Twelve in 2012

This past week I really gambled with my triathlon training. In the eight days leading up to Sunday’s Wingman Triathlon I participated in a women’s only 5K mud run, took a five-day trip to Las Vegas with my husband, Chad, and pulled an all-nighter with my family at the Mississippi Shuffle Relay for Life.

It turns out that may not have been the best preparation for my only triathlon of the year.

I finished Sunday’s sprint triathlon in 1:50.59 — 40 seconds slower than my time from last year. I was disappointed because my only goal for the race was to improve on that time.

Chad, who had participated in the relay competition, was cheering for me at the last corner before the finish line. I saw him look at his watch and then look up at me. I knew from the expression on his face that I wasn’t going to meet my goal and he knew I’d be disappointed.

I guess in 15 years of marriage you can learn how to communicate without even talking — which brings me back to our trip to Las Vegas.

On Aug. 4, I competed in the Dirty Girl 5K Mud Run at Welch Village along with my former co-worker Jen (Cullen) Longaecker and two of her friends. It was an awesome event — it was a great workout and a ton of fun. I cannot say enough about how well the event was organized. It was so inspiring to see over 5,000 women — in all ages, shapes and sizes — having fun together while wrestling through over three miles of mud and challenging obstacles.

The mud run was race No. 8 in my quest for “Twelve in ’12.” For those of you keeping track, Chad ran the River City Ramble 5K that morning in a time of 25:54.30 for 78th place out of 178 runners.

Later that night we flew out to Las Vegas to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary this month. And while we got in workouts on four of those five days, we also participated in all the things that make Vegas so great. We were exhausted when we returned Thursday.

I had little time to rest — or train — with my family headed to town for the Mississippi Shuffle Friday and Saturday. I got one hour of sleep Friday night on a lawn chair and snuck in a quick nap Saturday afternoon.

When the alarm went off Sunday morning, it didn’t take long for Chad and I to discuss how poorly prepared we felt for the Wingman. Ultimately, I knew the fact that I hadn’t been in a lap pool or on an outdoor run in over two weeks would be costly.

But looking back now I’m not sure that I’d change anything. I had a great eight days that included two races and an amazing trip with my husband. Does it really matter that my time was 40 seconds slower than last year? Or is what really matters the fact that I’m finding ways to incorporate health and fitness into my life?

With three more races on the horizon, I’ve got plenty of time to get back to my training.

Tags: lifestyle, health