Welcome back!

Christmas is over, Hanukkah is... well I have no idea if it's over because it's based on the Gregorian calendar so it changes every year. Ok, actually I just looked it up and tonight is the last day. Anyways, I don't celebrate it so I just brought it up because I like to be inclusive of those who indulge because of other religious holidays.

In all honest, this was the worst Christmas of my life. Rach and I are fine, and are happily looking forward to 2012 with little Stanley, but stuff happening around us on the holiday weekend made it out to be the worst holiday I've ever experienced. I know it's nothing in comparison to being homeless, destitute or hungry on any given day, but in my life being in that kind of situation is something I was certainly not prepared for. Worse, I find myself still angry about not only the situation, but specifically how my wife and I were treated on what was a family occasion. I don't usually get angry, and when I do, I never stay that way. I've done my best to let it go, but I haven't been able to, and don't see it subsiding anytime soon.

What I can do though, is move on. That's what is truly great about life. Every day, every minute, every second is a new opportunity to make a choice. So, while I have found that maybe for the first time in my life I can't forgive and forget so easily, I can choose to not dwell on it, and move forward. And boy, do I have some great things to look forward to!

- I get my first 2 weeks of planned training from my coach on Monday! So excited to start the new year right! We're going to miss doing the Lowell 1st Run now, but now I'll have training that day. We couldn't find a local race to start the year off, and I think that's been the biggest reason December has been such a challenge for me this year. I'm almost always training for a January race, and this year I didn't.

- I got $115 dollars in Performance Bike gift certificates for Christmas, and I have already put them to good use: I signed up for their Service Plan; for $80 I get 2 full bike tune ups, 2 drivetrain cleanings, and 4 flat repairs. I probably won't use the flat repairs, but full service without the cleaning is a minimum of $75 at most shops, and that never includes retension and truing of wheels, both of which are included at this price. I also got some flashy new red grip tape installed while they did the rest of the service.

I can't wait to take this sucker for a ride today!

- Stanley. This dog is a hoot. Every day he's doing new things, and as soon as he stops pooping behind the TV he's going to be a real winner. He seems to be madly in love with the space heater.

He will sit there and stare at it...

...until he gets tired and falls asleep, often belly up!

- Getting fit. I've never been more mentally prepared and well rested coming into a season. After pushing myself harder than I ever have and dealing with the issues of not reaching my goals, having some fun end of season races and a long break were EXACTLY what I needed. Im recharged and focused, and excited to start working hard again. It would have been nice to get to this point without gaining a few pounds, but I'll keep that in mind going forward.

- The new team. I'm still waiting to hear, but I'm really excited for the opportunity. I'm pretty confident this time that I'm a good fit and I'll get chosen. The app deadline was 12/24, so I'm guessing we'll know something in the next couple weeks. Whatever happens, I hope to support a great cause I'll talk more about once I know one way or the other about the team.

- Race schedule. I'll be talking with coach on Monday and one of the topics will be race schedule. I want to race schedule that keeps me busy but also is affordable. I'm racing Rev3 Cedar Point for sure. I'm still waiting to hear on if the XTERRA Tri that's been run in NC the past few years is happening again or not. There will be a few others thrown in, most likely including Rev3 Wisconsin.

- Page redesign - As in years past, I'll be doing the annual page redesign early in the year. Normally it's been December, but a mixture of transition and laziness have gotten in the way of that.

- Goals for 2012 - I have some ideas here that extend beyond race season, but I'll work with my coach on these as well.

- USAT Rankings - My final ranking for my 3rd season is a disappointing 44.3342. As I'm only racing me, it's disappointing only because it was a step back from last years 46.52845. It's still significantly better than 09 (~41.19) so it still shows the work I put in, and I think reflects a lot of the challenges I put on myself this season. Next season, this number will go up, and I'm shooting for a big improvement!