What's next??

I'm having trouble deciding on my goals for the upcoming year. I have become such a goal oriented person. I thrive on achieving the little steps in the process of completing a big goal. I love all the benefits of regular exercise both mental and physical, but without race to train for I just don't do it.

So what will it be?

Triathlon- This I love. The variety, the challenge, the people whom I train with. The camaraderie of the events. It is pure fun. BUT the last few years after I did the Ironman, I just am not into the time commitment of training for endurance triathlons. I'm all for dedication, but 2-8 hours of working out A DAY is tough to swallow right now. Still, I have plenty of people training for Ironman this year and the bug is in the air. Perhaps I'll end up doing another half this summer.

Running- The time commitment of triathlon and the true mental challenge of running is why I switched over to marathons the past two years. Running has always been my biggest challenge. When I registered for the Ironman I couldn't run 20 minutes without stopping and it has been a constant battle. Mostly it's a mental battle. While there are some moments I enjoy a run on a cool brisk day and I do enjoy being able to go for a jog/ chat with friends, soak in nature, pound the pavement, the majority of the time I just don't want to do it. And so I don't. Let me be the first to tell you, training for a marathon running only 2 days a week with no other workouts is really not good enough to have a great race day. A dear friend of mine, MF DRE, is making her running comeback after years of injury and she has suggested a long relay called Ragnar, requiring each of us to run 33 miles. It could be fun and a great way to spend time with some people I love, but perhaps if I stuck to some shorter running this year, I might actually start to like it again.

Swimming- my first love. There is no place on earth that brings such serenity as a swimming pool. No smell quite like chlorine. No feeling quite like gliding through the cool water after a long day at work. I looked into some swimming races, maybe Alcatraz but after visiting last week I'm not sure I really want to try "The Escapes" frigid shark filled waters (while not man eating sharks, sharks are scary none-the-less. Maybe the Lake Tahoe relay if can find enough people crazy enough to swim across Tahoe's 55 degree water at an altitude of 6000 ft.

I need a few weeks to let this fester, but I have no doubt I'll be signing up for something fantastic this year and having a great time on the road training for whatever I decide on.

Suggestions?!?!