Hi all. Remember me?
You'll have to excuse my lack of posts these last few months but I have been in a hole. A dark and self loathing hole. Meredith, captain of my Swim Bike Mom Ambassador Team, recently wrote about this exact same thing, only she refers to it as her "cave". You can read about it here. Yep, that's exactly where I've been.....
I'll get into the specifics at a later time but all you need to know right now is that I'm back! Clawed myself out of that untrained, feeling-sorry-for-myself, eating/drinking too much hole and have found the motivation to get back on the training wagon and focus on new goals. BOOM!
I wanted to provide a little year in review for ya'll but since I haven't done much in the last few months, besides thoroughly enjoying the holidays that is, I'll just point you to my Blogaversary post where I basically did just that! Instead, let's take a look at my 2014 race schedule (since I did not set specific goals last year) and what did/did not happen.
Time - 32:12
Yep - super slow but the course was kinda hilly and I was waaaay out of shape. Still a great way to start off the new year and had lots of fun running with friends.
Time - 1:38.59
Hard course with over 482 feet in elevation gain (not much on the bike but challenging for 9 miles in a pair of Brooks) and where I proceeded to injure my right ilio spoas sending me to rehab for over 3 months. Great accomplishment and many lessons learned.
Time - 1:18.14 (course error)
Despite the hip injury I completed in my first tri of the season. Taking place on the OSU campus this was a gorgeous race where I got to meet fellow SwimBikeMoms and where 9 miles into the bike, I found myself face down in gravel with what would end up being a sprained elbow/wrist. Out of the pool for 8 weeks and back to rehab.
Didn't end up registering for this race due to my previous hip injury.
5/10 - Oregon Dunes Triathlon, Olympic
Registered but did not race as I was still nursing the elbow/wrist sprain.
Time - 6:45.
With a goal of 7:30 you can say that I was pretty happy with these results. The whole Ironman brand was such an amazing experience. We spent 4 days in Boise, rented a house where my brother's family, mom and aunt were able to join us and just made a little vaca out of it. Racing with my bro was the highlight of the weekend. Though I did struggle with yet another injury (strained calf the week before) and had to walk at least half of the 13 miles, I was so amazed at how good I felt overall and what my body was capable of doing. Needless to say it was all the fuel I needed to get that 140.6 fire burning.
Did not register for.
Did not register for - replaced with the Gorgeous Relay
Did not register for and I completely regret it now.
Additions to the Schedule:
Time - 1:23.42
Probably one of the funnest races I have ever participated in - and my times reflected just that, PR'ng in each event. Not only was I able to introduce The Kid to his first tri (which he ended up loving and wanting to do more) but I also won 2nd place in my age group!!
No official time
My first relay - 6 teammates, 60 miles, way too hot but loads of fun. My last official race of the year.
11/15&16 - Ironman Arizona - Volunteer
I am embarrassed to admit that I have yet to post about my volunteer time in AZ. With it being such an inspirational experience I promise to give you a little recap soon. After all, this is where I met a bunch of fellow SBM Army members, reunited with an old friend and registered for 2015 for crying out loud!! That dang hole......
So yes, while the past year did contain some great accomplishments, it was kind of riddled with injuries and I wasn't able to really compete as healthy as I would have liked. In addition, I am a bit disappointed in the amount of races that I did not participate in simply due to my own lack of motivation and fear. I've had a lot of time to reflect on this while in my "hole" and am ready to go into the next season with a new game plan. One that I know will prove successful. More to follow........
All this being said I am so looking forward to 2015 and all the amazing opportunities that have been laid out before me! I'm still in the process of setting new goals, both personal and tri related and will share with you all next week - but one thing I do know for sure, being part of the 2015 Swim Bike Mom Ambassador Team is going to be an unforgettable experience. Over the course of this next year I will dedicate each and every one of my workouts to the women that make up this team and their inspirational stories.
Its good to be back
~ Cheers, Bec
