Oh yeah, I forgot I have a blog

November 11th was the last post? Ouch. I've been reading blogs, I promise. I just don't have that much to talk about. (That and I started on twitter. I heart twitter. So much easier that blogging.)  Here's what I've been up to:

1. Raising year and a half year old twins.
2. Running as much as I can.
3. Working.

That's it. Clearly nothing exciting to blog about. But, I don't want to abandon the blog entirely. Even if no one reads it, it's at least a diary for me.  So here's what's rattling around in my head these days. (Nino pictures sprinkled throughout for interest.)

What I learned in 2011
This was my first full year running as a mom, and I pretty much learned that it's hard. Certainly not impossible, but hard. Part of my problem is working mom's guilt. Part of my problem is being an outside running snob. I have no problem running when it's dark and cold, but I'm obviously not going to take the boys with me like that. Then when I go by myself, I feel guilty leaving them since I do that all day. We hit a real sweet spot in the summer/fall of a ton of stroller running after work and in the mornings. I'll just have to wait for that again.

I also discovered that I can't JUST stroller run and expect to be ready to race. Learned that the hard way. Twice. Finally, I remembered how much I love running. It really feeds my soul and makes me feel like me. A potentially challenging thing when you're pulled in so many direction as a mom, wife, daughter, friend, employee, etc.

What I'm doing in 2012
Interesting question. It will go one of two ways:

1. The year of the marathon
2. The year of the triathlon

I've entered the lottery for the 2012 NYC marathon. Despite the very low odds of selection, I've read The Secret and am confident I'll get in. I mean, I really REALLY want to run this. Like, I'm using my 11:11 wish on it EVERY day. That's commitment because I have a ton of stuff to wish on. Selection notification is the end of April, and I'll be pissed if I wasted three months of wishes on something that didn't happen.

If When I get in, I'll probably run a couple marathons around here this summer/fall. It's been a few years since I've run a full marathon, so I need a few smaller tune up races in the comfy midwest before being scared to death of big, bad New York. Plus, I can't hang all my hopes on a November race. Too much pressure at the end of the season.

Now, should I not get selected into New York (as if), I'll probably focus on triathlons. My only regret in life is not doing an Ironman before having kids. I had nothing but time back then. If anyone out there is thinking about doing something they always wanted to do and they don't have kids yet, do it! Do it right now!

While I know an Ironman won't happen this year, it will happen some day. This year might be the year of sprints and oly's with a half IM in 2013. Maybe. I need to find some time to bike and swim though.

Racing in 2012
Deciding between 1 & 2 will determine my race schedule, but I know for sure that I'm doing the Lincoln Half Marathon in May. This was the first year in a long time that I got my shit together enough to be prepared. I don't train as well in March and April, but so long as I don't hate my life during the final 33% of the race, it'll be an improvement over last year.

I'll also run the Omaha half or full in the fall to see if I can best my PR from last year. If Lincoln and Omaha switched dates, that would work out much better for me. I don't really care for the Omaha course, crowd support, hoopla, etc. However, the date is perfect. I'm in fantastic shape in September.

And finally, if I don't do NYC, The Husband and I talked about taking a vacation around a race. That sounds like crazy fun, so I'm looking forward to doing some research.

So in conclusion, that's my boring life. I love reading about all the racing and training everyone is doing. It definitely keeps me motivated and gets me really exciting for spring.