What's on next year's training calendar?

Trouble is, once an idea gets in your mind, it's tough to let go of it. The ironman. If you had asked me in January whether I would be able to run 22k (barefoot) and then bike another 20k on the same afternoon, and joke about it....I wouldn't have been able to conceive of it. That's why I am running the Paris 16k. Because in March I was afraid of signing up for a half-marathon. By April, I had set the Amsterdam Half as a goal.

So, here's how I got bit by this current bug. I already started planning to return to my first love, tri-sports, and looking at what will be my race calendar next year - I want to run a full Marathon - and to run the marathon in Greece too - I looked at the distances for an Olympic Tri - and saw that they look like a cake walk now. This is a different feeling five years after I did my first sprint (I've done three, even winning my class once). "Olympic distance" tri's seemed too big five years ago. Even so, I had decided back then to do an Ironman - telling DH about my dream- he scoffed. I remember the moment, where we were, and how I felt about his disbelief. I think I bought my IronFit training book shortly after that conversation - the dream got parked as my work life bloomed.

Well, the other day I'm hunting up running podcasts and I found one by a woman training for her first I-M. She races this weekend. And my training book for ironman suddenly looks within my reach since I have already run some pretty cool distances.

So I am thinking - how much training can my body handle? 70.3 or the full banana? Can I commit? How much time and money will it take? The beginner's plan takes you though to a full IM - the "faster" plan includes a 70.3 as a warm up.

So, at the moment my head is swimming about this. I'll keep thinking about it while I look at dates, plans, coaching opportunities.

Today was another example of what happens when I work late day after day - no food shopping and planning means I run out of snacks in the late afternoon. I was hungry again, and that isn't good. Leads to foraging around the office. I will repent this weekend and stock up.

If I want to train hard, I need to eat more & always clean. I hate eating when I am busy writing. I like the adrenaline buzz and i don't like to stop.

Well, there's my day in a snapshot. Today I celebrated my fitness by outrunning a heavy rain band that began pelting me and Odie with water while we were out for a walk.