Laying out in the sun in eighty degree weather on the first day of the year sure makes me grateful to live in Southern California where I can train outdoors year-round with no problems whatsoever. I don’t even own running pants. Most days I can barely stand to run in more than shorts and a running bra.
But it also means I never really have a good excuse to wimp out of a run or bike. It's this time of year that I understand why we have to pay the big bucks to live in San Diego.
It’s also the time of year when I start to put together my plans for this year's race/adventure calendar. And it’s loading up fast. My last race was February 2010 when my thyroid finally won and I had to admit that I was no longer capable of any sort of physical exertion.
Finally, after two years of finding a diagnosis and fighting this disease with meds, I have the upper hand. I am, for the first time in a long time, looking forward to a full year of racing and adventuring.
First up is the Carlsbad Half-marathon. For me this means an entire weekend of fun and events. Insulindependence is a major charity for the race and makes it worth your while. The weekend starts with a Torrey Pines hike and a time to meet the athletes in from all over the country. Saturday morning means breakfast and a surf session or watching the kids race at Lego Land.
Of course there is the carbo-loading dinner the night before the race and the celebratory party after the race. There is nothing better than celebrating with over one hundred diabetics and diabetic friends after a huge race.
Next up is the race that ended my 2010 season, the Race On the Base in my hometown of Los Alamitos, CA. It’s an early season reverse triathlon which means you run then bike and then swim. I love these because there is nothing better after a four mile run and twelve mile bike than to jump in a super warm pool and rinse off. You finish the race squeaky clean and smelling of chlorine.
This year it is also the first race for each of my kids and hopefully the beginning of a whole new love for them. It may make Eli one of the youngest bilateral club footers to finish a triathlon. He is following closely in his father’s footsteps as he may become one of the first bilateral club footers to finish an Ironman Triathlon next November.
In February I may also be applying for a Captain position for the Insulindependence A1Sea program. This is, I think, one of the greatest parts of Insulindependence. If I get accepted it will include a week at Insulindependence University in late June, a possible sailing trip to Florida next February and a possible trip to Hawaii in June of 2013 to spend a week mentoring the group of Junior Captainsand taking advantage of all the aquatic opportunities Hawaii has to offer. The Captainship also includes some work fundraising.
Other than my races, I will be spending a large amount of time and energy trying to bring down my A1C’s which have shot out of my comfort zone while I have been battling this thyroid thing. And more time trying to finish the book. And, of course, I was silly enough to swear off all soda, so it should be an interesting year.