Open cans of...

With Ironman Tahoe just over a year away, I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to get back at it again. I do have a renewed focus and excitement towards 2013 since I'm going into it with a plan, but the plan doesn't start till October 1...so I'm trying to enjoy the here and now, and not get too freaked out about the impending structure.

Structure is something I had grown accustomed to with swimming. The structure grew from the 3 months for the high school season, to adding in summer sessions in Minneapolis, extending the season to 5 months, and then college, where the 8 month season with a double taper was my life for 4 years. When the season was over, it was over. Lazy person mode set in. Exercise was a joke, and if I put my toes in the pool, it better have been after laying in the sun, tanning.

Swimming was such an on and off thing for me. I was either fully in it, or fully out. Yet knowing the season would eventually start again, it didn't matter how far I let myself go, because we always had dryland training to kick our butts back into shape. Some of my sorest moments were hobbling around the UND campus, dreading that track and football field each afternoon, and well, the days and weeks after Ironman St. George...but we'll put those memories aside for a while.

senior sioux girls on training trip in FL

In Southern California, and in the world of Pro athletes, [since don't you know, we're all pro's down here...lol] there really isn't an off season for triathlon. You can find a race every month...and if it isn't a tri, there's some half marathon that everyone's doing, or in my case, the road racing season will start back up again. So, starting Oct 1, I'll be busting my butt for 24 weeks until race day at Oceanside 70.3 - then a week [and hopefully more] to recover, and then another 24 week block until Ironman Tahoe.

Structure training for 12 months...this is new.

Where will I find the motivation to keep going? To make the training worth it? All for two out of 365 days? That sounds like craziness.

So in the next two weeks I'm working on finding the motivation. And enjoying the unstructured training while it lasts. Today was a quick ride up the coast with the Moment ride - which turned into Noko, Judd and me. A great chatty ride. This week I'm heading to Vegas on Tuesday and flying back on Wednesday night for a brief look at Interbike. And next weekend is wide open - TCSD club race, ladies ride with Moment, or a birthday party on Mt. Palomar - yeah fun! [puke my guts out!] Hey at least I get to pick my fun.

Ready to open a can of Whoop Ass on the 2013 season. Oh yeah, in the 30-34 AG - YIKES!

yes, an actual can of Whoop Ass