A Year In Review

Yesterday we took the dogs to Skull Valley to visit friends. Arizona scenery always takes my breath away.


I happened upon doggie heaven in an alley in Prescott.

Max and Stanley had no time to waste with me - they were far too busy exploring Clark and Bev's ranch.


Cujo normally takes life a bit slower, but even he was having a good time. Best moment of the day: spotting him at a full gallop chasing a small ride-on tractor.

How would you like this view from your patio? Nearest neighbor: 2 miles away. City lights: none. Stargazing: AMAZING.


Looking back, 2008 was a good year for us. Lots happened in my first year of blogging! The accumulation of years of trialing, Max finished his MACH in March. Stanley finished his American championship in April. I did my first Olympic triathlon at Wildflower in May. Jeff and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary with Muddy Buddy in June. I did my first half-Iron triathlon in July. Stanley finished his Canadian championship in August. I bit the bullet and got myself a coach in September. I signed up for Ironman in November. And I set a new half-marathon PR in December.

With my last workouts of New Years Eve completed, I end the year with:
- 81.75 miles of swimming
- 2,247.5 miles of biking
- 735.4 miles of running
- Including roughly 12 hours of strength training (and assuming my spreadsheet is adding properly), I trained 385 hours in 2008.

2009 brings all sorts of new opportunities, friendships and adventures. I look forward to tackling each step with enthusiasm and hope. I know there will be hard and dark moments, but I also know the strong support network I have will help carry me through and remind me why I do this. If there is a lesson to be learned from the desert I love, it's that with hard work and determination I can be like the little cactus that sticks it out in tough conditions and thrives in the driest and bleakest of places.