Happy New Year! I love the start of a new anything, new job, new month, new training cycle, etc. The possibilities are endless for what you can achieve and it’s always fun to make plans. Of course, sometimes things don’t go according to plan, but that’s how we learn to adapt and grow. Before I get into the list, here’s a look back on what I accomplished in 2017.

Swim – 181,137 yards (102.9 miles)
Bike – 1686.6 (This excludes trainer sessions as I never put in those miles. I may start doing that for 2018 though!)
Run – 1025 miles
Strength – I went fairly consistently this year at least once a week (I did miss some here and there but this was much better than 2016!)

In looking back at 2016, I swam 26 more miles, I cycled 1,192 more miles, and I ran 287 less miles. So as you can see, 2017 was a return to triathlon. And it was a great return!

Here’s what I raced:
Two trail races (25K and Xterra 10K)
One marathon
Two 5Ks
Three sprint tris
One swim meet
One aquathlon
One 70.3
One half marathon
One timed mile

For a year I felt that focused on triathlon I still managed to get a lot of fun running races in. For 2018 I’m looking forward to more running while keeping as much of my triathlon fitness as I can. It may be tough with the Chicago Marathon looming but I’m going to do some olympics and sprints before October.

Now on to my list!

10 Things I’m Looking Forward to in 2018

1. First and foremost – St Anthony’s Olympic distance triathlon. That’s right people. I’m going to tackle the olympic distance again. It’s been too long and I love St Anthony’s. Plus, one of my remote coached athletes is flying in for it and I can’t wait to see her! This distance is not my favorite but I’m ready to tackle it again.

2. Chicago Marathon – obviously!

3. More reading! I only read 13 books in 2017. Womp womp. So in 2018 I’m going to beat that. I am currently re-reading A Wrinkle in Time. And if you want to be book nerd friends, I’m on Good Reads so please be my friend and offer suggestions.

4. Career growth. I’m really loving my job and looking at the growth in more of a learning capacity as I swear I learn 10 new things a day. I love learning about social media and marketing and I cannot wait to see the changes in the industry for 2018.

5. TRAVEL! I’m heading to Cincinnati in May for the Flying Pig half marathon and if all goes according to plan the S.O. and I will be heading to South Africa in the fall as he is racing the 70.3 World Championships!

6. Movies I can’t wait for: Ready Player One, Fantastic Beasts, A Wrinkle in Time, Mary Queen of Scots, and Black Panther.

7. The Winter Olympics. Ok, fine I have never skied nor am I capable of staying upright on ice skates (hello, Floridian) but I love any Olympics. I’m looking forward to some underdog stories and you can bet your ass I’ll be cheering for the Jamaican women’s bobsled team. “Feel the Rhythm! Feel the Rhyme! Get on up, it’s bobsled time!”

8. TV I can’t wait for: Jessica Jones, The Handmaid’s Tale, Veep, and Westworld.

9. Family and friend time, of course. With my nephews now living so close it’s great to see them grow and be a part of their activities. I just wish I had more hours in the day!

10. More blogging! I promise to do my best to get a post up at least once a week. Seems I’m off to a good start. Ha!