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Friday, December 19, 2008

2008: Year in Review

2008 was a big transformation year for me.

At the start of the year:
- I could only swim 25m at a time
- I was a casual runner, running a 1/2 marathon in over 2 hours
- I weight 194 pounds

Now:
- I can swim 800m non-stop easily, in open water
- I ran a marathon
- I weight 176 pounds

The Ups

My first marathon ever - The Toronto Marathon - was my proudest moment so far as an amateur athlete. It was just such an amazing event, and to be able to beat my goal time of 4:00:00 was icing on the cake. I never thought I would be skinny and athletic enough to finish a marathon, and there I was, skinny and atheletic... I usually roll my eyes at the medals and such, but this one meant a lot to me.

My first triathlon ever - Binbrook Try-a-Tri - was a close second. I was happy to have gone from struggling to complete a 25m length in January to finishing a 400m lake swim. By August, I had improved a bunch for the Orillia Sprint Tri, and felt like a "real" triathlete. I can't wait to take triathlons to the next level next year!

My first running trophy ever - I was part of a team that ran a 5K and to our surprise actually won the thing! Sure, small race, but I've never won anything running and probably won't win again... so I'll take it! :)

One last highlight I'd like to mention was the two rides I did with my daughters (on the trail-behind bike). I did the 50K Ride for Heart with Meghan (5 years old at the time) and the 25k Tour de Greenbelt with Kacey (4 years old). They made their daddy incredibly proud, rode like real champs!

The Downs

ITBS pain sidelined me in the winter and early spring... it was a tough struggle just to get back to running. Finally after weeks of physio, I went to a podiatrist and he identified my overpronation as a likely cause. When I finally got the orthotics, it was hard to be patient and slowly build up the mileage... I did it, though, and the knee held up all year, I think it's finally resolved.

The guy who hit me with his truck while I was biking got a measly $40 fine, while I have permanently bent pinky fingers... oh well.

The Future

I've signed up for Ironman Canada for August 2009... as you've probably noticed, it's in the title of my blog, so obviously it's a big goal for me! It should be another challenging exciting year of firsts, I can't wait.

It's been a thrilling ride so far, and I've had fun documenting the ups and downs on this blog! I hope it was as enjoyable and informative to you as it's been for me.

Happy 2009! :) See you in the new year.

2 comments:

Tina Marie Parker said...

You just keep going. I started off strong training and tapered since the century, but getting into the swing this week and watching the days on the watch count down to my first ironman. I like to read a guy write about the weight issue too! Coach says, it is not unusually for the swings around the big holidays!

Aaron said...

Awesome. Keep on rockin it, jono. I'll always have a place in my heart for Belwood Lake, the site of my first try-a-tri. I actually sang in the car on the way home. I was absolutely crushed when my wife decided this year it was time for the ratty, yellowed, holey, scraggly T-shirt to finally go. I was wearing it one day (minding my own business) when she got a look in her eye, came over, stuck her hand in the (small) hole in the shirt and ripped it apart, saying "oh well, I guess that one's done now".

And I also had ITBS the summer before my first marathon (Scotiabank 2004).

Cheers.