A year goes by...

I am not quite sure what happened, or if I made a conscious choice, but sometime in the last year I gave up on training and racing. The last couple of races I was entered in last fall, I failed to even start. The usual fall and spring x-country running series I skipped. I think it may have been the on-line porn.
So, time to start anew!
The new goal--qualify for Kona in 2013! 2013 will be the ten year anniversary of my first sojourn into triathlon. I did IM Canada in my first season! Quite the accomplishment, even if the training was haphazard, and the result was mediocre.

Steps to meet my goal:

1. Save money!
This will entail not sending money to girls in Russian anymore.))) Or buying tokens on MFC. At least I have a job now. If I do not have at least more available in my line of credit than I owe by March 2013, then the next steps are irrelevant.

2. Become proficient in the water.
I need a break through in the swim. For the next eight months, I will be in the pool at least 4 times a week. I need to put the time in. By next summer, when the local race season starts, if I am not finishing in at least the top third of my age group coming out of the water, it won't matter how much money I have saved!

3. Enjoy your time on the bike.
The bike has been my strongest discipline, but also my least favourite. I have just found so little joy in biking on the roads, or sitting on the trainer. I need to find a group to ride with, perhaps companionship will fan the fire. I need to network, and develop some training partners--and Fiera racing club is a possibility. If the previous two steps have been met, I will buy a new bike for the 2013 season.))

4. Develop a strong finish on run.
I seem to fade once I hit the 30km mark, in both marathons and Ironmans. Next season I plan on doing two marathons--one in spring (probably Red Deer) and second in the fall (?). These races will be a test of my early season training, and the benefits of my summer racing form.

5. Enter qualifying races in 2013.
So, with all the previous steps completed, all I need to is qualify for Kona!
Simple. Haha...
St. Croix Half Ironman in May is the first qualifier. This is a race I have been interested in since 2004. The half ironman is my favourite distance, and in a exotic locale to boot. Now I just need to find a beautiful lady to travel with...
Second qualifier is IM Canada. This is a qualifier which I will have to qualify for. Just like my first race in 2003, I will try to qualify for IM Canada at GWN triathlon in Stony Plain.

There it is--the outlines of a plan. I need something, because masturbation and internet girlfriends are just not cutting it! The keys are save money, train smart, and race local.

By nature I am a bit of a nihilist, so when the going gets tough, I tend to self destruct. Exhibit C: my last Ironman race. Once again, I was falling apart on the run. I was halfway through, with almost 7.5 hours to finish that last 21 km. My goal of...