2010 YEAR IN REVIEW

2011 is going to be EXCELLENT. I can feel it. I expect great things to happen. And believe they will. Because I will make them happen. I think it will be a stronger faster year altogether, partly because 2010 was such a struggle.  In mid-September of 2009, I broke my fibula during the Stephens Creek 50k. The bone healed quickly, but led to an onslaught of various compensation injuries. I fought hard to recover and get back to racing, but at the beginning of every race I was never sure how it would go - whether something would force me to walk to the end.  




I still managed to beat my time at the Pike's Peak Marathon, achieve my goal of completing two swim-run races (swimming being the hard part for me), complete my first 50-miler and get several PRs and good times along the way! I also threw in some orienteering races, which are ridiculously hard but fun. On top of everything, I bought my first house in the Woodside hills, and I love living there very much.

  

The injuries also led me down an UNEXPECTED path, ending in a BodyPump instructor certification while I was coming off the cast. One thing led to another, and I found out how much I love lifting weights. This led me into the world of bodybuilding, where I ended up competing in four figure competitions during the summer of 2010, getting some great photo shoots and ending up on the cover of the September issue of Hardfitness online magazine!  While I love lifting, the whole high heel, glittery bikini, dark tan, hair extensions, and graceful stage walk was a big challenge for this tomboy! But in the end it was fun and definitely something I want to keep doing. Also, since I had the break from racing a bit, I had time to start learning to snowboard last season, with a good friend by my side.  This year I'm trying to continue to learn and improve and I find it very fun and relaxing to escape to the Tahoe mountains.  2010 provided a real lesson in determination and turned out to be a great adventure! 

2010 Highlights:

Figure Competitions: 4 - 3 local, one national (local level, 2 firsts in class, one 5th; national; 13th in class, out of ~32)

Number of Races: 58

Total Race Miles: ~593
Average Miles per Race: 10.231

Ultras: 5 (50k x 2, Quad Dipsea, Firetrails 50, New Year's 12 hour (~56M))

Marathons:  2 (CIM, Pike's Peak)

Swim Races: 2

PRs: 12k; 4.5M; Half M, 50M

Other: Competed in XC series for first time; started snowboarding; started orienteering races!
Favorite Race of 2010:  Whiskeytown 50k (pouring bursts of rain through an amazingly lush green forest with about 20 rushing stream crossings - it was awesome!)

2011 - GAME ON!

Racing Journal (January 2010)

Weeks 1-4 (1/1-1/31)
January miles: 11.2
January race miles: 11.2
2010 miles: 11.2
2010 race miles: 11.2
2010 races: 2

I've finally gathered up the enthusiasm to begin the 2010 year blog as my injuries are finally on the mend, as of this week only! It's taken much longer than expected for them to heal, but in the meantime I've been: lifting like crazy, doing and teaching BodyPump (weights class), swimming like crazy, and, this week, taking spinning classes! I'm psyching up to do the Contra Costa figure competition in late May. It will be a whole lot of work and a strict regimen during the weeks prior, but hopefully it will be fun and I'll do well :) Also, getting better in the pool, though I know I'll never be a fast swimmer - I do hope to be a good swimmer though. As far as running, well, I haven't been at all really, with the minor exception of a random new year's day race and the JazzTrax snowshoe race, both of which hurt my knee a lot to do... but were still fun. I ran a mile on the treadmill without pain for the first time the day before yesterday...hoping to keep up that trend and get back my running. After all, I'm registered for, get this, way too cool 50k, AR 50 and Boston! At this point I'm hoping to be able to do Boston, slowly... one can hope.

Pics and article about JazzTrax:
http://www.snowshoemag.com/viewContent.cfm?content_id=615