Time to get serious (again)

Back from another week's vacation in Florida for which my body and mind thank me.
It has been a long, miserable winter that just doesn't seem to want to end. But now I am back, feeling refreshed and ready to start getting serious about some events for 2011.
The training has gone well, other than a little bit of a set back with some Achilles issues again. Seems I like to tempt fate every once in awhile and stray from my tried and true brand of shoes. Saucony shoes just work for me, plain and simple. I pick them up at the local Bata store usually when they have a buy one, get one half price sale on and everything is good. The thing with Saucony is they aren't very sexy. Generally a pretty plain design and the colours are limited to grey and, well grey. However, sometimes I see the flashy Nikes and get sucked into the glitz and I just want to do it. So I buy them and by the time they are broken in, I will have suffered a myriad of issues. The Achilles is usually the first to let me know that these are not right and then the knees. I will swear off the Nikes again and go and get some Saucony's but I know it will happen again. Put something in a nice package and I will get sucked in, it's a guarantee!
So back to the training and the plan. After an easy week of running and swimming in Florida, I'm ready to start ramping things up again. Week one, post vacation and I have logged 9 hrs which is a reasonably good starting point. I haven't done much cycling as of late but it looks like I might actually get to ride outside this weekend so I should start to get some miles racked up.
The only event I am committed to as of now is the Banff to Jasper Relay of which I am doing a 10 mile uphill section. I am currently looking at the Vineman in California for a long distance event and then probably Victoria for my marathon this year.
All in all I'm feeling great and looking forward to another great season of adventure and personal discovery.
Happy training!