2012 - It's All About the Journey

By the numbers...

Swim - 42 hours
Bike - 2160 miles
Run - 645 miles
Crossfit - 61 hours

It was a great year and a tough year of training and racing for me.  Despite several bouts of vertigo and bronchitis, I managed to stay relatively healthy this year.  Training went fairly well given two small kids at home, a husband who was also training, etc.   Training for Ironman again was a blast, especially doing it with some great friends.

I raised thousands of dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and raced the Lavaman Triathlon in Hawaii in the spring, placing in the top five in my age group.  It was a fun race and a memorable trip.

In June, we raced the altered Loveland Lake to Lake course due to the horrible fires in northern Colorado.  Despite the tough breathing conditions and a new course, it was still a fun little race.

In July, we raced at over 9000 feet in altitude at the Rocky Mountain Triathlon in Silverthorne.  Sometimes we forget how hard it is to race at altitude!  We had a great weekend in the mountains and I won my age group!

August was the big month.  We raced Ironman Canada.  I hadn't been to Penticton since 2004 and it was great to be back.  A few days before the race, we found out that this 30th anniversary race would be the last Ironman Canada in Penticton.   It was memorable for many reasons including racing it with full-blown bronchitis and asthma, spending 43 minutes in the medical tent in T2, and crossing the finish line with Brian.  Definitely some highs and lows, but despite the obstacles, I got to the finish line.  It was my slowest Ironman race and definitely not pretty, but sometimes those are the races to be most proud of.

Topped off the season with the Oktoberfest Sprint tri in September for fun.  RMTC made it extra classy with several relay teams in costumes.  It's always fun to see the fast guys racing in pink speedos, dresses, etc.  Fun way to finish the year.

2012 was a reminder that triathlon is often as much if not more about the journey.  If my entire season had hinged on my performance at Ironman, what a disappointment this year would have been.  But, I truly enjoyed the journey.  Long rides with good friends.  85 mile rides by myself including many great climbs.  Getting out for some long rides with Brian.  Some smaller, fun races.  I had a fun summer of training and racing.

2013 brings new challenges and goals.   I hope to enjoy this journey even more!  And, I look forward to spending time with everyone who will be along for the ride!

Happy training!