I am still alive…  it’s been way too long since my last post.  In fact I’ve had my IMLOU race report done for a few months, but I kept wanting to add pictures JMR took, and then I would make edits…and just never hit ‘publish’.  So I’m finally doing that today (better late than never I guess), and also posting what I have planned for 2019.

So without further ado, my 2018 IMLOU Race Report

Ok, now onto 2019!   I have decided on most of my races for 2019 and it does include another IM, but not IMLOU.  At first I thought I wanted to go back for redemption since 2018’s race really didn’t go as planned, but then I decided I wanted to race a new course and thought I would give IM Chattanooga a shot.  It meets my criteria of a a mid to late season race, a hilly bike (yay, hills!) and it’s within a reasonable driving distance.  Driving distance being a big one, as I found flying to St. George with all of my gear to be extremely stressful and $$$.  I am also doing a couple of half marathons and a few 70.3s (2 being within a couple of hours driving distance and are smaller, inexpensive races so it was more like ‘why not?’), so I have a pretty busy race schedule!  I might add in a few more races, but for now, here’s the plan:

3/16: Saint Patrick’s Day 5 Mile Race

4/9: Go! Saint Louis Half Marathon

4/27: Illinois Half Marathon

5/19: IM Chattanooga 70.3

6/15: Pioneer 70.3

7/27: Route 66 70.3

9/29: Ironman Chattanooga

Training is already underway for the season, and I’m in the middle of  a self-imposed swim block.  My triathlon team has monthly challenges, and February’s challenge is to swim a minimum of 24 miles this month, which actually isn’t too bad if you swim at least 3x a week, however I was sick for almost 7 days at the beginning of February and missed a ton of training.  Soo… I found myself playing ‘catch-up’ starting last week and am on my eighth day of swimming in a row.  Go me! My arms are pretty sore, but I am determined to get in the 24 miles.  🙂

Other than being itchy from so many showers (at least 2 a day) and smelling like a pool, training has been pretty uneventful.  I’m looking foward to running in the St. Patrick’s Day 5 mile race in a few weeks since last year I had a PR and I am hoping to do just as well if not maybe a little better.

Non training related, our new addition to the family last September, Penelope, is doing great!  I think she finally has potty training figured out, and she is a lot less shy/anxious (she still has her moments, but is so much better).  We are still working through her crying at 3, 4, 5a some mornings…ugghh… but it’s getting better.  I think she just isn’t a fan of her crate.  We originally had a blanket around it to make it nice and cozy, but since she eats all things fabric, we had to take it off.  Oh yes, one small detail, she has a fabric eating problem.  Mainly socks, but she isn’t picky.  Towels, blankets, toys, rugs…she’s on it and eating it.  We have been really lucky in that she has either thrown up whatever she ate, or it has naturally passed through her.  However we are now super careful to not leave anything out she could eat, so her crate doesn’t have any blankets in it for her to snuggle on.  Hopefully she will outgrow it, but it doesn’t look like anytime soon!  Patrick seems to do well around her, although we can tell he is kind of ‘over’ her after she wants to play for more than five minutes.  He also does not like to share toys, or Jimmy’s lap, so when we are hanging out watching tv at night, it can be a little more aggravating than relaxing as we are constantly having to take toys away or having to Jimmy share who sits on his lap, lol.

Our first Christmas card!  It was a little challenging getting both dogs to look at the camera….

Clearly they were up to something before I caught them…

Ok, well that’s about it for now.  Happy Friday!!