Top 5 Posts of 2011

With the new year here, I decided to do a quick recap and easy navigation to the top 5 posts of 2011, as decided by you all, readers of the blog. If you missed any of these during the year, check em out by simply clicking on the bold-font below for the links:

5. Body as a Machine: A bit science, a lot philosophy, explores the body, the mind, and their connectedness

4. Reflecting on Mentorship in Triathlon: A look at the importance of mentorship as a foundation of the triathlon community

3. Triathlon in a Job Interview, and an Interesting Turn to Divorce Rates in Triathlon: We always expect the chance to talk about goal setting, drive, and the accountability inherent in our sport, but divorce rates...this threw me off guard to say the least...

2. Balancing Training with Other Things in Life, and the follow-up, Making Training Work: Thoughts from Near-Elites that are Pro at Something Other than Multisport: Sequence examining how to integrate multisport into the rest of life; first an editorial, and then some powerful bits of wisdom from a bunch of great athletes.

1. Focus on What You Can Control, Don't Waste Energy on the Things you Cannot: Getting the right mental state dialed in for the approach to and on race-day

And finally, I want to wish everyone the best in 2012. Take some serious time to reflect on the past year, identify your limiters (whether they be power on the bike, having fun at races, or lifestyle considerations), develop reasonable plans to address them, and get at it!

For me personally, 2011 was a very positive year. I trained smarter and thus more consistently (missing no time to due to injury) and as a result, raced Duathlons at a high performance level, earning All American Honorable Mention, and representing Team USA at the World Championships in Spain. I started working with a new coach who I felt really aligned with my personality and style, and I couldn't be happier with the decision! I continued to learn a lot more about the sport, and have really enjoyed the opportunity to share my thoughts through writing here on the blog and on a few other multisport websites. I also got great support from my partners, and look forward to only strengthening these relationships for years to come.

In 2012, I am making the full-on switch to Triathlon, and will be focusing on the 70.3 distance, with a goal of qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. I'll need to focus a ton on my swim (and am already underwater in the process), as well as building durability and more strength on the bike, while maintaining if not improving my current abilty to run fast at longer distances off the bike. And more broadly speaking, while in 2011 I "managed" the long-course races I did, in 2012, I want to "race" for 4+ hours. As for the schedule, I still plan on racing a few early season and higher-profile duathlons, but come June, the race-plan exclusively shifts to triathlon.

So there you have it! Have a wonderful NYE, and only good things to come in 2012!!!