As I transition into fall and winter mode here in Kentucky, I begin to look at my season- the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good: I finished every race I started this year, including Ironman Louisville. Six weeks before Louisville, I suffered a stress fracture to my right foot at the Cardinal Half Distance triathlon. The river was flooded so, we had no swim, therefore the race was shortened to a 69.1
    In this race, my bike was giving me fits as my back wheel was not properly inflated, rather the tube had a lump in it. This zapped my energy for the run and caused me carmping as I rolled into T2. On the run, the cramps continued as I was forced to walk. This is a race I should have DNF'd. However, being the stubborn athlete that I am I continued. I then noticed severe pain in my foot from trying to compensate for the cramping. I finished the race but paid for it the next two weeks, with swelling, tenderness of my foot, and walking became difficult. Forget trying to even run. At this point, Ironman Louisville was the furthest thing from my thoughts as I just wanted to heal.
    So for the next 6 weeks, I healed. I swam and biked but didnt run. I started to feel better and said if there were still spots for Louisville, then I would sign up. Well, lucky me, there was less than 100 spots by August 10, 2 weeks before the race.
   Race day came and I felt great. I was about 10 lbs heavier than last year but my swimming had improved as well as my running in the early season. I was hoping that the 6 week layoff from running would actually help me during the marathon. And did it ever!
     I completed the swim in 1:21, biked the rolling course in 5:51, and ran between aid stations for the entire 26.2 miles and managed a 5:24 marathon, which was 22 minutes faster than 2012. I crossed the line in 12:48 nearly 30 minutes better than 2012.
The Bad: Ever since, I have been nursing my foot. Somedays, it feels great and I can run for long distances and not feel pain. Other days, it gives me trouble. I have been running shorter distances and allowing for more recovery but my endurance is slowly drifting away. I have the Louisville Sports
Commission Half Marathon on November 10th, which will be my next race. I am hopeful I can toe the line but it will be a day before decision.
The ugly: My swim is where I must make improvements in the off season. Being a middle of the pack swimmer is okay if you want to finish Ironman however, I would like to qualify for Kona one day. I realize that my swimming must improve by 20 minutes or more over the 2.4 mile distance to allow my speed on the bike to give me an advantage. My winter program will consist of early masters swims at Mary T. Meagher pool with spin classes at Louisville Athletic Club. This will allow me to be in solid shape as my race season ramps up in February 2014.
    Over the next couple of weeks, I will be finalizing my 2014 race schedule which will include Ironman Louisville for a 3rd time and Citybikes Ironman Miami 70.3. Ironman Muncie will most likely be my prep race for Louisville as it is usually very hot and humid- perfect for Louisvilles hot and humid August temperatures.

Thats it for now.

Linden