Here we go again!

First things first: what a great Christmas and long weekend! I was able to relax, catch up on my rest and spend time with family and friends. It was great. And, while I managed to get in some good runs and not slack off completely, I also ate A LOT. A LOT of junk in particular. While the holiday break may be bad for my waistline, it's incredible for my spirit and I'll look back fondly on the holiday food and fun with loved ones.

4:45 am slapped me in the face this morning as it was back to work and the start of Ironman training (YES, IRONMAN) with an 8 mile recovery run and a core workout. I'll be back in the pool during lunch for the first time in about 3 weeks. I am taking bets on whether I actually swim or just sink. Last night I got on my bike for the first time in several months and it was painful. I only rode 18 miles, and it seemed like forever. 18 measly miles?! Needless to say, I have a lot of work to do, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

So...back to Ironman. After many conversations with others and myself, I decided to move forward with the race. There were many reasons for my decision, but ultimately it came down to whether or not I would regret the decision to withdraw come May 21st. And, in the end, I really felt like I would. I purposely took a break from tri-related training these past few weeks to see if I missed it, and I did. So, while the next 5 months will be pretty busy for me, I am looking forward to the training and the feeling of accomplishment that goes along with it. I also was able to make some changes to how I approach training and life to make it all more manageable, so I do not become a robotic crazed iron-focused Erin.

I'm happy to be back in the swing of things. Back to getting in my double workouts. Back to getting out of bed when the alarm goes off instead of negotiating a way to stay in bed and rearrange my training schedule. Back to knocking out the training schedule without forcing myself. Back to being excited to see results.

I am so grateful for my many friends - on-line and in real life - that listened to me, helped me, encouraged me, didn't tell me what to do, sympathized, empathized and gave helpful advice. Not one person said give it up, you're crazy for doing all that training and yet everyone said it's okay to give it up if it's what I really want!

Let the new journey begin!