2011, Here I Come!

2010 is now solidly behind me, and I am looking at 2011 and trying to decide what to do. Last year I was so focused, with a solid goal, and this year will be loosey-goosey, with no big event anchoring my plans. 2010 was such a fabulous year, and I have no doubt that 2011 will be as well.

I know for sure that I want to do another Ironman next year, probably Arizona again, so this year will really be rebuilding and working on my weaknesses. I have a glaring weakness - my run. Duh. Therefore I signed up for a run clinic starting in February, so I can push myself and improve. I'm looking forward to it! In the plans for this year, then, are some running races - 10k's, half marathons and the like. My good friend CoCo turns 40 this year (yay Corinne, welcome to the club!), and her birthday plans include an ultra-running relay in Whistler in November. She is a strong runner, so I have to get faster to not make a fool of myself on her team.

I also want to keep pushing myself on the bike. I made such a high improvement last year and I want to continue in that direction. One event I've always wanted to do is the Seattle to Portland ride, a two-day ride (about 170k each) in July. Friends of mine live at the halfway point, in Chehalis, so that also gives me a chance to visit some terrific people I hardly ever get to see. I've also signed up again for the Whistler Gran Fondo, to see if I can take 5 minutes off my time from last year and finish under 5 hours. And if I don't make my time goal, I still end up in Whistler so it's all good! And in the back of my head is the Cheakamus Challenge, a mountain bike marathon from Squamish to Whistler. I had a pretty tough day there several years ago, so it would be a great benchmark to see how my cycling has improved. In case you haven't noticed a bit of a theme here, I'll pretty much do any event that involves Whistler - I love it there!

For triathlon, I will do some local sprint races, and my big goal will be the Lake Stevens 70.3 in August. Nice location as it's an easy ferry ride from home, I've heard it's a pretty course, and I can pair it up with a shopping trip to Seattle afterwards for some fall clothes. What more do you need in a race?

One event that's on my life-list is the Alcatraz Swim. I'd really like to do that one this year, but it all depends on my friend Tim. It's been on his list for even longer, and there's no one that would be more enthusiastic about swimming from Alcatraz to San Francisco. I HAVE to do that one with him! Problem is, he has a 6-week stint in Belize for work in late spring, so he's undecided on whether he can do it this year. I will be encouraging him pretty vigorously, as I say the time is now for this one.

So... 2011 is looking like a mix of running, cycling, triathlon, and swimming... sticking to the west coast and enjoying every moment once again. I hope to see you on the roads and trails!