Jan 6, 2010

The Muncie Endurathon Report, Take Two

ACHOO

I hate being sick and unable to do anything aside from eat food which I cannot taste, and try to not hurt myself at work. I may try to eek out a yoga practice tonight at the YMCA because I need to stretch and yoga is quite soothing to me. I need to move already.

I have been really sick since I got home from trainerfest Ferndale and have no clue how it could have come on so quickly. On the bright side I did ride 30 miles at the trainerfest, so that made me really happy.

Needless to say my running is at a huge 0 miles for 2010 so far. My running streak of 100 days will start after I get the clear from my in-house doctor.



REDEMPTION

So I got me some plans. 2010, 2011 it is all in there. All crammed in there. All sorts of crammed. In. There. In my head.

I am testing the waters with 2010 - the year of international travels, a million launches, and 2 half Ironman races. 2011 will be a very small season with 4 races. 1 sprint, 1 oly, 1 half, and 1 Ironman.

I seriously crack myself up. Remember back in the day (as in last year) when I swore up and down that I would NEVER. NEVER. EVER. Do an Ironman. Heh. Liar.

My sticky-note race plan for 2010 looks something like this: I am only listing the larger races as any misc. 5ks will be slipped in there along the way if I am available.

MARCH
*Tentatively * Corktown 4 miler - I will be in China from 3/1 - 3/12, the race is 3/14

APRIL
Martian Half Marathon
Trail Half Marathon


JUNE
Ann Arbor Triathlon
Motor City Oly Triathlon
T-Rex triathlon series #1

JULY
Motor City Mile Open Water Swim (1 mile)
Muncie Endurathon Long Course Triathlon (70.3)
T-Rex Triathlon series #2

AUGUST
T-Rex Triathlon series #3
Swim to the moon 1 mile OWS
*Tentatively *Breakwater Long Course Triathlon (70.3)

SEPTEMBER
Woodstock half marathon

OCTOBER
Brooksie Way half marathon
Guadalajara half marathon (if I am in Mexico at this time)
Detroit half marathon

So why brave extreme heat/rain/mugginess/monsoon at Muncie? After much deliberation, I need redemption at Muncie. I need to do my first half ironman at this race. I need to finish what I started in 2009. No other course will do it for me unfortunately. Steelhead would have been awesome because it is in Michigan and I always know so many people doing it, however I just cannot swing the outrageous fees. They really raised the price this year.

Everything else is pretty much sprints and fun races. I am the girl who can do a half marathon every weekend and feel good doing it, so that is why my plan is so run heavy.


The run is my devil. The run is my church.

I say this because I have a serious love/hate relationship with running. I love running while I really do not love some of the places my mind wanders. When I run it clears my head ultimately however it is a journey, nay, a process to get there.

I enjoy the scenery. I enjoy the feeling of leaves, snow, ice, water, cement, pavement, grass and dirt beneath my feet. Often I work out the struggles I have in my personal and professional life.
While I run, I meditate. I use running as my place to ponder larger things. Sometimes this is good. Sometimes this is bad. It always is what it is.

I let the bad things that happened in 2009 paralyze me in running while I stayed strong in everything else. I was afraid of running because of where my head would take me. I was not ready. I physically could have completed the Long Course at Muncie last year, but was afraid of what I would feel come the run.

No, not how I would feel in my body. How I would feel in my heart. It was too soon. I knew that I just did not have the positivity in me to tackle the devil when he wants to join my run.

In 2009 Muncie was not to be my 70.3. I made peace with that and completed the Aquabike option. And I had a blast.

So that is why, in 2010, it is important for me to tackle this crazy course with all the weather difficulties that may arise. I am ready. I can handle it. I am stronger inside and out. I can hold both the light and the dark in my heart now, and I know that I can survive and dig deep if I need to.



I start my journey February 22nd. This is the date that my official half Ironman training begins. The first three weeks of training I will be traveling, so this will be an exercise in staying strong and getting the job done while practicing life balance. The really genuinely neat thing is that I am excited about all of the things coming in 2010.

I truly feel like this year is a gift. <3 I feel like this year is going to be amazing.


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