Wednesday, January 1, 2014

2013 - A Year in Review


I hope everyone had a wonderful CHRISTmas, surrounded by loved ones and filled with many blessings! Mine was outstanding - no travelling (for once!) and 6 days off from work to spend staycationing with The Kid, P and our pups. Although we missed not seeing family this holiday season, FaceTime and Skype certainly made things a lot easier! Santa was also uber generous,  filling my stocking with an abundance of GU packets, Nuun tabs and 2 (count em 2!) roller sticks. I also received a grip of Amazon gift cards from family members that have me right on the very edge of purchasing my Garmin 910XT. Stoked!!!

So yeah, I guess you can say I had a good December. :)

 At the end of each year I like to look back at my previous successes and struggles in order to better determine where I should focus my energies in creating new goals for the upcoming year. With having experienced so many firsts this year, I look forward to seeing what 2014 as in store!

Below is a quick recap of  some of the highlights that was my 2013. I'll be back later this week with a run down of expectations for 2014 - in the meantime, enjoy!


January
Made the leap and signed up for my first Olympic distance triathlon! I'd say that was a pretty big accomplishment in it's own right!


February
Reached deep into my wallet and bought my first indoor bike trainer that
was sure to be the most beneficial addition to my training arsenal!



March
Upped the ante and raced the Portland Shamrock Run 8k with some work buddies of mine. Shared 4.9 miles with over 10,000 of my closest friends and I thought I was going to die!! Crazy how much of a difference 9 months can make.



April
Visited the most breathtaking San Juan Islands with P - such a romantic weekend and one that we intend on experiencing again this next year.


Also had a great time running/walking the Race for the Roses 5k with P and The Kid. It was both The Kid and P's first organized race and they both did so great! We are definitely going to sign up for this one again!




May
Celebrated the wedding of my little sis and her handsome husband down in Cali. Felt sooooo good to be home, rejoycing with loved ones!




June
Completed my first tri of the year at the Blue Lake Sprint Tri in Fairview, OR. Literally down the street from my house so I got to ride my bike in and avoided the lines - bonus!!




July
Planned on racing my second tri of the season in the Wahine All Women's Sprint Tri, but due to lake water conditions they cancelled the swim portion and I ended up racing my first duathlon - what a fun experience racing with all women!




Spent the Fourth of July weekend at the coast - soaking up the sun and fun with our little family.





August
Got all soapy, muddy and slightly sunburned as the Three Amigos ran the Portland Foam Fest. Check out my righteous action shot below! Ha - DORK!



September
Had the amazing opportunity to race in my first Olympic distance at the 2013 Aluminum Man Tri in the Dalles, OR. Showed a little glimpse of the 'Beast Mode' I know is still in there as I continued to bike 29.5 miles and run 6.2 miles on a left foot sliced open by river rock during the swim. Like to say that I'm a bit more aware of how much mind over matter is really going to play into this whole triathlon business.....



Had an outstanding opportunity to go on an Alaska Cruise with P. What a unique experience and one that we will never forget!




And to top September off, experienced freezing cold rain and down trees with two running friends of mine at the annual Multnomah Falls Trail Run - 5.6 miles of "Why did I sign up for this again?" repeats going on through our heads. All in all I'd totally do it again! Nothing but hard cores out there.....




October
Thought I would add a little more busy into my life and started my blog: Tri-ing The Best I Can.
Also took the leap and registered for my first HIM - Boise 70.3 in June 2014 and made a commitment to start focusing on my run this next year. (oh joy)


November
Spent Thanksgiving up at the cabin in Mt Hood - 3 days with just P, the pups, the chill mountain air and wine....lots and lots of wine.....though I did get a little one man Turkey Trot in. Holiday motivation - BOOM!




December
Limped my way through a calf injury yet completed my very first half marathon at the 2013 PDX Holiday Half. A complete boost to my confidence and re-charged my desire to train like a monster for Boise!



And last but not least, spent Christmas at home with not one day of travelling - for once! Made cookies with The Kid, enjoyed 6 days off from work.......



And the highlight of my year?.........
 Got engaged to one of my biggest supporters and fans - Love you P!






There ya have it - hope that everyone had as much of a memorable year as I did. Looking forward to setting new goals for 2014 and sharing them with you all. Thanks for listening to my nonsense these past few months - I think I'm totally into this blogging thing. :)


The Three Amigos want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!!!



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