I'm Back!

AHHHHH!!! Words cannot describe the feeling of landing in San Diego this past Saturday :)

To make things even better, we had a little get-together for New Year's Day so I went from zero humans for the past month, to socializing with my favorite peeps!

Sunday morning I couldn't wait to get on the pool deck for masters. Hux signaled me over to lane 2, and though it hurt to swim longer than 45min at that pace, being in the water daily in Cancun paid off! My swimming is at an all time best, and I can't wait to work on it even more this year. I'll be in that lane huffing and puffing as long as it takes until I can lead it...hopefully that will transfer my Cozumel swim time into Kona.

Running also feels fantastic. Today I ran my longest since IM- 75minutes. Julie took me along the coast from Carmel Valley down to the fairgrounds and it was a great route- constantly rolling with like 2 long graduals. It was an awesome way for us to catch up too :)

Also, yesterday was my first "strength" workout at Rehab United and I loooooved it! It's a fun group of people and a kick ass session. No doubt it will play a big role in my fitness this year.

Lastly, I picked up my beautiful Colnago Flight at Nytro yesterday!!! Andrew helped me swap my parts from the Cannondale, and today I'm headed to Matt's for a fit. I know it will take about 3 weeks to feel "right" on the bike again, but I also know from how fired up I am and how great my body feels that 1) I was TRASHED after Cozumel...and 2) the long break sans bike and with all short non structured stuff is key to how AMAZING I KNOW this year will be for me.

I had A LOT, and I mean AAA LOOOOT, of alone time in Cancun to think about where I am in life, in this sport, and what I want and know I can accomplish this year and a couple of years from now. But more importantly, this year, as that is what's in the present. Being away from the US, specifically from the privileged place that is San Diego and the life I live here, with such a great support system in my family, friends, and coach, helped me realize more than ever how fortunate I am and how everything is set up like a fairy tale for my success.

I'm starting 2011 with what I guess you could call "resolutions" in my head. But most of them are concepts that you really cannot describe in writing or even verbally. They are modes of approaching situations, people, training sessions, races, achievements, and failures that stem from my 23 years of life. Every day you learn something new, but new years allow us to reflect on a much deeper level and offer a globally unified opportunity to "start fresh"- a great feeling!

Some of my changes will be noticeable, others not. Some might make sense to others, others not. But rest assured, I've thought things over and what I will do is what's best for me....IMHO ;)

Anyway, I snatched a bib from a seller on Craigslist for the Carslbad Half so that will kick off my racing for 2011! After that, Palm Springs Century and 1/2 Marathon in early Feb....and the rest is on the right hand pannel of my blog ;)