Looking Back and Moving Forward - 2015

First off, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed the extra time with their families and friends.  I know Sarah and I had a great Christmas and even though it was hectic as hell, it was a lot of fun!  And now, It's hard to believe, which I think I say each and every year, but 2014 is officially in the books and we are already plunging into 2015.  But, here we are at the start of yet another new year.  You don't need to look far to read, see, or hear about some one's New Year's Resolutions.  They are everywhere.  Just try to scroll through your Facebook feed without reading "New Year, New You," or "This year will be different."  All too often people make goals, some are realistic, others not so much.  Most of these goals, probably in the ball park of 95% of them, fail, and fail miserably.  I'd bet that most people forget about them or just flat out give up within the first week or two.  But why?  I mean, most folks mean well with their goals.  They join their local health clubs, they sign up for memberships or classes.  They want to be successful.  I think the biggest reason so many people fail, is they fail to have a plan on how to achieve their goal, their goal is unreasonable, or they have a vague, unmeasurable goal - I mean how exactly do you measure eating better in 2015? 

While some people make goals and resolutions, others are against the whole idea of a New Year's Resolution.  The thought process here is that any day is a great day to set a goal or make a significant change in your life, why not start December 1st instead of putting it off until January 1st?  Another thought is that most people just make claims and goals because it is the "thing to do."  I mean, how many people ask "what's your New Year's Resolution?"

Personally, I believe if someone is willing to make a goal to better themselves in one way or another, who are we to discourage that, even if they are doing it for the wrong reasons?  It's a start and frankly, I would rather have someone make a goal, instead of just saying, "f*ck it - I'm going to fail anyway."  I also view the new year as a new season, a new beginning.  As an athlete, I plan each and every year beginning January 1st.  So, it's only natural to view the new year as an opportunity to make changes, goals, and resolutions.  For me, it's hard to say, today is the day I am making a change, especially drastic ones.  So, when there is a hard date, in the future, it makes it easier for me to wrap my mind around my goals.  It gives me a definite start date, no excuses, no "I'll start tomorrow," no if's, and's, or but's.  It starts the first of the year.

If you have read my last post where I took a look back at the year that was 2014, you know I have big goals and aspirations for 2015.  If not, take a look here: Looking Back and Moving Forward - 2014.   I after once again, not meeting my goal of running a sub 3 hour marathon, I am putting that goal at the forefront in 2015.  So, without further adieu, below are my goals, aspirations, and resolutions for the upcoming year.  As you read you'll notice, that not only am I laying out all my goals below, but instead of simply saying what my goal is, I am explaining exactly what my plan is to accomplish that goal.

1.  Get my body weight back down to 160-165 pounds.

I have been claiming to want to lose weight for racing efficiency reasons, but, like just about everyone else, fail.  I have found that losing weight is quite possibly the most difficult thing to do.  In order to finally get back down to the weight were I had my most successful race season, I am laying down some very strict ground rules for my diet.  Below are my ground rules.

1. Absolutely no added sugars, sweeteners, artificial sweeteners, etc.  That's right, I am going sugar free for a full year (at least)!
2. Minimal to no processed grains
3. No processed, packaged foods
4. Minimal dairy to no full fat
5. Minimal to no legumes
6. Only one single "cheat-day" per month with no carry-over.  This is to maintain some level of sanity.
7. I am allowing beer as the one exception to all the rules....once again, for sanity and my love of good beer.  The one rule here is no shitty beer!  

2. Run a sub 3 hour marathon 

I have been saying for years now, that I want to run a sub 3 hour marathon more than anything.  so This year, I am going to do it....period.  In order to do it, I am going to run, run, and run some more. I am focusing all my race efforts on running this year.  I think my lack of running (yes I said, lack) has been limiting my marathon running.  Simply put, I do not think my running volume has been at necessary levels to run a sub 3 marathon.  So for this year, I will be putting cycling and swimming on the back burner to focus more time and energy on running, recovery, and strength training.  I figure, if I will be running higher volume throughout the upcoming year, I will need to focus on rest/recovery and strength training in order to stay healthy throughout the season.

3. Run 2015 miles in 2015

This is just a small sub goal that, theoretically, should be pretty easy to achieve, assuming I am able to stay healthy and train throughout the year.  In order to run this distance, I would need to average 38.75 miles per week.

4. Run at least one race for each month of the year

My reason behind this goal is to encourage consistency of training throughout the year.  The race can be any distance and just needs to be an organized event.

5. Run both a 50k and 50 mile ultra marathon

I have wanted to run an ultra marathon for a couple years and with my increased focus on my running fitness, I figured this year will be the year I go beyond 26.2.

