Today is the last day of 2012. Here are some reflections from 2012 (related to health and fitness of course):
- As far as my health and fitness goes, I have never felt as good as I do right now since I was in my late teens or early 20s.
- I met Chrissie Wellington in Kona and have become friends with her. I love her heart and of course am in awe of her achievements.
- I signed up with Bill Wilson of Camelback Coaching. For all of you itching to do your first Ironman, I would highly recommend getting a coach. Bill not only gives me the workout regimen, but also recommends equipment, strategies for racing, nutrition, stretches and strength exercises and anything I want to know regarding fitness, exercise, workouts and racing.
- I ran my first Marathon (Tucson), but failed to qualify for Boston. I’ll try again in 2013 (thinking of St. George in October and Tucson again in December).
- My swimming fitness has definitely improved; I actually enjoy swimming again and frequently started swimming with the Masters group at MMR (thanks to Shelly).
- I finished my first Olympic distance triathlon (Tempe International) in hot conditions.
- I’ve made a serious commitment to doing a full Ironman. I’m starting with a half (70.3) in San Juan, Puerto Rico in March and may do another one in Mexico in September (tentative).
- I spent countless money on all kinds of equipment including a new bike (Argon 18), a new Garmin (910XT), shoes, clothes, GoPro camera, etc. etc. We triathletes are suckers for any and all new gadgets.
- I came really close to breaking the 20-minute barrier for a 5k race, but fell short by seven seconds.
So what will 2013 bring? My race, event and fitness goals are as follows (not in any particular order):
- Finish the half-Ironman in San Juan about 6 hours.
- Finish the full Ironman (Arizona) in less than 17 hours (ideally, in about 13 hours).
- Finish a marathon (either St. George or Tucson) in less than 3:30 to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
- Finish my first century bike-ride (I am already signed up for the MS ride in Cottonwood in May).
- In general, I want to try and go injury-free all year; for this, I will need to be regular with my stretches and my strength training. I will also need to listen to my body!
- With a bit of luck, I would like to do my first triathlon outside the USA (maybe in Mexico).
I’ll post up my race schedule for 2013 in the next few days. I’ll set goals for each race and start giving myself ratings.
As for the workout today, I went to Lifetime Fitness in the afternoon for a relatively easy 2,300 meter swim. I was doing sets of 550 meters (times 4) followed by about 5 minutes in the hot tub. The gym was relatively empty; but I’m sure it will be quite full starting tomorrow.
Goodbye 2012. It’s been a good year…