Reflections on 2007

As 2007 has come to an end I thought I'd reflect on last year with some observations, accomplishments and areas for improvement for making 2008 a great year for triathlon.

• I improved a lot this year. This was my second year of competing triathlons and I made huge improvements. I remember laughing at myself in August of 2006 in my first sprint triathlon at my transitions, pathetic swim, suffering ride and slow run. Last year I did my first half finishing in 5:35. This year I finished a half in 4:57, a 38 minutes improvement and finished my first full Ironman in a respectable 10:45.

• The swim in an Ironman is crowded, violent and maybe just a little scary. The Ironman Coeur d'Alene swim was rough this year which just added to how physical the swim was. It may have been the toughest swim in an Ironman in 2007 so it's all flatter water and faster swims from here on out.

• Last year was a big year for training. 104 miles of swimming. 4,400 miles of biking and 1,050 miles of running in 324 workouts. I can't wait to see what next year brings.

• The cause of the pain is not always what it appears. I spent lots of time with my physical therapist this year and the one thing I've learned this year is that just because the pain is in one spot the cause of that pain may be originating somewhere else.

• I need to swim more. While I always thought that I could get by on my biking and running in the endurance triathlon races but this year I learned that having a good swim may make the difference between meeting my goals in the Ironman or not.

2008 is getting off to a good start as my sore leg is feeling better, I finished the year with a big volume block of training and am excited about the prospects for the upcoming year. Happy New Year!!!