There are only a few more days before we turn over the
calendars and dream new dreams in a new year. Whatever is left undone can, of
course, be carried over to 2014. Or you can scrap the resolutions and tasks of
2013 and move on to the even better things ahead. But before we change out our
calendars, I wanted to reflect on 2013, give some thanks, and put a
little closure on the 2013 edition of my public Internet diary (aka – my blog).
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| 2013 Starbucks wrapper goals |
In January I wrote about the bucket list my friend Jenn and
I dreamt up and wrote down on the back of a Starbucks wrapper in 2006. Also in
February I wrote down some athletic goals for 2013. The list above was pinned up at my work desk, as a daily reminder. I nailed some and came a
bit short on others. In no particular order, here they are:
- Half Marathon PR – YES, a 1:26:05 at Lake Sammamish Half Marathon
- Ironman PR – no, I was 46 seconds shy of my 2011 PR at CdA this year
- Ironman swim PR – sub 1:06 – yes to the PR, no to the 1:06, I swam 1:07:07 at CdA
- Ironman Run PR – sub 3:30 – no, I ran 3:35 at CdA
- Sub 19:00 5k – YES, an 18:44 5k at the Mustache Dache and the female win!
- Hood to Coast Awesomeness – YES of course, this goal was perhaps some low hanging fruit. We always have fun!
- USAT All-American – TBD on this one. I’ll have to wait until 2014 to find out.
- Half-Ironman PR – YES, 4:48 at Austin 70.3
- Half-Ironman sub 1:30 run – no, 1:33 at Oceanside, 1:37 at Black Diamond, and 1:35 at Austin this year. Last year I ran 1:32:01 at Oceanside...
- Sub 31:00 8k – no, but I think if I could have added 3 more kilometers to the Mustache Dache or Turkey Trot, I could have made it. Seafair was not the race for me to try it.
- Run a XC Race – YES, and I loved it. More XC in 2014 I hope!
In 2009, when I first started getting serious about
triathlon and figured things out with help from a coach, PRs came easily (the
bar was set low, apparently). From 2009-2011, I broke my PRs every year at
every distance (sprint, half Ironman, Ironman, half marathon, marathon). I
can’t say I took this improvement for granted, but I know I didn’t appreciate
it the way I do now. In 2012, I had a bit of an off year. Nothing was horrible,
but there was a lot of fatigue and flatness in my races. In retrospect, that
year taught me even more about fully appreciating small improvements.
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| Amazing highlight of 2013 - winning the amateur title at Ironman CdA |
That’s part of the reason there was a new freshness to my
triathlon season this year. I appreciated the small steps along the way, even
if there were times or races when I came up short. I broke some new barriers,
but the goals were reasonable and manageable, and if I didn’t reach them, I
improved other things, or had fun, or spent time with friends, or did (blank
important thing) while trying. People get so wrapped up into times and placing,
and qualifying for World Championships or Olympic Trials, that I think they
lose sight of the incremental improvements that may be necessary to reach that new
level or a new time barrier. And they also might lose sight of the reason
they’re dedicated to their sport in the first place – if you’re like me, it’s
because you freaking love it. So maybe next year I’ll include goals like,
“laugh ten times during an Ironman,” or “run a race in costume” just to keep
the happiness factor way up. Or I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, and
surround myself with supportive training partners and friends, as I enjoy this
crazy ride.
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Annual GAMBIT - Gerry A. Marvin Birthday Invitational Triathlon, a fun Olympic distance
race with our friends in Chelan! G and I won the male and female divisions. |
There are so many people to thank this year - friends,
family, teammates, sponsors, co-workers, and blog readers. In no particular
order:
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| Part of my Run Family - Oiselle Sisters in Sport Thanksgiving morning |
Oiselle and the women who make up my Run Family - thank you for inspiring me on a daily basis with your kick-ass talent, hard work, dedication, creativity, and passion for sport!
Sydnie, my best friend and training partner – thank you for the
early morning runs and swims, living across the hall, and the occasional dinner
together or fro-yo stop. Congratulations on your new PRs. I can’t wait to see
what next year brings for you!
Gerry, the BF – you’ve cooked me too many breakfasts to
count, trained with me, been patient with my schedule, helped fix my bike, and
supported me at many of my races. Thank you for having broad shoulders for me
to lean on.
Kainoa, Jake, and Hallie – three of the coaches of
PauoleSport who have supported me both on and off “the field.” More
importantly, thank you for leading such a fantastic group of athletes reach
their goals.
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| Hood to Coast Awesomeness! |
And of course this annual review would not be complete without
a thank you to my family and my parents who have supported me since day 1. My
dad continues to fight cancer and we are all thankful that he was admitted into
a clinical trial this month administered by Bristol Meyers Squibb. He’s
receiving treatment every two weeks for Nivolumab
the PD1 Inhibitor immune therapy. The control group of the study receives
chemotherapy, so he was thankful to test the new drug instead. In his words, “Basically
the theory goes that cancer cells resist the body's defenses by covering
themselves with an antibody called PD1. The new drug inhibits the PD1
covering and thus allows the white blood cells to fight the cancer
successfully.” In my mom’s words, “your dad just seems really happy these days!”
In my words, “we’re all lucky to have him a phone call away.” I’m flying home
on Saturday and looking forward to some Minnesota family time.
It's been a very Lucky '13!
Love,
Cathleen
