Starting off the new year

It was back to the office today. Well, it was fun while it lasted, but no vacation can go on forever. Not that I would really want it to, but it sure would be nice if I could be off work long enough to get bored.

I escaped for a little while and got my quads worked on. Mary and I have narrowed the problem down to the rectus femoris, and boy is it screwed up! It's so tight I'm wondering if someone didn't sneak into my bedroom while I was sleeping and switch mine for that of a much shorter person! I figure I have a few more days I can beat up on it and after that I'll have to do what I can with more gentle methods. This has not been one of my better marathon seasons. Then again, I don't think I've ever really had a good one.

Sometimes I wonder why I race. I don't do a lot of it, but I do enough that I sometimes have days like today, driving home from work and thinking what a pretty afternoon it is, perfect for a run... but I can't just go casually run because of my training schedule or because I need to speed the healing of an otherwise minor injury in preparation for a race. Going for a run is much more fun when you're not timing everything to your racing schedule. But then, racing is fun too. When I don't race I just end up envying all the racers. So I guess the moral is that whatever you do, there will be days it doesn't seem like the right thing.

In bunny news, Tidbit got to meet Grandpa yesterday! Dad came out to deliver some homemade posole and red chile enchiladas and he spent some quality time with Tid. This was her first visitor and I think she enjoyed the experience.

Even though I figure one day is as good as any other for goal-setting, here is my race list for 2005:

January 16: Houston Marathon
February 12: Surfside Beach Marathon and Half (very tentative)
April 3: Gulfman Triathlon (half-iron distance)
October 23: Iron Star Triathlon (half-iron distance)

I also plan to do a lot of the local bike rides in the MS-150 warmup series, but I won't do the MS-150. Too many people. I'll be doing a lot of the fall Hill Country rides, time and schedule permitting. I might also do a duathlon just for fun if I find one that looks good. What's not on my list this year is my beloved Covered Bridges Half Marathon. This would've been my fifth year and it was almost painful to watch the race fill up in only two days, and my name not on the list. I sure have grown to love that little race and I hope my schedule works out to where I can do it next year!

Don't tell my husband, but this year I'm considering an Iron Distance tri, depending on how I feel after Gulfman and when/if my high school reunion gets scheduled. Here is the list I will select from, if I decide to commit to this venture. Obviously all but the Redman Tri would preclude my doing the Iron Star half:

Redman Triathlon, Oklahoma City, OK, September 24
ChesapeakeMan, Cambridge, MD, October 1
Duke Blue Devil Triathlon, Raleigh, NC, October 8
Great Floridian, Clermont, FL, October 22

And since this is a good time and place for new year training resolutions, here are a few:

* Work on swim speed and do more open water practice. This should be easy because I'm very slow and I did no open water training at all last year. Anything is better than nothing, so I can only improve from here!

* Jump rope once or twice per week to improve strength in calves, feet and ankles.

* Run more.

* Take my bike out on the road more, weather be damned!

* Continue with general strength training and core work. Add some serious quad work.

That's it for now. And it's quite enough.

Today's Workouts
Morning: 45 minutes core and stretch cord exercises
Evening: Resting my beat-up legs!