Been a while.....

Feels like it has been centuries since I last posted.  I think it is a direct result of how I feel this time of year.  It is so easy to "go through the motions" during the dog days of winter in Chicago.  I tell a lot of my friends and family that don't live in Chicago:

"If February didn't exist, this would be the best place to live." 

I truly love it here.  4 seasons...down to Earth good people...and more things to do than you have time for.  Even though it has been a super easy winter by our standards, I'm ready for SPRING! 

It seems like a decade since I last raced.  I love training, but I train to race...and compete.  So when I go through months of being cooped up, I get cabin fever big time.  I find myself working hard, but mentally, I'm checked out.  And that is ok.  Because, you can't be "on" 12 months of the year.  You burn out....get tired....and ultimately your performances suffer.

So I've been looking for the little things lately to get me excited.  I booked my flights for Hawaii last weekend and that felt amazing.  I increased my Time Trial watts on the bike by 2 watts (from about 45 days ago) after a very long and stressful week and felt good about that.  Like I said, little things. 

I also decided to write down the races I signed up for...and low and behold, I have one less than a month away!  I think that sparked some excitement for me this weekend as I stared at a couple longer workouts on my training plan.  Pretty soon, I get to see what all this hard work has done for me since Ironman in September.

So, for those who are intersted, here is my race schedule this year:

Cary Half Marathon
Wisconsin Marathon
Leon's Olympic Triathlon
Pleasant Prairie Triathlon
Ironman 70.3 Racine
Rev3 Half Iron Distance- Wisconsin Dells
Ironman World Championships in Kona

I'll probably add a few TT's on the bike, some running races, and a swim race or two as well.  One of the downfalls for Ironman training is that you can't race ALL the time :) 

So as you get through the rest of your "dog days" this winter...check out what races you have coming up.  Talk about them with your friends....start visualizing what it will be like to succeed at your goals this year.  And remember....warm weather is just around the corner!  Or, a plane ride away if you are lucky :)

Dave
Dedication, Passion, Results