Wrapping up 2012

With the 2012 season concluded and 2013 fast approaching, it's time I (finally) sit down and reflect on the last 12 months of training, racing, and life outside the sport. More chaotic and stressful than any other year in memory, 2012 was also a year full of success and accomplishment. It was a season and a year critical to my development (as an athlete and otherwise). In fact, it's the "otherwise" stuff that will get most of the attention here. You know all about the racing that went on this year, but what went on behind the scenes is the part of me that can't be summed up in a race result. I'll do my best to provide the back story to the race reports you've already read. You'll get to hear about a lot of the every day stuff that went on this year, but was often overlooked because I was busy preparing for my next competition.

I began my preparation for the 2012 season in the midst of an entirely unfamiliar experience. Eileen and I purchased our first home in December of 2011. It was the greatest decision we have ever made and one that has improved our quality of life exponentially. The process was also the most stressful six weeks of my life. How I kept my sanity while working full time (well, 90%- but we'll get to that later...), coaching 3 hours per night, training twice a day, and dealing with realtors, inspectors, bankers, etc. remains a mystery. I remember missing one or two training sessions, but for the most part the hours I spent training each week were my safe hours. There was no cell phone, no computer, and generally nobody causing me stress. For a few hours each day (mostly late at night, actually), I was focused on triathlon and the goals I'd set for myself. Then I'd walk in the door and back into real life. I was less focused on recovery, strength training, and rest than I should have been. But, as I needed to remind myself (multiple times) daily, I am not (yet) a professional and sacrifices needed to be made.

A year later, I look back at the time from our initial viewing of our home to the afternoon of our closing and realize that every bit of stress was worth it. We could not be happier here and the move has revolutionized our lives. We live closer to most of our close friends, we commute just minutes to work (again, more on that to follow), and we finally have something to call our own.

Now, while we were happy, the stress level certainly didn't drop much in the few months that followed our closing date. We learned quickly that home ownership is not for the faint of heart. We began by painting every interior surface of the house. We moved in. We finally chlorinated the well enough times to have bacteria-free water. We found out the "functioning" water-softener didn't actually function (thanks again over-priced inspector). We had a new water softener installed and could use the water! For a week. Then the new water tests came back indicating the presence of arsenic. We had another water treatment system installed. I looked at my bank account and cried every day for three months in a row. Then the basement flooded from water system number one. We dried the house out for an entire day. Six days later, flood number 2. Repeat the drying efforts. The thought of doing this every six days started to grow on me (insert ample amounts of sarcasm, but keep a bit for later). More water got in the basement, this time from a mysterious source behind the wall. Again, I'd like to thank the home inspector for not noticing that a 6ft by 4ft section of wall had rotted away and there was essentially a 24 square foot opening to the outside in our house (any sarcasm you didn't put in the last time I told you to, add it here). No worries, though, we tore it out, reframed the sections that needed it and resided part of the house. Then the water softener flooded the basement for a third time. I made some threatening phone calls demanding my money back. They assured me it wouldn't happen again. Six days later, after flood number 4, I repeated my demands. Fortunately, while doing this, I discovered the root cause of the problem and fixed it myself (something I've learned to do a lot of this year). With most of the troubles over, we painted the exterior of the house, installed gutters, painted and re-shingled the storage shed. The moral of this story, being a home owner is so much more work than I ever imagined! But, I love it. We managed. Sure, there were days of frustration and worry, but in the end everything worked out. Problems were resolved and life went on.

Good things happened in 2012, too! At the top of that list is an opportunity extended to me by Kat Donatello, one of my closest friends and the Race Director of the Pumpkinman Triathlon Festival. As I've posted before, when Kat asks me to do something it inevitably leads to an amazing experience. This, naturally, was no different. Kat asked me to join her as the Social Media Director for Pumpkinman. Later, I was promoted to Assistant Race Director. The amount I have learned from Kat about being a successful business person, the sport of triathlon, and other "stuff" is immense. I cherish my position with Pumpkinman and I can not thank Kat enough for involving me in her organization. I love working for Kat, but I'm even happier to call her, Jeff, and their girls my friends. 

In other triathlon-related news, I bought a new bike last year - a Cervelo P3! It's something I'd been saving for for a long time and it was an exciting day. What I didn't know during my initial trips to Fit Werx 2 in Peabody was that an incredible relationship was developing and the excitement would continue long after my fitting and purchase. The guys at Fit Werx are leaders in the industry and the best at what they do. But they're much more than that. They are tremendous people and ones that I am proud to call friends. I have tremendous respect for the guys and am grateful for the opportunity to work with them. In the spring, I was honored to be asked to join the Fit Werx family as an ambassador and I am proud to wear the logo on my race kit. 

This past spring, with things going well in all areas of life, I received what seemed like devastating news at the time. Due to budget cuts and the means by which positions are filled and eliminated in public schools, I was notified that my position was being slashed to 40%. I did the math and realized that this meant not only would I make NO money, but I would also have to write the Kennebunk schools a check every pay period in order to cover my health insurance. I would have to pay to work. Naturally, I was pissed off; I was angry with the district and my school for many reasons. While I'd made a number of good friends in Kennebunk, I could not wait for the school year to end so I could leave the building and district and never look back. I did, for a few weeks, technically accept a new position in the district, but continued to search desperately for a new place to work. I was rewarded for my efforts and landed a job in the Marshwood schools just two days before the start of the '12-'13 school year. In short, the move has worked out better than I ever could have hoped. The work I do is rewarding and I am respected for the service I provide. The move has been refreshing and renewed my passion for education.

While all of the above was happening, I raced. The season was one filled with success. I won twice, finished second twice, and had great finishes at both Pumpkinman (5th OA) and USAT Sprint Nationals (5th AG/25 OA / World Championship Qualifier). I couldn't have asked for more out of myself this season - I worked hard and the results are proof. Really, I have nothing more to add as my race reports are already obnoxiously long!

As I look forward to 2013, I am encouraged by my progress over the past two years with Stephen Wright. I am on track to do some amazing things and compete at a very high level. I have many goals going forward and even if only half of them are achieved, then I will be climbing to the top step of the podium on a regular basis. My future in this sport is bright if I can remain focused and injury-free.

Finally, I appreciate the support of my family, friends, and my coach. I am especially thankful for Eileen and her willingness to put up with me and this sport. I only race a handful of times each year, but she is there to support me every single day as I train. She sees the late nights, early mornings, the successes and failures. She watches as I stagger through the door gasping for air and desperately in need to fluids. She's there when I stagger in and lay in front of the wood stove to regain feeling in my extremities. She's always there and I couldn't do any of this without her support.