6. Strength train at least once a week, except during a taper

In order to insure I stay healthy throughout the year with an increased volume, I need to stay strong by strength training.  Adding some strength training to my weekly regimen will also make me a stronger, faster runner.

7. Do not be so quick to yell at my kids

I won't lie, I can be very quick to yell and get upset at my kids.  Let's face it, racing kids gets frustrating.  I want to raise my kids in a loving, caring atmosphere, and feel like I am often yelling at them when it may not be necessary to do so.  So, from now on, I will take some deep breaths and/or step away for a short period of time to gather my thoughts before yelling.

8. No texting and driving and to stay off my phone while driving in front of my kids.

In the past, I have always used the excuse that. "I am good at multitasking while driving."  And regardless, even if I may be just a fine driver while using my phone, it sets the wrong example for my kids.  Even though we are 10+ years before Maya even starts the think about driving, I do not want to be the parent that tells them not to use their phones while driving when they have been watching me do just about everything on my phone while I drive.  Sounds quite a bit hypocritical....  Sarah is on board with me on this one too.  We are going to lead by example for our kids and how to be a good driver.

So there you have it, like I said, most of my goals are pretty ambitious, especially going sugar free and grain free this year.  But, I just need to get into a grove and I should be just fine.  I do well with rules and plans, so I am confident I will be able to go sugar and grain free all year.  Below is my preliminary race schedule for 2015.  And with that, I want to wish everyone a safe and prosperous 2015!  I hope you are able to stick to your own personal goals and have a successful new year!

My Tentative 2015 Race Schedule

January 24th - Ice Breaker Indoor Half Marathon, Milwaukee, WI
February 7th - Seroogy's Valentine's 5k, De Pere, Wi
March 15th - St. Pat's Day 5k/15k
April 25th - Jailbreak 5k, Wautoma, WI
May 2nd - Wisconsin Marathon, Kenosha, WI
June 20th - High Cliff Sprint Triathlon, Sherwood, WI
July 11th - Dances with the Dirt 50k, Merrimac, WI
August 16th - Race the Lake, Fond du Lac, WI
September 19th - Fox Cities Marathon 5k, Appleton, WI
October 11th - Whistle Stop Marathon, Ashland, WI
November 7th - T-Bunk Challenge 50 Mile, Eagle, WI
December 5th - Race for the Light 5k, Oshkosh, WI

Looking Back and Moving Forward - Part 2 : 2014

My last post was specifically geared to the year that was.  Everything that I learned, did, and accomplished.  It was kind of fun looking back at what all went down last year.  In a way, it kind of surprises me.  I sit here now, wondering how I did it.  How did I find the time to train 15-20+ hours a week for an Ironman?  Granted I did miss A LOT and specifically a lot of family time, which I do regret.  But, I was motivated like I have never been before.  So, now that I looked back at what all went down last year, it only makes sense to look ahead at 2014 - my goals, ambitions, aspirations, and plans.

I'll be honest, planning 2014 has been one of the most difficult years since I started racing and training.  Every year previous I had one clear goal, prepare myself for an Ironman.  Well, now with that crossed off the list, I'm left with that feeling of "now what?"  It took me a while to come up with some races and/or goals for 2014 and to be honest, even though I have a semi structured race calendar, I don't truthfully know if I have clear cut goals that I am as motivated to accomplish as I was with the Ironman.  But, none-the-less, I have brought one of my previously lower priority goals to the forefront this year.  In early 2014, I am focusing on running a sub 3 hour marathon.  I won't dive into this, as I recently did a post about my training plan and strategies for accomplishing this goal and why I want to do it in my post called, "Going Sub 3."

I was able to structure a decent race calendar with the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon being the race I hope to finish in under 3:00:00.  The marathon is on May 18th, so the bulk of my training will be in the colder months of January through March.  After the marathon, I will switch gears and start focusing more on my bike fitness and swim fitness, as I begin a 3 month triathlon specific phase.  During this period I will do no triathlon longer than an Olympic distance race.  My triathlon season will come to an end either late July or early August.  I have yet to decide if I will race the USA Triathlon National Championships in Milwaukee, WI or not.  First off, (and I'll discuss this more later) one of my goals this year is to put family before my races.  With that in mind, we scheduled a family vacation from Saturday August 2nd through August 9th.  The Olympic distance race is on the 9th, so that is now out of the question, and the Sprint distance is on that Sunday.  I was all for this race when I thought you had to qualify for this race.  But, I recently learned that you only need to qualify for the Olympic distance race and that anyone can register for the Sprint distance race.  Not to sound like I believe I am too good, or above doing this race, since anyone can do it.  But, if I am going to make this race work with my family and literally the very next day after a week of vacation, I want it to be a special race, not just another race.  For our vacation this year we are renting a cabin in northern Wisconsin, about 3-4 hours north of Milwaukee.  So to expect my family to pack up and drive home Saturday and then either drive to Milwaukee and rent a hotel room that night or leave super early on Sunday morning to get to the race seems like a little much to ask, especially considering everything I put them through last year.  Another option is to do the race without them, which is an option, but I enjoy doing these races with my wife and kids there...that's just me.  Yet another option, is to register for the Sprint distance and make it a goal to qualify for the World Championships in 2015, which you can only do at the National Championships.  So, we'll see if I register for that race.  The final aspect which will make or break doing the National Championship race is if I do it, I will not be able to fully relax while on vacation.  Yes, it will be a lower volume taper week, but that also means, no indulgences and no (or little) beer.  Where as, if I end my season on July 27, as my other option is, I could literally take a nice two week break and just kick back and relax on vacation.  

