A New Year!

Well I finally feel like doing some posting again after a relatively long hiatus. Nothing really sinister about the break other than I was busy and I just didn't feel much like posting. To be honest I have been reading any blogs either which I will also start doing again.
Over the last few months I have been training albeit at a reduced rate as I really have not made any plans for this year. I still have not signed up for an Ironman race, but I have realized I am going to have to pay for a Community Foundation spot this year so I can really pick the race I want to go to. The Community Foundation fees are for spots that basically cost double the normal fee ($US 550) with the excess going to community groups who volunteer for the race. It's a great idea and I don't mind paying the additional amount knowing that it supports the Boy Scouts, minor sports, or whatever of the hosting community.
This year I am excited about entering a new age category. On January 8th I turned 50 so I am the young guy in this new group. Unfortunately the age group is full of many talented athletes. Age doesn't seem to affect some of these guys! One of the nice things about triathlon is you can continue to improve even as you age. With the three disciplines there is always an opportunity to get better at one of them. With me, as I have long lamented, it's the bike. Although I have seen a steady and significant improvement in my cycling, I still know there is a lot more there.
So this week was the kick off of my new training cycle and it was a very good week as I have logged just about 8 hours already. With no specific event on the calendar I am not going to get too far ahead of myself. I am going to stay around the 8 to 10 hours for awhile and just work on keeping things interesting.
I am keen on running a spring marathon as my running has been quite good. Despite putting a lot of miles on the treadmill I have found the conversion back to the roads smooth and with little or no discrepancy in my time. Thursday I ran 7.5 miles over some decent hills and maintained a 6:49 pace. The big question for me this year is there another sub-3 in the tank to make it 4 decades of running at least one sub-3. Only time will tell!
Have a great day!