speedvegan

I have mixed feelings about this past year. I participated in a total of 13 events. I felt quite strong in the beginning, but things deteriorated towards the end.

In January, I ran my second Half Marathon, trumping my previous time by over 5 minutes. Great !

In February, I completed my third Half Marathon and managed to set a new PB though I felt tired and dehydrated after having returned from NZ only a couple of days before the race.

After a foot injury (completely unrelated to running) in March, I gave my feet a rest and focused exclusively on cycling. My training paid off in May as I pedaled through my sixth and strongest MS Ride yet. I felt stronger and more confident than ever after that event.

The good cycling energy remained with me through the summer. I raced a total of 4 sprint triathlons during June, July and August and placed in each one. I continued to feel strong on the bike, so in August, I signed up for my first Time Trial. I was very nervous, but did very well for a first timer.

In September, Geoffrey and I did Disney’s Everest Expedition Challenge again, which turned out to be a wash this year, literally. That was the beginning of my downward spiral.

My luck turned further south in October when I ran a hilly Half Marathon in Atlanta. I also attempted my first Olympic Triathlon. I hadn’t fully recovered from Atlanta at that point, and that combined with crappy weather and a Half Ironman looming, made for a lousy race.

In November, I completely bombed my first Half Ironman. I finished, but it was a poor performance, not at all indicative of the early ’09 Liz. I was exhausted, sick and again, the weather wasn’t on our side.

Fortunately, I managed to redeem myself and end the year on a good note by setting a new Half Marathon PB only a week after my horrific Half Ironman experience.

So, what did I learn in ’09 ? It’s impossible to know how things would have played out if I had done anything differently. I can only make assumptions based on what went right, what went wrong and how I felt through it all.

After taking some needed “off” time, I will be starting 2010 much the same way that I started ’09. I am focusing on running, which is slowly becoming stronger. I am signed up for a couple of Half Marathons and currently training for a Full Marathon. I don’t want to go into details at this time because I don’t want to jinx it (those who know my history will understand). I am also signed up for this year’s MS Ride. I plan on putting running on the back burner during the weeks leading up to it as that seemed to help a lot last year.

What I don’t plan on doing is killing myself with crazy training schedules and too many races. Undoubtably, I will sign up for some Sprint and Olympic triathlons during the summer and fall months, but everything else is still up in the air: Disney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon, another Half Ironman, more Time Trials ? I’ll deal with those decisions once the first few races of the year are behind me.