A summer apart...

I just moved my family to our new home. Interestingly, I didn't stay there with them. I have to be at the old home to finish my lingering projects. (Read: dissertation.)

I have until August 20 to finish my dissertation. Until then, I will only see my dear family occasionally on weekends. So I find myself with a lot of extra time and an incredible opportunity to re-create myself.

Now that my time is essentially my own, I have two main goals to work towards: Finish the dissertation and return to a state of acceptable fitness.

I have a detailed schedule for my daily activities that I am going to adhere to quite closely. This includes ample time for dissertation writing and continued research. I also have a fairly simple but stringent diet and exercise plan that I am going to follow.

The last time I was apart from my family for this much time I lost 30 pounds and became a runner. Fortunately I don't have to lose 30 pounds again, but I may have to rebuild myself as a runner. Of course, I cannot overlook my cycling and swimming, so I will rebuild myself as a triathlete.

Until further notice, my blogging will be focused on what is happening with these two goals...

Looking for a new title

As is evidenced by my last post, I have met with a snag in my admittedly ambitious goal of winning a spot in the Ironman World Championships in October 2008. So life happens. We deal with it every day. That's what makes us human.

I am still interested in competing at Kona and still have the goal of making it before I am 40. It's not as exciting as competing on my birthday, but it's a lot more doable.

In the meantime, I want to adapt my blog to reflect what I am doing now. So I seek a new name for my blog. Nobody reads this anymore, so it matters little what I call it, but be aware that the name of my blog will change...eventually.

Detour on the Road...

As is evident by the date, I am now writing an update on my Blog almost one full year after the last post. In that time, I have ridden about 150 miles on my bike, run maybe 50 miles and swum 5. I have missed every marathon, every triathlon, every road race that I would have and should have competed in in order to make my goal. I have also gained about 10-15 pounds. Not quite the training that one needs to make it to Kona by October 11, 2008.

So I step back and regroup.

There are a lot of excuses I could make for myself and my lack of training over the past year. Some are more valid than others, but when it comes right down to it, it's all about priorities. I have a more important priority right now and that is finishing my dissertation and starting my career. I have a great new job that I will be starting in August, and my dissertation is much farther along now than it was this time last year, mostly because I have put it in front of training. I don't like the way things have worked out for me physically, but I suppose we have to sacrifice some dreams and goals for others to happen.

The good news is: I have only lost a little time on my training. I still have a wonderful family, a body that works (although it is exacting revenge on me for not keeping it well tuned,) and a new job, a new home and more time to return to my training. I am still desperately working to finish my dissertation and will not be competing again for a few months, but if everything goes according to plan, I will be marathoning again in November and competing seriously once again in 2008.

Here's to rededication and achieving goals.