I keep thinking I should wait to talk about this, but I've waited weeks now. Nothing has changed. Part of the reason I don't want to put this out there is because it's a 2 year goal. Two years is a long time, and it's not a long time. Maybe THAT's really my issue. It will be here before I know it.
As you all know, I have limits to what I'm willing to give up when it comes to triathlon. That means first and foremost, I don't make any race decisions without talking to the family. Over the years, it has worked really well. I have been able to train when I want, without being completely exhausted for family stuff.
For years, Mr. Tea supported me with my short course goals. A couple of months ago, he came to me and said, "What would you think about focusing on the 70.3 next year? You had such a great race at SOMA. I think that is your untapped potential."
He's right. I had a great race at SOMA. It was an emotionally charged race too. In other words, I wasn't mentally at my best for that race for reasons completely unrelated to training or fueling or anything like that. I, still, had a huge PR.
He surprised me by saying that. Yes, I've thought about it, but that was about it. I didn't have any crazy urge to go back. So, I slept on it for weeks.
I couldn't believe that he was really encouraging me to go long again. It's just me and him. We work in different locations, so he isn't around during the week when I do my training. On weekends, he sleeps so late that even my long days didn't really get in the way of our plans.
Because of my schedule, my training never really interferes with anything. The argument of "cutting into family time" is no longer valid.
I was getting my mind wrapped around this idea, when he brought it up again. "What do you think? What if you did TWO 70.3's next year?"
Me: The timing is right. Next year, I turn 49. I don't know about two 70.3's in a year. I'd want to talk to Liz about that....and also....SOMA wrecked me. I put so much into it. It would have to be a very early season and a very late season 70.3. But, for a long time, I thought it would be cool to do Ironman for my 50th (when I age up in 2017).
Mr. Tea: YES. THAT's what you should do! Ironman for your 50th birthday.
Obviously, this is a big deal for me. That's why I haven't said anything. I wanted to make sure that I was willing to put the time and energy into this.
This is on my terms, my decision...because I want to do it.
I asked Liz about my plan, and I think she was genuinely surprised and excited. We need to talk more about it in a few months as we start to hammer out the details of my race schedule.
That's it. It looks like I'll be going back to Ironman.
Beyond racing, I have a few other exciting plans:
1.) A few months back, maybe 6-9 months ago, I was going through a stressful time, and I put on about 10lbs. It sucked. I went through the entire race season heavier than I normally am. Hey, I think I look great. Mr. Tea thinks I look great, but this isn't about vanity. It's about being able to run faster and putting out better power ratio on the bike. I decided that once things calmed down, I would hire a nutritionist to help me get to a better weight. I researched a number of nutritionists. I got a number of recommendations from friends. I contacted several of them and decided on one. We start next week. I'm so anxious to get started. How awesome will it be to start my 2016 season at race weight with my best nutrition plan already in place? I'm really excited especially since I struggled with eating while I was training for SOMA. It was so hard for me to get it the sheer number of calories that I made some bad decisions along the way. Desperate times call for desperate measures! Ha!
2.) Something old. Something new. Triathlon, old. Duathlon, new. Liz recommended that I race the Duathlon National Championships next year. Take away one of my best events....and replace it with the one that is my weakest???
I'M TOTALLY IN.
Duathlon National Championships are next June in Bend, OR.
3.) That leaves me with "Which 70.3 do I choose?" I'm still not sure because there are a few moving parts.
My top choices are IM Miami in Oct and IM Austin in Nov. Miami is the weekend of my birthday, so that's a bonus. Mr. Tea's vote is for Miami.
Austin....JMan will likely be moving to Austin next year.
Right now, I'm leaning towards Austin, but like I said....there are other moving parts.
Edit: Now, I'm leaning toward Miami. See how this is going to go?
4.) In order to get ready for the 70.3 next year, I decided to run a half marathon in AZ in Jan. I haven't run a half marathon in a couple of years. Getting away from the CO cold in Jan? I'm down with that idea.
5.) That leaves me with, "Which IM do you want to race in 2017?" Anyone who's anyone knows you have to register a year in advance. Which one? That's a slam dunk. Ironman Arizona. I love racing in AZ. In fact, Mr. Tea and I love it so much that on our last visits, we went house hunting.
The plan is to head down to volunteer at IMAZ in Nov of 2016 and register.
So, that's it; my 2 year plan.