Seeing that it’s almost December 31st, it’s time for the obligatory year-end review. I can’t believe that just 12 months ago I was still undergoing surgical reconstruction from breast cancer. One year ago, treatment was constantly on my mind and training was a welcome distraction. Now, training is constantly on my mind and treatment seems like ages ago. It’s amazing how the mind can heal as well the body.
Even with losing time to treatment this spring, 2012 was my highest mileage year so far. I’ll finish the year with 1,326 running miles, over 300 miles more than last year. I’ll have biked about 2,023 and last year I only biked 717. My biggest goal for 2011 was to run a marathon, and having accomplished that while staying injury free was great. Completing a half iron distance triathlon in a decent time along with doing the MCM was beyond anything I could have dared hope.
While 2011 felt like a comeback year, 2012 feels like the year for taking risks. I’ve already started by changing up my training with heart rate training. Running slow feels like a gamble, hoping that lots of time in zone 2 will result in better fat burning and not just be an exercise that makes me slower. I’ve started riding the bike trainer using a power meter that Santa brought me. After I get a chance to understand more about it, I’ll post about it. I can say for certain that “being observed” has already had an effect on my riding. I can only imagine when I understand what it all means how my training will change.
Training for Ironman Florida is the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my athletic life. I think it’s the risk taking that appeals to me most about racing. In the rest of my life, I prefer logical, reasonable choices. In what other aspect of my life could I hope spend lots of time planning, working, hoping and fretting, all with having the outcome very likely be failure? I’ve never been a gambler. I like to do things the right way, in the right order, at the right time. Doing an Ironman, though, is all wrong. I’m a 44 year old housewife that hardly gets her feet off the ground when she runs. I can’t touch my toes and I can hardly lift my leg over the seat of my bike. I go backwards in the pool when I use a kick board. It makes absolutely no sense that I would consider training for an Ironman. But I am. I’m going to do the craziest thing I can think of in 2012. What do I have to lose?
So thank you 2011, a year of healing, hard work and achieving goals. It’s time for a 2012, a year that may bring failure but is sure to be a year of trying new things, testing myself, and maybe surprising myself along the way.
{ 3 comments }
After dealing with breast cancer, I think it makes perfect sense to do an Ironman now. If not now, when?
As a fellow blogger, it’s always easy to put in writing all the negatives we think about ourselves. But really, 2012 is a time for you to be positive and focus on all the things you can do. Maybe you’re not the fastest swimming, strongest biker or swiftest runner – but you don’t have to be. You just have to stay positive and keep moving forward until you reach 140.6 miles. Sure it can be daunting, but it’s also doable.
To win the breast cancer was the hardest challenge, but you did. And now you are in the right spirit to finish a great Ironman.
In 1991 I got the surgery for the melanoma and few months later I ran a marathon establishing my PB.
1326 miles are a very good mileage, congrats.
Happy New Year to you and your family.
Best wishes!!!!!!
I can not believe it has been a year. I remember when we met you mentioned that you never thought you could do an IM. I know you can!! So excited for you!
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