Starting over at mile zero

As you can see, it's been quite some time since my last blog entry and the past year has been pretty sparse to say the least.  I've not felt that I have had much to say, though signing in again, I can see a few draft entries that show that I was inspired on the odd occasion.

The past few weeks have been a time of incredible rejuvenation in my feelings for this sport and for Ironman and I have been thinking about how to train differently, how to take more risks, what I should focus on and what I can take for granted.  So I figure that if I'm planning for my next year of training to be different, then perhaps I have something of worth to write about.  So, here I am starting this blog over.

I've revamped it twice before to reflect different chapters in my life.  It's first iteration "Destined to Fly" was about signing up for and training for my first Ironman.  The second iteration was literally, darker, called "Grounded Living" and was about my unemployment and depression following Ironman.  And finally, I chose the bright leafy green theme to reflect new growth and opportunities as I started a new job and trained for my second Ironman.

So here I am a year out from my third Ironman.  Naturally, this makes me simultaneously nostalgic for the past and anticipating the future.  In that vein, I have a few entries planned for the next few days.  In no particular order:

1. Nostalgia:  A recitative of my very first race report for the 2004 Danskin women's only triathlon in Sandy Hook, NJ.  This was pre-this blog, pre-Facebook, pre-almost any kind of social media.  And as our team coach just sent out a note about how all of us experienced triathletes were newbies once, it seems like the perfect time to post it for the first time and hope that anyone who is new can gain some inspiration from it.  
2. Lessons Learned:  I've been indulging myself by reading back over my blog postings as I trained for my first Ironman.  Wincing as I remembered the physical challenges, laughing at shared times with teammates, wondering at the complexity of simply getting through the logistics of each day.  So really, my lessons learned will be for me, but maybe if you've signed up for your first Ironman, or are contemplating it, I hope you too can benefit.
3. Priming the Pump:  Mark and I visited both Lake Placid to cheer on teammates tackling Ironman Lake Placid, and Mont-Tremblant, Canada to experience the run and bike course and volunteer at Ironman Mont Tremblant.  While it was a tiring few weeks with a LOT of driving, we learned a lot and reminded ourselves why we do this sport.  I hope our "review" will help for those of you signed up for IMMT 2014.
4. Looking Forward:  What's up next?  What does the rest of 2013 and 2014 look like for me?  What are my broad plans, goals, fears and hopes?  I've been mulling over a few ideas lately and think it'll be helpful to sketch out the year and how I hope it'll go - if nothing else, I need to stay honest with myself.

Happy reading!