The wrap up post you've been dying for...

2011 was amazing because it was my inaugural year as a triathlete! I can't believe it's been only a year, because I've bought in to the multisport lifestyle and fully identify (as opposed to being a single sport athlete, for example, calling myself "a runner.") It's as though I've always been biking and swimming to add some spice to my run... even though lately, I haven't. That changes this weekend.

Even though this blog is essentially a training diary and focused exclusively on my endurance adventures, life is not. As for my personal life, 2011 was everything I could have hoped: family and friends both grew closer (and expanded, inasmuch as I made some new friends this year - trust me, that's unusual for this curmudgeon) and I finally grew up a little and learned to be a little gentler on those around me while still sticking up for myself. Professionally, well, meh. But two out of three ain't bad, and I take the "meh" factor as an opportunity for growth. No, I did not just read a self help title, talk to a life coach, or practice job interview answers. I mean it. I am now at a point, intellectually and emotionally, where I can see how my current professional life is lacking, how it doesn't fit me, and furthermore how I can change  it - and THAT, my friends, is HUGE. I've been known to wallow in self doubt, feel confused, and blame my perceived lack of value for any problems around me and the fact that I'm now capable of seeing past that, forming a plan and acting on it is a dramatic leap forward. I look forward to further adventures in self-respect in 2012. 

OK, enough of that hippie shit. SPORTS!

So far, my 2012 plans have been a little, shall we say, jumbled. I'm still committed to training for and completing the Shoreman Half Iron, but I've been going back and forth over the rest of the season for what seems like a ridiculous amount of time. I keep those links to "upcoming races" in the sidebar, but most of those are just guesses as to what I might actually register for. There should be at least one flattish Olympic distance race, and I have recently become re-infatuated with the Long Branch Sprint series (this year on 6/17, 7/15, and 8/18) since the terrain matches my goal race. Oh, and because they're cheap. Actually, most of my potential race schedule this year is fairly reasonably priced, and I intend to race less this year than in the past, largely because I'm not trying to complete the 9 + 1 for the New York City Marathon.

Speaking of the ol' NYCM, have you heard about the pricing this year? Yes, it's gone up - not as far as I feared (I was seriously thinking it could approach $300 for members) but up to $215 for members, and a lot higher for others (I think it's $347 for international applicants - including Canada - but as a blogger I stand by my right to be lazy and not seek out the easily had reference material to support my posts. Take that, real journalism). I still want to run a marathon this fall. NYC still falls in a good spot in my schedule, and if you factor in the cost of hotels and the overall fantasticosity (yes, real word) of the NYC race experience it's still the right choice, but damn. I could run Hartford, just a little further up the road with the same sponsor and about 2 weeks earlier than NYC, for $85 bucks. But then, it wouldn't be the New York Freaking "I'm a huge deal" Marathon.

My decision to race less, train more is also influenced by a related but totally separate goal that has as much to do with my proposed career change as anything else: a 2012 financial marathon. That's right. I want to spend less money and be smarter about what I do spend, hence the reluctance to shell out $215 for 26.2 miles when I'm looking at spending the comparatively paltry amount of $130 for 70.3. This is smart in general, but especially relevant because I'm planning to basically eliminate my income in favor of seeking greener pastures in 2013.  Which, I'm sure, will make for a way cooler wrap-up / looking forward topic this time next year.

In the meantime, happy new year! And happy "you're now 38 in USAT years" to me!