triathlon goals

The day before I completed my first sprint triathlon, I signed up for my first Ironman.  I trained with this goal in mind for 1 year.  6 of those months I followed a very structured training plan, and the last 3 I was so busy that I hardly saw friends or had a social life outside my triathlon circle.  Needless to say, I was ready for a break…but life had something different planned for me.  I did not finish Ironman Coeur d’Alene, and the moment I was pulled off the bike course just after mile 90, I vowed to do another Ironman.

My Plans Post Ironman – Put on Hold

1. Pay off triathlon debt
2. Save money
3. Take time off from training and relax
4. Focus on running, my passion
   1. August: PR at America’s Finest City Half Marathon (current PR is 1:51:51)
   2. September: Complete Napa Ragnar Relay Ultra as “The Most Interesting Team in the World”
   3. December: Race Las Vegas Half Marathon
   4. February: Qualify for Boston Marathon 2014 at Surf City Marathon 2013 (break 3:35)

My New Plans Post Ironman

1. Find a second Ironman in 2012 and signup (Cozumel??)
2. Train my butt off for Ironman #2, and focus more on cycling
3. Find a miraculous way to cover another $3k+ in Ironman costs
4. Complete more triathlons for practice
5. Complete running events only if they fit into my Ironman training plan

The funny thing is, I think I’m ok with this outcome.  I remember completing my last Ironman training run the day before the race and wondering what life was going to be like post-Ironman.  What would I do with my free time?  Watch TV?  Go shopping?  Those things don’t exactly interest me anymore, and I’m sure I would have just wanted to keep working out in one form or another.  Plus, I still have A LOT to learn and huge room for improvement in both the swim and the bike.  I don’t have to focus on “just finishing” the Ironman – I can focus on finishing strong.

Now, it’s time for me to take on Ironman Training Part 2, and set out to finish what I started one year ago.