Ready for 2009?

It is hard to believe that 2008 is almost over. It has certainly been a year of ups and downs both personally and on the training side of life. Here it is in a nutshell:

• I completed the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge in January - as my first marathon! While my marathon was way slower than I would have liked I had a great time out on the course and took a ton of pictures.
• After I got home from Orlando in January I came down with bronchitis and I didn't manage to kick it until sometime in April. Boo.
• I bought a bike in April, something that I most definitely had not been considering in the beginning of 2008.
  
• I could not buy a PR in the beginning of the season...with the exception of the Calgary Police 5K and the Minnie Marathon 15K in May. I tried to go sub-60:00 on a few 10Ks but came up short, and also couldn't PR in a half marathon.
  
• I entered my first duathlon in May, on a total whim, just a couple of days before the event. I loved it. I was hooked on multisport events.
• After not being able to find too many duathlons to do around here I figured I'd better see if I could still remember how to swim. And then I entered my first triathlon...and I absolutely loved it. And I finally went sub 30:00 on a 5K for the first time ever.
• I ran my second marathon in Quebec City in August. Despite some wicked heat and potentially over indulging in water during the race I set a new PR.
• I joined an amazing tri team, headed by an amazing coach!
• I managed to set new PRs at the Melissa's 10K Road Race and at the Last Chance Half, so I was able to round out 2008 with a slew of PRs in all distances!

So what's up for next year?

• The Walt Disney World Marathon on January 11th
• CRR St. Patrick's Day Road Race - 10K - on March 15th (this would be my third year running the race)
  
• Calgary Police Half Marathon on April 26th (if I can get in - since registration opens up right when I land in Orlando and it sells out quickly)
• SportCheck Mother's Day 10K on May 11th
  
• Wine Capital of Canada Olympic Triathlon in Oliver, BC on May 24th (my 31st birthday)
• KGH Sprint Duathlon in Sylvan Lake, AB on May 30th
• Gericks Wasa Lake Olympic Triathlon in Cranbrook, BC on June 14th
• HBC Run for Canada 10K on July 1st
  
• Great White North Half Iron in Stony Plain, AB on July 5th
• Tour for Kids - three day charity bike ride July 17 to 19...maybe...hopefully
• Lake Stevens Ironman 70.3 in Lake Stevens, WA on August 16th
• Volunteering at Ironman Canada and signing up for 2010 - August 30th
• Melissa's 10K Road Race in September (this would be my third year running the race)
• Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco, CA on October 18th - if I can get in, since this one is a lottery. If it doesn't work out, then the Royal Victoria Half Marathon may be my backup plan on October 11th.

I'm also going to aim to find a chip timed 5K race somewhere in there. It is time to set a new official PR! And unless I change my mind, I doubt that I'll be looking to do another full after January, at least for a little while... I'm also a little disappointed that the Strathmore Women's Tri is moving back a weekend and it is now on August 16th. I was hoping to go back and try to see if I could move up in my age group a bit... I still have to run all of this by my coach, but this is what I've been thinking of anyway.

I hope you all have a wonderful new year, and I wish everyone the best for 2009. May it be filled with health and happiness for you all. I'm hoping it will be an exciting year!