The time has come. The holiday fun is over and now it's time to get serious and start my Ironman training.
I purposely was over-dramatic with this blog name (sounds like an action movie, doesn't it?), but all drama aside, this is truly my "redemption" year. Chances are you know what happened in July when I attempted this race for the first time. Long story short, I had a race-day injury on the bike course that not only prevented me from finishing the race, but wrecked my knee for many weeks.
I have spent the last few months recovering and doing some knee-specific strength work to safeguard against any more potential knee issues. I want to enter Ironman training with strong muscles and joints that can put up with any jolts, minor twists, or unexpected punishment that could occur. I am also feeling mentally refreshed and ready to tackle a long seven months of training.
Let me be clear. My goal is to finish this race...and then I am done. I remember what I felt like near the end of Ironman training. The training consumed my life and I wanted nothing but for it to be over. I am not looking forward to experiencing that May/June drudgery. However, this is something that I do not want to leave unfinished on my list of goals. I want to check this one off and officially call myself an "Ironwoman." This year it is happening. And then HELLO to no-goal 2016.
As I've done in the past, I'm going to use this blog to record my training progress, partly as an accountability journal, partly as therapy, partly as possible entertainment for you, and definitely as something that will hopefully encourage you to tackle goals of your own, no matter what they are. It might be an Ironman, and if so, hopefully you can learn from my mistakes and misadventures. Or it might be something else that seems LIKE an Ironman to YOU. We can all do incredible things with the right application of practice, patience, and commitment. It's the time for resolutions -- what is your goal for this year?
My goal for tomorrow, now that I am (mostly) over the upper respiratory virus from hell, is to amp up my training to improve my cardiovascular endurance. In addition, I am cleaning up my eating plan to better fuel my workouts (goodbye Christmas cookies, hello chicken and brown rice). As much fun as the holiday was, I am looking forward to getting back into my routine.
