NicoleWhile it’s been floating around the internet that 2016 has been a rough year (and there certainly have been more than enough negative things happen in the world), my year (as a whole) wasn’t so bad! Here are things in no particular order…
Races/Events:
I have a display board full of bib numbers from Life Time Fitness indoor triathlons, the Super Half Marathon (awesome way to burn Super Bowl calories before the big game!), the Colorado Tri, Syracuse 70.3, local fall series races, Cafe Velo Gran Fondo, Bike MS, and the Bandido Cross. And even bibs from a couple races that I was unable to race, but still got my packet. This the major accomplishment was getting out there and doing these races. Syracuse was my first 70.3 since 2013! It wasn’t my fastest year, but despite a season-ending broken elbow, I can’t say I slacked off on the racing front.
I also traveled and crewed at Badwater series ultramarathon events: Cape Fear, Salton Sea, and the Badwater 135. I gained tons of knowledge about the ultrarunning world on those trips.
And I can’t leave out covering Boulder 70.3, IRONMAN Boulder, and the IRONMAN World Championships with the amazing 303Triathlon.com team.
My health:
My MS was stable – I had no new things pop up and my MRI showed nothing new.
I broke my elbow at Bike MS and had surgery. I’m mostly recovered from that now; still need to build a bit more strength on that left side. (Holy atrophy, Batman!)
Bloodwork I had done showed I was both anemic and low iron/ferritin, which is not a good place to be, especially as an endurance athlete. Once I became consistent with iron supplementation, I’m getting that spring in my step back!
Giving back:
My Bike MS Team, Team NEO raised over $26,000 for the National MS Society. THANK YOU to everyone who helped make that possible! In 2017 we’re aiming for $50,000, and yes, we will be hosting another lip sync contest!
The Finish MS photo shoot was also a great experience. Check out that program – sign up for any endurance event, sign up for the program and help us Breakthrough MS. I also had the opportunity to go to the National MS Society Leadership Conference, and got to be around many people with an amazing dedication to the cause. Inspiring. Very inspiring.
I’m glad I made the trek to Bentonville, Arkansas, for the TrFest for MS. Even though I was unable to race it, I had an amazing time as a volunteer. I’ll be heading back in 2017, and plan to really race it!
Of course coaching the high school kids during the cross country season is always, always, always rewarding.
Business: I made a few changes with how I do things, with the goal of setting up even higher quality service. I hope everyone has been enjoying the blogs, and I’m always interested in your comments and suggestions on what you’d like to learn about.
How can I help you become a better endurance athlete and enjoy all the rewards that come with the challenges of training and racing?
Team NEO athletes had a slew personal bests and podium finishes, and tried new things. I love guiding athletes of all levels through the process of personal improvement. They raced everything from 5ks to IRONMAN events. Team: Your accomplishments, regardless of size, keep me going!
Personally: I sold a house, bought a house, and moved twice. I am almost settled in said new house. Almost. I keep meeting new, fun people and just want to stay involved in the Colorado Springs.
That’s my year in review… overall pretty good, but definitely some things to work on both in my business, training, and personal life. My next post this week will focus on my 2017 goals.
Take the time to reflect on what went well, what didn’t, and what you might want to change for all aspects of your life. Set some concrete goals and write an action plan to go with them. Then get to work and enjoy the process!
Nicole
