One week

It has been officially one week (well, technically over one week) since my marathon and I think it is time to regroup and figure out my new fitness plan.  After this past week I am itching to get back out there again to set new goals, for me, 1 week has been plenty of time to recover from a marathon. 

I have to have big goals that scare me to pieces for me to get my butt off the couch.  First, it was my half marathon and then it was my marathon.  Those two races where so huge to me at the time (and still are!) that I worked my booty off to make sure I completed them.  Honestly, it wasn’t the distance that scared me; it was stating my goal out loud for all too hear.  What if I failed and everyone was watching?  Just so you know, I am not really big on failing, but who is right?  They say that if you haven’t set a goal and missed a goal, then you’re not setting goals that are big enough.  Slowly, but surely, I am learning to accept that phrase.

My goal for the marathon was to just finish, because if you finish within 6 hours (or whatever the time limit is for the race) you are considered a marathoner.   However, my double super secret goal was to finish at 5 hours.  I knew that 5 hours was pushing it for me, but I thought I could hold my half marathon PR pace for 26.2 miles.  Pshhhh.  Apparently not!  I had missed my goal time by A LOT!  I finished at 5:45, which was super close to the 6 hour cut off timeline.  I didn’t tell people that my goal was 5 hours though. I had said that based on my ½ marathon time I could finish at 5 hours. (BUT I will complete that goal one day…and soon!).  Maybe if I had told people that my goal was 5 hours, I would have made sure I came in closer to that time?  I didn’t though because it was my double super secret goal.

Which brings me to my next big goal, a goal that I am shouting from the rooftops.  What is my next big hairy scary outrageous goal?  A half Ironman. Yep.  Gulp! Originally, on my bucket list I had added the item 'Complete an Ironman', and then I did the Bridgeland Triathlon and completely nixed that idea!  I was not a fan of triathlons at all, but backing down from a challenge drives me nuts.  So, as Bill Murray says in What about Bob, we will take ‘baby steps’ to get to that Ironman…In 2013 I will be training for a Half Ironman 70.3 which is 1.2 Miles of Swimming, 56 Miles of Biking, 13.1 Miles of Running.

That is nuts! Let’s break these down:

1.2 miles of swimming-some people cannot even run 1.2 miles without stopping much less swim it.  I am scared of the open water so I will have to work on this one a lot.  I will have to spend hours in the gym pool to completely train for this. Hours.  I need to find a gym pool.  In the Spring I will look for a gym or facility that has pool access.  My last gym’s pool was so gross that I never got in it.

56 Miles on the bike-Ok, TMI alert…My lady bits were hurting after 12 miles on the bike during my first triathlon, I can only imagine what they will be like after 56 miles!  I didn’t train on the bike that often though so I will have to do that a lot more this training cycle. Maybe I should get one of those bike trainers that you attach your bike too and just spin at your house? I am afraid of getting hit by a car when I ride near my  house and it’s a pain in the booty to take the wheel off your bike.

13.1 miles running-I think I got this one down, but it doesn’t hurt to improve.  I will have to work on getting faster at running and I will also have to do more brick workouts so I can be prepared.  The transition of getting off my bike and then running seriously kicked my booty during Bridgeland.  I was not prepared!

I am telling everyone so it will happen!  I am still working out the details, logistics, and training plans, but I need all of you to keep me accountable.  If I don’t say it out loud (er, type it outloud?) then I will let the year slip by and not complete the goal.

So, what do you guys think about my big scary 2013 goal?