I've got the wintertime, wintertime sadness

I've been obsessed with Lana Del Ray's "Summertime Sadness" for months now - the Jersey version of course.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akhmS1D2Ce4

So I tend to replace "summer" with whatever I'm feeling at the moment.  Like.... I've got the working-time sadness.  I've got the home renovation-time sadness. I've got the Ollie-time sadness.  Does she not look sad here in her slightly "snug" sweater?!

I can relate, Olive.  I can relate.  Anyway... winter is officially here and it has dumped some snow on us North Jersey folk.  That combined with the ridiculous dark roads, the inconsiderate drivers that force me to wear THIS...

...leaves this JPow kinda cranky.  It's so hard to get up when my alarm goes off and it feels like 2am.  It's hard to bundle up to run in 10 degree weather.  It's hard to wake up an extra 15 minutes early to clean off the car and drive to the gym. It's just plain hard to find motivation when all you want to do is eat holiday cookies, drinks lots of wine and sleep.  Sleep a lot.

My official training plan starts in January so right now I'm in maintenance mode.  It's ok if I miss a few sessions, but once the new year rolls around, I gotta be all about the 140.6 business.  I think the hardest part for me is just getting out at bed when the alarm goes off before 6am.  For some reason, my little brain does not like it when I have to wake up before 6.  But, when it does go off a 5 or 530am, I need, NEED, to get up straight away.  There is no snooze hitting... there is no, "let me lay back down for a couple of seconds...." The moment my sleepy ears hear the sounds of Z100 burst into the silent air, I need to pop up and go, go, GO.  That is the key to turning my wintertime sadness into wintertime success.  I know myself and you should figure out what works for you, especially when it's not a perfect weather day.

I've read this quote before and it is totally true.  "You'll never regret the workouts you complete.  You'll only regret the ones you don't."

Happy Winter Training Folks!

Here we go again....

Why HELLO!  Long time... no write!

So much has happened since my last post.  Where shall I begin?  Maybe a bullet point list will help everyone follow along!

• June/July 2012 - Simon and I traveled to South Africa and we got engaged on top of Table Mountain in Cape Town!

• August 2012 - I raced Timberman and finally broke 6 hours!

• March 2013 - We moved out of NYC, and bought a house in the Jersey burbs!

• July 2013 - We got hitched!!

• July/August 2013 - We honeymooned in Moorea and Bora Bora

What a year+ it's been!  There have been other races in 2013, including one solid age group win at the MightyMan Montauk Olympic Tri in September.  That officially qualifies me for Age Groups Nationals! Awesome!  The other results are on the sidebar, in case anyone cares. :)

The other MAJOR development is my new 2014 Challenge... a 140.6 mile Challenge to be exact... CHALLENGE ATLANTIC CITY!

I'm excited and more than a little nervous to train for another beast of a triathlon, but I just couldn't resist signing up.  My parents live about 30 minutes away from AC, so I'll have a solid training base to go to. 

One of the major concerns I have, besides the training time suck, is not knowing anyone who is doing the race.  When I did Lake Placid, there was a solid community of folks in NYC that I could tag along for long bike rides.  But now, I'm out in the burbs where biking is downright dangerous in my town!  Who knew cycling in NYC would be easier?!  So I need to make it a point to reach out and find other crazy folk like myself that are willing to ride for a loooooong time.  Shouldn't be hard, right?!

I hope to update this blog on a weekly basis, as I really like to look back and see how far I've come in training, both physically and mentally.  I also hope these words inspire others to work out or try new things that scare them.  'Cause believe me, this 140.6 mile business is no joke and scares the pants off me!!

Have a great day!