Ignition

Happy New Year everybody. Hope your holidays were smashing, and that I wasn't the only one to gain 50 pounds in a week.

A few things to mention on this first day of the rest of our lives:

As you can see, the apartment has been redecorated. If you're not aware of some of the latest, my buddy TZilla, proud member of Team Two, has withdrawn from the game (read the earlier few posts). We've had some long conversations about things, and without speaking on his behalf, I'll just say that I think he's going through some stuff, but I think it's important stuff and part of his "taking a break" from triathlon involves making peace with some greater things about himself. I wholly support him, I absolutely have his back, and he's invited back here anytime he might want to. Meanwhile, I'll expect to see him with frequency on the comments, as he's been a steady part of this for me since the first days of the blog and is an important part of the Team. So: I am solo in this world of water, only the tip of a sunrise visible.

Next - in the same way that my office layout and decor is at present displeasing to me (I spent a lot of time on it after the move, but it just isn't clicking with me. So, on the agenda for early '08 is a new approach to this room where I spend so much of my time), so has this blog's contents been as of late. In January of '06 when I started this thing, it was full of minutiae about pacing and times and strategies (go ahead and glance back) - this was when the readership was really just a few buddies, and we were all figuring this whole thing out together. This perhaps made for some interesting reading if you knew me, but in general was borrrrrring. (Case in point - A few weeks ago I received an anonymous comment all the way back from one of those posts that simply said "zzzzzzzzzzz". Ha!) Then, when in the fierceness of training for Ironman One, the blog was this sort of journal of my general catharsis. Here is when a lot of unexpected visitors came onboard, some I now proudly consider friends, and the whole blogosphere kind of opened itself up in my universe. The blog was most fun for me then - I'd be in the middle of a crazy workout, encountering all these new things about myself, and would actually be thinking of the words I'd write to share it with you. Thing is - after finishing Ironman One, a lot of the ghosts I was outrunning in the process have been fully defeated. Finding myself with nearly complete peace of mind, the workouts, like the blog, have somehow changed. For better or worse, I no longer encounter the same phenomena, or approach them with the same curiosity. A 5 mile run is, sometimes, just a 5 mile run. And so, this has made for some pretty stale writing over here. I'm resolving to try and change that, both in my approach to the workouts and the blog. We'll see how that goes.

Also - I've gotten really lax lately about commenting on your blogs. I read them all, usually via Bloglines, and always with interest, but for whatever reason I tend to forgo the usual useless wit or small encouragement or laughing quip and just get on with my day happy to have heard what you'd said. I'm going to try and do better about that, and actually share with you when I'm in the room listening in on your conversations. I encourage you, by the way, to do the same. It's always nice to hear from you, whoever you are.

Lastly - a few small notes of thanks that I want to personally extend. '07 could not have been a crazier year. We got pregnant, put a house up for sale, moved to a new community where we had no friends, Amy started a new job, I broke my hand, my grandfather passed away, and oh yeah, we had a kid. Meanwhile, I was injured for most of the triathlon season, which eliminated a huge coping mechanism for me. It was nuts. A few things really made the craziness more manageable, and without this seeming like signing high school yearbooks or a popularity contest, and in no particular order, I'd like to acknowledge: Amy, who makes it all make sense; Mike, for being ever present even when he's not commenting (though he should more often); Zilla, for making me laugh so hard when we were moving stuff out of the truck that I'd drop stuff, and for sharing my lane at Chain of Lakes; CznE, who kicks ass; Tara Rae, who is Queen of Lurkers and who is reading this right now, and knowing that makes me feel like it hasn't really been 5 months since I last saw her; the Justice League of Triathletes, most notably Erin, Cos, Teach, and Brazo for being the originals - it's been really, really great to make friends with you all, and I mean that very sincerely. Also JLTers RobbyB and Thomps, who have been great for a laugh at dinner or a race, and who I look forward to spending more time with. TriSaraTops, who did everything on the baby front about 3 weeks ahead of us, and who has been a constant companion throughout. Finally, all the Ironman '07 athletes for whom I was so proud to cheer on, and if I was extremely fortunate, congratulate you at the finish line. Your stories meant the world to me. Thanks for sharing them.

Finally - for Christmas, my daughter smiled for the first time. That'll change your life, tell you what. "Honey, grab the camera, she's smiling!" Happy to share it with you here. Here's to all things that are new this year.