I am very excited to report I managed to keep my running streak going all 31 days of December. I even tacked on a nice trail run on January 1 for good measure.

I am also happy to report I broke the streak after an absolutely frigid ride in the mountains on January 2nd. My friend Ryan talked me into a ride in the GAPS. We were lured by sunny skies, but it was FREEZING. Ryan not only had to stop at a hunting post to buy some extra gloves (camouflage, naturally), he actually had to fashion toe-covers out of  a spare pair of arm warmers. The good news? They were bright GREEN:

Needless to say, post-ride I was much more concerned with thawing my poor body than I was with throwing on my running shoes. Thank goodness Diablo’s 31 Days of Christmas Challenge was over and thank goodness the Corolla has a good heater!

In running 32 days straight, I learned a couple things:

(1) Consistent training makes training easier. (Did I really just learn that? All my past coaches are shaking their heads right now.)

(2) A little more run volume makes running easier. I wasn’t running a lot more than usual (some of my runs were pretty short), but it was a little bump up in volume, and I don’t really have any new aches or pains. In fact, I feel better than ever!

(3) I got to run with a lot of really cool people. Here’s a quick list of all the people who helped me keep the streak alive! THANK YOU!

Brent Pease

Kathryn Honderd

Creepy dude on the treadmill next to me at the Hampton Inn (yes, that counts)

Ryan Wolfe

Michael Howell

Elizabeth Chura

Jerry Chura

Toby Anderson

Drew Marlar

Matthew Rose

Andrew Shanks

Michael Kidd

And last, but not least @GreenmanDynamo:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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From visits to amazing places to good times with familiar faces, 2011 was a pretty awesome year for me. Picking my top ten favorite photos was not an easy task, but I did my best!

10. In the past, I feared traveling with a bike. Between packing the bike, getting it in my car, and unpacking at my final destination, I’ve had more than one bike-travel induced panic attack. But all that changed in 2011 when  I invested in an Aerus bike bag, a set of Albopads, and a lesson in “How to Pack a Bike.” I’ve taken my Blue to Baltimore, Hawaii, and most recently, my Christmas vacation in Houston, with zero problems. I’m also down to a 28 minute pack time…yes, it’s always a competition!

9. And a lack of bike-packing anxiety might explain why I look so happy in this picture from the Ironman Hawaii swim course! The photo is from a practice swim a few days before this year’s race and if you look close you might be able to spot a few iconic Kailua Bay landmarks in the background (and a K-Peasey band on my wrist)!

8. My success on the Ironman Hawaii swim course is in no small part thanks to my years as a University of Georgia Lady Bulldog swimmer. The amazing ladies in the picture below taught me to be a better competitor, teammate, and friend, and I’m so lucky I still get to hang out with them every once in a while!

7. My mom is going to hate me for re-posting this pic, but I can’t help it – I LOVE it! This is Ebeth right after she kicked major you-know-what at a Montana trail run last summer. The race killed me and she doesn’t even look tired! I sure hope awesomeness is genetic!

6. Prison Mike was always one of my favorite co-workers. Thanks to him I can recite the capitals of all 50 states, tell people I’ve run a marathon PR after eating nothing but Krystal and Taco Bell for a week, and say I’ve left voice mails for both my boss and a local bank that were nothing but laughter. So when he announced he was leaving our firm to become a bazillionaire working for his dad, my co-workers and I made sure he wouldn’t forget us.

5. 2 full weekends. Countless other day trips. I’m pretty sure I could’ve passed as a North Georgia local with how much time I spent riding the GAPS this year. Which is why this drawing of Coach Diablo coming up with his truly diabolical workouts qualifies as a photo – because it shows only the truth:

4. But that’s not saying tough workouts can’t be fun! I have the best teammates.

3. I also have the best family. In early 2011 I got to watch my sister’s Rice University swim team win their first conference title in school history. I think a good goal for 2012 might be convincing Hannah that adding a bike and run just makes the race even better! (Also, please note our adopted brother, Monil, in the background, hahahha.)

2. My trip to Japan was epic in so many ways. I traveled to Okinawa to visit Mary, one of my UGA super swimmer teammates who is stationed in Japan with her Marine hubby Charlie. In one trip I got to experience Japan, U.S. Military life, and realize the friendships I made while swimming didn’t end in the pool. Mary and I took a gazillion pics while touring the beautiful island, but my favorites are still the ones from the Japanese photo booths!

1. No huge surprise my number one pic comes from Hawaii. Ironman has become a huge part of my life, and I like that. What’s special about this pic, is that I didn’t take it. I’m actually not 100% sure who took it, because I received more than one copy! It’s a pic of me on the IronmanLIVE internet coverage. At this point on the bike I was still leading the amateur race, and a few of my awesome followers at home actually whipped out their cameras and took a pic of their computer screens so I could see it. Absolutely awesome. It always blows me away to know people are taking time out of their busy lives to follow my race. And I promise you, I can tell. I can feel the good thoughts you send my way just as real as if you’re standing along the Queen K. So thank you, again and again, and please keep the good vibes coming – I have some big plans for 2012!

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The streak lives on! I am happy to announce I am 19 for 19 on running days in December! And I feel AWESOME!

My runs have ranged from 2 hours on the trails to 10 minutes off the bike, but I have laced up my trusty Mizunos every single day this month. And I’ve definitely noticed some changes.

First, I don’t even consider skipping or postponing a workout. I can’t fathom breaking the streak. My whole mindset on “running off the bike” has changed. In the past, transition runs were not my favorite. I always felt like once I was off the bike, I was done, and I didn’t really want to slog through a post-ride run, no matter how short or easy it was. But now, these runs help me keep the streak alive, so I love them!

And I think I love my transition runs because my running feels better than ever! It seems like running consistently has actually made running easier. Looking back on my swimming days, skipping a day, or even just one practice, always left me feeling like I was moving backwards once I returned to the pool. I guess it makes sense running might be the same.

Whatever it is, I’m loving my 31 days of Christmas. And speaking of Christmas, check out this tee my friend Beth gave me:

Hahhaahha. I love it, and I don’t even work retail. Happy Holidays!

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For as long as I’ve been a triathlete I’ve dreamed of seeing my name on the electronic pages of Slowtwitch.com – the internet’s premier triathlon newsource. I imagined a headline proclaiming one of my many record settings performances, like:

Well, I achieved my goal much sooner than expected! I now have my name – and even a PICTURE – featured on Slowtwitch!

My coach, Matthew Rose (aka El Diablo) did an interview with the acclaimed Herbert Krabel and was kind enough to mention me! I may be the first person to be likened to an assassin and a nun in the same breath, but I’m just going to take it as a compliment!

And yes, Diablo is just as smart as he sounds. And many thanks to him for putting up with my mongoose/honeybadger/accountant ways. Though I did win the 2011 Kona swim fair and square!

 Congrats Diablo! You can check out  the full article here.

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