Post-IM and 2015 plans

I know, its been a while since I've posted.  Part of that was IM Boulder didn't go as I had hoped.  It wasn't fun.  It should have been fun.  Instead the training was meh at best (solid training but very very meh on the fun scale, mostly due to heat) and the race itself - or major parts of it - were sucky.  Not because of my body or lack of preparation, just heat and a soul sucking un-fun bike course.

Then I got a viral infection for a month.  (I strongly suspect the Boulder Res gave this to me).  Apparently I left my immune system out on the IM course, because I was toast.

And then I got laid off.  Which was actually a mostly good thing.  Sure, not really having money isn't so great.  But for months I'd be at work for ~25 hrs/week, only got paid for the little work I could find (like 10 hrs/week) and would constantly be checking my phone/computer for work emails in case some more work appeared.  My free time wasn't really free because I was constantly trying to rustle up work that just wasn't there.  So I got laid off and now I am not glued to my phone or my computer, constantly checking and waiting for something to happen.  Now I decide my day and my schedule.  Its been almost 3 months and I really don't think I've been so relaxed and happy in a long time.

The funny thing is that I'm rarely by a computer anymore and so I really haven't wanted to sit down and blog.  I'm actually busier than I have been in a long time.

The first month I did a ton of home improvement.  I re-tiled both of my fireplaces, which included learning how to dry wall, how to operate a wet tile saw, and actually tiling things.  It looks kick ass.
I also painted a bunch and did some landscaping.

Zipper approves of the fireplace and paint job

We had an amazing fall - complete Indian Summer.  So, so nice.  So Tuesdays became Trail Run Tuesdays and Thursdays became hike days.  There was also some bike rides thrown in there, but all very relaxed rides.  This gave me a chance to reconnect with nature, see new things, and feel like ME.

just one of my many trail runs this fall

Now its November and well, I need a job because I'm getting bored and a bit fuzzy around the edges.  I still have to paint every baseboard in my house - I've been saying this for a month.  Its not very exciting.  And its snowy out which means less trail work and more tready work.  Again, not so fun.

This past month has actually been really, really good on a relationship level.  I can go and have fun, meaning I eat/drink whatever I want (beer! pizza!  wings!) instead of being "serious triathlete Erin" who is very careful about diet and sleep because of training demands.  Will and I have been doing something fun every weekend - because I have time and energy.  We needed this.  I know he did.  He puts up with a lot of things - things that he didn't sign up for - when I'm training.

birthday beer for the birthday boy

So 2015 will be the year of fun.  Once I get past the Disney Dopey.  I hope it will be fun, but I'm not sure doing a 5k, 10k, half marathon, and full marathon over 4 days will be fun.  Or marathon training in Colorado in the winter.  Once I'm past that, its only fun things for me.  Trail runs, skiing, Boulder 70.3, sprint tris, and an Xterra tri.  Fun and different.  Work on speed and mountain biking.  And if I want to take a weekend off and go camping and fishing, I can do just that and not worry about how it will set my training back.

A bunch of my friends lemminged and signed up for IMAZ through the charity spots.  I have IMAZ on my radar for 2016 but having a good support system for 2015 is really pulling at my heart strings and is making my resolve for "no IMs in 2015" weak.  But then I remember how burned out I was after Boulder and how I need to let my spirit and my body recover in 2015.  And really, I promised Will that he'd have his wife back in 2015, and I intend to keep that promise.

So here's to a fun filled 2015, full of spirit and adventures.