So what is next?

After playing hundreds if not thousands of soccer games, completing several 10ks, a few half marathons, a full marathon, several duathlons, a couple of off-road triathlons, completing several mountain bike races, including a few 24 hour races, and attempting the Shenandoah Mountain 100 I have to ask myself, what is next?

I think my second passion behind soccer is mountain running but my body may not be up to the challenge. Specifically my knees. They have certainly taken a beating and while challenging athletic endeavors are still well within my ability, I am not sure I will ever be able to put in the mileage it would take to compete in a serious mountain ultra. And as far as soccer goes, I miss it very much. On the soccer field, I would disappear into the game. I did not think about anything and just played as hard as I could all the time. And I was a decent player that definitely had an impact on the game. But soccer is not in the cards for me now.

As I deal with the reality of what my body can handle, I have to decide where I want to go next? I have already committed to next year's Shenandoah Mountain 100. That is my A race for 2011. The biking is really great for my knees and the race is such an epic event to participate in that I just have to complete the race. As I said already, I want to CRUSH IT!

So what do I really want to do now? I have been wrestling with this for some time. I am leaning towards taking up Triathlon more seriously including getting some professional coaching. In a week or two, Melissa's swim coach will be starting up a new session and I am planning to give it a go. It will be hard to get up so early to workout at the pool but I know that once I go a few times, I will get used to it. Swimming is another activity that can only help my knees so even if I don't take to it, it will be good for me.

In addition to triathlon, I want to become a barefoot runner. With that in mind, I have started training my feet in anticipation of the next Gobble Wobble 5K in Pennsylvania. A few years ago Melissa's family started another Thanksgiving tradition. We all go to Melissa's sister's house for Thanksgiving. While there, we run or walk in the Gobble Wobble and afterwards feast on the best homemade breakfast from Chef Scott. It is always great fun! This year, I plan to run it in my Vibram Five Fingers. Running barefoot or near barefoot is something that one has to work up to gradually. After a 6 hour hike in my Vibrams, another 3.5 hour hike in them, and two 2 mile runs on the road, I am on my way.

Ok so I have set a few goals: run the Gobble Wobble in my Five Fingers this November, start swim training with a coach, and finish next years SM100. For me, that is not enough. I need more. So I am also throwing in the goal of getting in great shape and adding muscle mass to my skinny body. And how am I planning to do that. Why P90X of course. You knew it was coming didn't you?

Yes, Melissa and I are going to start P90X this coming Monday. I have spent the last several days planning. We got some new equipment. I copied all the DVDs to my computer. I read through the guide book. And last night we went through the pre-test and took all of our before measurements and pictures. I will spare you those pictures as they are pretty much the most unflattering pictures ever.

Our plan is to do the 90 days but also still work in our swims and runs. It is going to be hard. Besides doing all the actual workouts, getting all the proper nutrition into our bodies will also be hard work. We eat pretty healthy right now. But we are going to have step up our efforts to properly fuel our bodies. Plus we will need to get the proper rest each night. Luckily we got rid of the television time bandit. Plus with the Fall weather coming, it will be dark by the time we get home for dinner so we won't be doing much outside.

I am very excited about doing P90X and all the benefits it can bring to Melissa and myself. Besides the obvious benefits of shedding fat and gaining muscle, getting the heart and lungs healthier, improving our memory and general well being, there is also the benefits that such a workout program can bring to our other sports. Hopefully if all goes well, we will be ready come January 1st to take on the spring training season with new and improved bodies. I guess we will see.

I will try to keep my blog updated with our progress. Wish us luck! And if you have not already, check out http://quackenblogger.blogspot.com. Dave is a great writer and his description of his foray into P90x is quite a fun read. Besides the P90X topic, he has a wide range of other topics that he discusses from silly to serious.

Until next time.