What's Next??? Offseason and 2014...

I started this blog last week, and it's getting a little dated so I might as well post before I move on to the next big thing going on, aka Hawaiiiiiiii!!! In less than I week I'll be on the Big Island for my fourth time covering the Ironman World Championships. I could not be more grateful for the opportunities I've had to be in Kona for, what I consider, the best day of sport in the world! Even better is getting to be in charge of all the coverage I put together for Endurance Planet. It's going to be pretty awesome this year, I know it! Also, on that note, if you have anything you want covered, please chime in and let me know by leaving a comment here or on FB/twitter. Open to any suggestions!!!

Anyway, let's back up a bit. Still have some post-Tahoe thoughts to share and other non-Kona things...

I woke up Tuesday after the race experiencing that empty "sad-it's-over" feeling. I was still in Tahoe, but everyone had left (except John, but I'm always with him so...). Elizabeth left before 6am that morning -- I was obviously not awake yet, hehe -- and my parents and sis left the day prior. So, that day, I finally got in a small run, and it felt great. A good, much-needed release.

Running along the bike path in Tahoe. View doesn't suck.

Posting my Tahoe blog was also cathartic. Speaking of that blog, couple things. 1) It was the cold! Duh! That is definitely why the Di2 pooped out! I do not blame Shimano whatsoever for this, never did, and man did I learn my lesson. Thanks for helping me figure this out. I'll implement changes for future races and how I handle the battery... i.e. not leave it on when I have to drop off the bike the day prior. 2) Turns out my IM Tahoe report was the most-read post ever on this blog, so far. I find that so interesting being that I didn't even finish haha! Maybe it's because of all of the hype around this race with how crazy it was so people have been on the prowl for Tahoe posts, I don't know. It's just interesting, I think, that even a DNF day still generates a lot of hits, a lot of love/support and a lot of kind comments. That's what I love about this sport and community :) Seriously -- thanks to each and every person who left a comment on this blog, via email or facebook or twitter. Your comments all made me cry a little and smile, and they all really helped with the healing.

Ya know what else helps? Celebrating the accomplishments of
these dudes, who I love so much! Couldn't be more proud.
This was Monday after the race, and, yes, my eyes are surely
swollen and tired here from some tears. All better now though!

After the race, I did a lot of thinking, and John and I had a long talk about what's next for me. Which leads me to the theme of this post. What do you do after a poor end to the season that was anything but what you expected? I'll tell you what I won't do -- mope around or be lazy! I may not be as physically active, but I will continue to stimulate my mind and body in a multitude of ways. I am very excited...

1) Biohack. Now is a great time to do some n=1 experiments. Biohacking will serve as the "umbrella" for everything else you'll read below. What exactly is biohacking? The whole concept can get pretty deep and intricate, but it's fascinating to me, and very cutting-edge. Read here for some brief intros to it, and links to some well-known biohackers. My goal this offseason is to learn more about my body and mind, see how I can affect and alter those things in effort to be more productive, less stressed, healthier, and so on, in particular when endurance sports training is not a huge priority. HRV is just one example of biohacking... another thing I'll try is "Yoga for the Eyes" (yes, there is such a thing) in attempt to gain back some quality vision - God knows I need it after the Tahoe fiasco! After a few months, it will be interesting to see how I am physically and mentally once I do get back to training.

2) Long offseason. Like I said, I will not be racing anything significant for the rest of the year and will be trying out a really long offseason for once. I'll maybe do a for-fun Turkey Trot or whatever, but nothing serious. Last year I took a decent offseason, but I still think it was too short for what I may have needed. This year, that won't happen. I am talking a full three months off with no formal coaching, no structured training, nada. (PS- Lucho is still my coach, and we still talk regularly for the podcast and whatnot; he's just not writing me workouts currently.) This will be the longest downtime from formal training I've had in recent memory. It's not really in my nature to be without structure, let alone for three consecutive months, so this will be fun, right?

I got in one ride last week, and this happened. In my
tubular. Something is telling me to stop riding!
(Granted this ride was at a grandma pace with no data)

3) So much more time for activities!!! (get it?) Haha! I'll still do "activity" whether that's a hiking the trails or going to a concert, volunteering at a race/event or doing yoga or meeting friends for lunch. Yea, I'll still do some of the regular stuff too, like swim, bike and run (especially when it involves friends and clients alongside). But I'll expand the list to include other random things - snowboarding this winter, kayaking, and my personal fave: surfing! Of the activities I'll do, not one thing will considered "training." Last week I started that. On Thursday, for example, at 11:20 AM after a full morning on the phone with clients I decided to do an 11:30 bikram yoga class, and it was great! Just what I needed and totally unplanned. Saturday morning same thing- saw the sun rising as I was drinking coffee and realized it was too nice outside to be missing it, so I went for a run. I still logged the activities I did all last week and accumulated a whopping 4.3 hours of activity! Ha!

4) Projects aka work work work! Kinda like activities but non-physical things, whether for business and/or pleasure. During training times and with my regular workload I find it hard to fit in those back-burner projects. Well now I have no excuse, especially if I'm an uber-productive biohacker ;) Writing an e-book, picking up a paint brush, revamping my CoachTawnee.com website (Sarah Weeger, web-designer superstar, you reading this?), doing more article reviews/blog posts/writing, reading, gardening, quality cooking (and maybe even writing down the recipes for things I create for once), etc., are all things I have in mind. There are some others too...

5) "Planning" for 2014. I already have a plan in the works -- don't sign up for anything! (Yet.) I need a little time to be free from having a race on the schedule -- I can't remember the last time that was the case. It's a little scary, but necessary I think. That said, I do have some races I'm eyeing for 2014... But that is top-secret confidential stuff. However, one thing that is NOT top secret for 2014 is a very cool new relationship I'll have with Betty Designs. I am honored to be one of Kristin's "Skulls" for next year! It doesn't get much cooler than that. I have been a fan of Betty and Kristin for years now, and couldn't be more stoked on this relationship, not to mention, I am among some pretty special ladies here. What an honor. If you have never seen the Betty Designs collection, give it a look by clicking here. And when you buy something (because how could you not want to buy something) use "coachtawnee" at checkout for a discount! I have some other relationships brewing for next year too. It will be a blast, that I can guarantee.


~~~

Other than that, I just plan on living in the moment and enjoying each day as it comes. Some days I'll be slammed with work and I bet I won't even make it outside or out of my PJs (oh yea, that happens), while other days I will make an effort to jump in the ocean, take a walk on the beach or share a beer. John is on the same page right now too, and so far it's been really fun to see how we operate without training....

Sporadic concert in the park here in Laguna, along with a tasty pumpkin beer.

Sunrise run shadows and no one else around....

...and sunrise run views. Dang, I love this time of year at home!

A little indulgence. I am not a fan of this stuff, but John is. Fine with me - that means more chocolate for me!!!
PS - Love John's shirt? Click here to check out my buddy, Ron's, awesome line of PunkRockRacing clothing/gear!

Life is good, or dare I say, epic ;) ... This is a kombucha beer, btw, and pretty darn tasty!!!