

None the less, here are some of my resolutions.

• Record all workouts and nutrition on Training Peaks.  I pay enough for this awesome tool, that I should use it more.  Just hoping my coach doesn't read my nutrition log and request I either go to Cheese-aholics Anonymous and/or the Betty Ford Clinic for Winos.
•  Break 25 minutes in a 5k.
• Average no less than 16.5 mph on the bike in all races.
• Finish in the top 50% in my age group in all races.
• Win at least 2 games at the National Tournament with my Over 30 ice hockey team, the Philadelphia Voodoo.
• Finish my hockey season averaging a point per game for both of my teams.
• Get back to my post-San Francisco Marathon weight prior to the Syracuse race.  (As of this post still 10 lbs over.)

I'm sure there and will be many are more..  Those of you who know me know that I revise my resolution book at Chinese New Year, Jewish New Year, Dawali and most Mondays.

Happy Racing in 2012.