2010 Wrap-Up

This past year was a roller coaster for sure. Holly and I dealt with some pretty major life changes and, somehow, managed to come out of it without driving each other insane.

In January, I got fired from the UCSD bike shop because I graduated and only students work at the shop. Bitter-sweet, but the sudden lack of a paycheck hurt; more so when I learned I don't qualify for unemployment thanks to my coaching business. Huge props to my athletes, friends and family for keeping a roof over our heads and food on the table. Needless to say, we struggled for sure.

February-March I trained like a beast, dug way too big a hole and wound up burned out later in the season. DUMB. Lesson learned. I went back to lifeguarding, but needed more stability and some semblance of a set schedule.

 Tasty snacks from the sister and brother-in-law along with a beer sampler from Guinness. Not bad.

Thankfully, the folks at B&L bikes took a chance on hiring me. Life got better FAST: a set schedule and indoor employment made for some happy days. State Parks was unhappy with my choice, but Seasonal Lifeguard pay doesn't cut it for a guy in my situation. Sometimes the unpopular choice is the right one.

 The soft, chewy ornaments lasted all of 24 hours before we found them all over the house. They were still in one piece, but we put them away to remove the temptation. Don't let the cute face fool you, he's an Evil Genius.

So I went back to life before UCSD: working full time, going to school part to full time and squeezing in as much training as my mental state could handle. Then I get notice the State Parks is hiring the bottom of the barrel for Peace Officer Ranger and Lifeguards. I jump through the hoops all over again and you probably know the rest. I happy to be focused on just two things right now instead of 20; it seems simple in comparison.

 Blue skies and mid 60's in December. Gotta love San Diego, though I think a pump malfunction started the swimmer's ear I'm battling. It dumped rain last Wednesday and the pool was full over the gutters. I didn't think anything of it until my ear canals got painful and swollen. A visit to the Urgent Care and probably 90 bucks later...

 With money as tight as it was, I only raced 4 times all year. Xterra West in Vegas: food poisoning, 100 deg temps and a flat tire. Lots learned here.

 Xterra Snow Valley rocked for me. Despite a VERY slow swim, I think this was the race of my life to date. The key is leaving the watch and HRM in the bag. "There is no spoon..."

 With nothing to lose I jumped in to my first Ultra Marathon. Record levels of pain and suffering here. Had a blast!

I also race in my first State Championship race for Mountain Biking. I got my ass handed to me, but the improvement over other races at the same venue was clear. Despite the crummy result, it reinforced that my training theories and practices are headed in the right direction. I'm always tweaking stuff, and it's nice when stuff "works" cool.

The same can be said for my athletes: some SOLID improvements with people meeting or exceeding their season expectations. Awesome!

So to end 2010 on a high note, Christmas Morning I went ahead and asked Holly to marry me. I was confident she'd accept, but how excited she got really blew me away. Stoked to have such an incredible woman agree to be my wife.  

Back to Monterey and training for State Parks on Monday; we're not done until JUNE! Ick.

Look for 2011 plans and schemes after the first of the year. Best wishes to friends and family everywhere.

Cheers!

E.