This is that day when we wrap up one year and head in to the next. It’s an arbitrary date but it works out because it gives us an opportunity to put away all of the excitement and decorations and the debt and madness of ‘the holidays’ which started pretty much at Halloween, and move on to the next cycle of annual events. Very tidy.

Athletes can reflect on a year of training and racing and assess it for progress, for inspiration, for opportunities to deal with disappointment, injuries, triumphs and lessons learned.   January 1 is everyone’s time to put down the cookies and candy and pick up the barbells, put on the running shoes and step up to the opportunity of making this year the best one yet.

For some of us, making 2010 better than 2009 isn’t much of a challenge.  I wouldn’t say my 2009 was horrible but it has put me in a fairly precarious place such that 2010 WILL be the year I do something beyond hoping for a great job and farting around training while I await a miracle. I’m happy to say that I read a few status updates today that reminded me that for some people 2009 was a great year. People who had their first child, did their first Ironman (myself included), got a great new job and a beautiful new home –  lots of people had a fine, fine year.    Lots of people did not so here’s to some economic recovery in 2010 and shiny New Year for All!

I have captured my athletic year in graphics:

Hours trained per month

Miles per discipline per month

Swim, Bike, Run distance/pace

So I trained a bunch and the run and the swim are better and the bike – hard to say. It doesn’t look so good on the chart but there are extenuating factors so it looks like the line is effectively flat.  A little disappointing but it’s okay because I found something more interesting.  Here are my training volumes in miles per month over the last 3 years:

2007 Training volumes (note the scale on the left)

Yearly Log 2008

Yearly Log 2009

I don’t know how easy it is to see but on the 2007 chart the ‘distance’ axis goes up to 140 miles and on the 2009 chart it goes to 500 miles.  The 2008 chart goes to 400 miles.  This proves that I have come to love my bike instead of fearing it and of all of things I have accomplished that is one of my favorites.

Wow – boring.  Moving on.

I did an iron distance race this year.  That should be my favorite thing and in many ways it is but more favorite than that was what happened in the process.  I got stronger, I got more confident and I made new friends.  So that was the best part.  I got to share that day with my first born and her husband and that was also the best part.  I finished the race in spite of being in a state of discomfort and that’s admirable but what’s better than that is that there was never a doubt in my mind or my heart that I wouldn’t finish that race.  I knew I could I do it – I knew that.  And that’s the best part of all.

I have to finish cleaning up my desk t make it New Year Ready.  2010 is going to be dramatic and good because I’m going to make it that way either by landing a job I’ve been working on for months or, failing that, something else.  Something good.  And I know I can do it – there isn’t a doubt in my mind or in my heart.

Happy New Year!