Happy New Year!

I haven't updated in a while although I will admit there have been times I've had thoughts about posts I needed to do. So, with the new year, I thought I'd post a bunch of random thoughts. Hopefully my year won't be so random.

2011 In Review

In looking at my workout logs for 2011, I have done the following:
Biked 748.02 miles in 7 hours, 23 minutes and 11 seconds
Run 1185.3 miles in 211 hours,12 minutes and 42 seconds
Swam 30,334.03 yards in 11 hours, 23 minutes and 11 seconds
Strength Training for 9 hours 20 minutes
Adventure Racing for 4 hours
Hiking for 1 hour 25 minutes
Massage for 5 hours 30 minutes (clearly not enough!)
P90X for 24 hours 15 minutes
Paddle board for 1 hour
Race Volunteering for 9 hours
Snorkeling for 45 minutes
Stretching for 30 minutes (ok,I stretched more but didn't log it)
Surfing for 1 hour 45 minutes
Walking for 6 hours 18 minutes and 21 seconds
Yard Work for 3 hours
Yoga for 26 hours 15 minutes

Clearly my focus of the year was on running. In fact, my run total for the year was about 100 miles more than the year before when I did IMFL. It will be interesting to see where my numbers fall this year in training for IMAZ. The swim and bike miles will definitely be more than 2011, but ideally they will also be more than 2010. I still need to finalize my race schedule for this year and determine what I need to do to make sure I am where I want to be in November.


Houston Marathon 2013

A few weeks ago we were in Houston for a volleyball tournament and my Aunt came by to watch Madison play. While there, she was saying that she wants to do the Houston marathon in 2013 and she wants me to do it with her. The Houston marathon was her first (and I believe only) marathon. The 2013 marathon will be 25 years since she did Houston and she'd like to run it. The only problem is that Houston has gone to a lottery system for entry. I'm more than willing to run it with her. We just need to figure out how to get both of us in.


Hectic Schedules

Speaking of volleyball, Madison's volleyball schedule this spring is a little more intense than it has been the past 2 years. Combine that with Dalton's soccer (which will also be more intense) and Yikes! It will be hard to fit my training in, especially the cycling, so I need to figure out a way to do it. Maybe I'll be taking my bike and trainer to some of the tournaments.


More Outside Workouts

Speaking of cycling. One thing that went through my mind after Ironman Florida was that I would have liked to have done more of my cycling workouts outside. Due to time contstraints, safety, and weather, I did a lot of the weekly workouts on the trainer. The long rides were generally outside, but not the shorter workouts. I'd like to change that this year. AND, I really need to start ramping up the cycling now. December was a good start, but I need to get outside and do some longer rides when I have the chance.


Swimming

I've also been back in the pool a little bit in December. I don't feel like I've lost a lot of fitness there, but I do still feel like I have a lot of room to improve. I'd really like to get faster so that I can get out of the cold water in Arizona as fast as I can. I am considering taking a semi-private lesson with a local pro.


Getting Organized

Another thing I really want to do this year is get more organized and stay that way. I spent a couple of days of my time off over Christmas cleaning and organizing. I went through the filing cabinet in the office and pulled old bills (some from 2009). I organized stacks by years and shredded what could be shredded (LOTS). I am finally going to bite the bullet and get organized with paying bills online and am really wanting to scan documents as well. The less paper I have in my house the better in my opinion.

I'm also trying to minimalize somewhat. I've read a couple of books on minimalist living. I don't think I'm one that can take that to extreme (by only having two towels per family member for example), but I do believe that I keep too much stuff and can stand to get rid of some of it. I've already got a few stacks of clothes and stuff. Some I am donating to a friend for a garage sale, some we took to Goodwill and the rest I am going to try to sell on Craig's List or eBay. I'm also trying to figure out the best way to sell some of my books that I know I will not read again. If anyone has suggestions, let me know.


Better Eating

As always, I would also like to try to eat healthier this year. I already eat pretty healthy since I am a vegetarian, but I still have my downfalls. I try not to eat out at lunch very much, but sometimes a lack of preparation means eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches a couple of times a week. While not entirely bad, it gets old. I need to find some good recipes that will provide good, healthy leftovers.

Well, those are some of my random thoughts for now. I will try to post a little bit more in the coming year to keep you informed about my training and how I'm doing with staying organized.

Happy New Year!