Bring on 2014!!!

I happily started 2014 in the pool, shortly after the gym opened on New Years Day.  For most of the 90 minutes, I was the only one in the pool and I couldn't keep the smile off my face when it started snowing!  Nothing beats swimming outdoors with Flatiron views - pinch me!

Training has otherwise been going well.  I swim, I bike, I run, I plank/pushup/etc and I know that all this less-than-sexy work lays the foundation for a solid season.  My first bike test in ~10 months was today and it was…not exactly stellar.  But I've been marathon training, not biking, and I know with actual application of force to pedals regularly, I will see improvements.

Lab/clinic work has been busy but life has felt quiet without classes to attend or teach.  All of that changes on Monday so I'm doing my best to pull my shit together in a hurry.

Jeff and Puck came to visit shortly after New Years and Puck got to see his very first snow though, I will try to post some photos and video of the whole thing.  He's having a blast here and it's nice to have the whole family together.  Mostly we've spent the week house hunting - talk about an exhausting process!  Our first day out driving around showed us just how bad the houses can be on beautiful properties (and at too high a price to knock down and rebuild).  Our second day visiting homes with the realtor resulted in at least one possible target, though we'd ideally still like to be closer to Boulder.  Think good thoughts as we head out for another round of homes tomorrow!

As it's already nearly mid-January, I have put the race schedule for the year on the sidebar.  Highlights? Duathlon Nationals in July and a return to the 1/2IM distance in October.  I had to find a race that really pulled at me in order to do that and SOMA is it - I was supposed to race SOMA a couple years ago when the Tempe Town Lake dam broke and the race was cancelled.  It's been calling my name ever since!

Happy new year!