Regardless of what I choose, once we come back from vacation, I will be (most likely - not a definite) switching back to a run focus and training for my first every ultra marathon.  I am planning on running the Door County Fall 50, a 50 mile point-to-point 50 mile race along the shores of the Door County Peninsula on October 25th.  I am not fully committed to this race yet, because as I mentioned above, one of my goals or focuses this year is to not allow my training to directly impact my family negatively, as it did so often last year.  To accomplish this, I will get up earlier in the morning to get workouts in before the kids wake up and do more to help out around the house.  Basically, I do not want my wife to feel the stress of being a single parent because of my training.  It will take some sacrifices on my training volume, but I think in the end, both me and my wife will come out happier....and less stressed.

If interested, you can see a more detailed breakdown of my 2014 race schedule by clicking the "Race Schedule & Resume" tab above.  No matter how excited I may be about getting back to racing and to set my sights on new goals and new accomplishments, one thing that I am probably most excited about in 2014 is a new sponsorship for this upcoming year.  I accepted a sponsorship with Hammer Nutrition for 2014.  I have been a long time supporter and user of Hammer Nutrition products and have applied for sponsorships with them in the past, so to finally be offered a sponsorship with them, left me excited and honored.  Hammer Nutrition is an endurance nutrition company out of Montana who believes in a natural approach to fueling, both during competition and in everyday nutrition.  I was also asked to return as a TheTriShop.com Triathlon Team member, which I gladly accepted without hesitation.  It was just last year, I was thrilled to have one sponsorship and now here I sit with two sponsorships, and to be honest, I never imagined my race career being were it is today.  Truthfully, I am humbled and honored to be supported by two great companies to believe in "paying it forward" for the endurance community and I will do my best to support them throughout the year.  One thing I am planning on doing this year is to highlight a Hammer product each month in a blog post.  I want to highlight the uses of that product, its uses, how and when to use it, what's in it and why.  So stay tuned for that. 

2014 will also bring one huge addition to my life outside of my racing and training.  That being kid number 3.  I've posted on here a few months ago about finding out that we are having yet another girl, so if you are a regular to my website, you are already aware of that.  But in mid to late March, Sarah and I will officially be outnumbered.  As I have been told, we will have to switch to a zone defense from our usual man-to-man style.  It will be a huge change for us, but with Sarah being a super mom, I'm sure it will be just a bigger change for me, and she will be her usual self.  It will be fun to see how Maya and Delaney like having a little baby around the house, now that they are old enough to know the that we will be bringing home another sister.  Lately, they have been super excited about the entire idea.  They are especially excited to get their new bunk beds and share a room together.  I'm sure this will just lead to nights where they take forever to fall asleep, but that's probably what they are looking forward to.  

In brief, that's what I'm looking forward to this year.  I'd be lying though if I said, I didn't have any specific goals or things that I want to accomplish this year, so below is a quick run down of what my 2014 "to do" list looks like (in absolutely no particular order)....

1. Do 100 sit ups and 50 push ups every day (actually started this on December 1st)
2. Do not allow my training to negatively impact my family, like it did last year
3. Run 30 miles on my 30th birthday
4. Eat cleaner, avoid gluten, and increase amount of healthy fats and decrease amount of carbohydrates
1. Start with a full Whole30 cleanse (I'll do a post about this, but read more about it HERE)
5. Swim across Lake Poygan (North and South) (approx 3-4 miles across)
6. Run 2014 miles in 2014 (honestly probably won't happen, but we'll see - I ran just over 1,200 last year)
7. Swim 100 miles in 2014
8. Bike 1,200 miles in 2014
9. Stretch more frequently
10. Replace or repaint outdoor trim around the house - yup...even chores made the list :) 
11. Qualify for Olympic Distance USA Triathlon National Championships...even though I won't be able to participate
12. Run a sub 3 hour marathon

So there you have it....a comprehensive look ahead at 2014.  A lot to look forward to for sure!  It's going to be another busy yet enjoyable year!

Cheers!