A Break

Oh the offseason. It's such a magical time. Eating and drinking anything I want, not working out as much, sleeping more, and having a life again! It helps that it's coinciding with the holidays, but it really is the most wonderful time of the year! 

It's also a great time to look back on the past season, analyze (or probably overanalyze), and begin planning the next season. Because if I'm not planning, I die. 

I'm taking a break from the 140.6 distance. It's kinda hard to do, and I'm sure it'll be harder as the season ramps up and I see my friends training for their fulls, but I know this is what I need. Not only physically, but more importantly, mentally. I just moved in with my S.O., I've started a new job, and I want to enjoy this first year together. I want us to grow together, I want us to have fun, and I don't want to spend all my time alone and training. Plus, with this decision, I can enjoy the holidays without worrying about weight as much, losing too much fitness, and I can let some neuroses go. Or at least that's the plan. 

I'm having a blast "tooling around." I'm doing super fun swim and bike sessions and I'm slowly starting to like running again. I've rediscovered my love of weight lifting and I can focus on other things besides "I'm training for an Ironman." I'm still doing 2-3 70.3s, and lots of running, but I'm going to have fun and work on all of my muscle imbalances. 

There is now a 3 year plan

2020: 70.3 distances and speed

2021: Ironman Coeur d'Alene 

2022: Ironman Florida to attempt to KQ

There. I've put it into the universe. Bring it on.

Ironman Chattanooga

September 29th, 2019

Third time's a charm!

August was brutal. Lots of long and hot training days. But between some personal choices and letting go of the Kona qualification this season, I was finally finding some peace. And that is truly magical.

Race morning. Only a tiny meltdown trying to inflate my tires. Because obviously I have never done that before. My hands wouldn't stop shaking, so I couldn't get the pump to connect to the valve properly. Instead of inflating, I released all the air. Awesome. Luckily, there was a very chill bike mechanic to help me, saying "I got you girl. No more stress. I got you." Hooray for angels in disguise?

Since it's a point to point swim, I was finally ready to hop on the shuttle. Nice and easy bus ride with my love. He also raced, but classic him, was beyond calm and helped keep me calm. Well, calmer. Met up with my lady boss and my folks and before we knew it, it was time to squeeze into speedsuit and line up.

The Swim
I love current assisted swims. That is all. Water was warm, 80 degrees, but I never felt like I was overheating. Nor did I feel out of breath, like I was flying, or crushing it. Which was exactly the plan. Yes, I could have hammered and come out faster, but I knew the heat was going to be brutal, so I didn't want to bottom out or burn matches. Not yet. Came out at 54.57. 5th in my age group. Perfect.

T1
Why did we have to run up a metal ramp? Rude. Anyway, made it to the changing tent. I swam with my kit under my speedsuit, and I've gotta say, it was spectacular not having to put on spandex over wet skin. Things to ponder for future races! A couple lovely volunteers helped me get organized, snack on pringles, and vasoline up. Some spray sunblock, in addition to more volunteers slathering it all over me, and I was off to my beautiful Shadowfax.

The Bike
Oh this course. 116 miles instead of 112. Why did I pick this one? First 11 miles, the stick, had a pretty great headwind. Wasn't terrible, but wasn't particularly awesome either. But a headwind is a headwind. Felt like I was settling in nicely, wasn't pushing too hard, and was having a blast! Which is more than I can say for my previous races. Miles were ticking away, I was drinking every 15 minutes like I was supposed to, and the hills weren't completely destroying me. Before I knew it, I was at mile 52 for special needs! Refilled my Infinit nutrition, but much to my dismay, there was no extra water. So I couldn't refill all of them. Tiny panic attack. Or slightly medium panic attack. More pringles helped, and I was off again. Luckily, there were amazing crowds, AND MY PARENTS, just past there, so I got a burst of energy. Which felt great! Until I burned a few more matches because of the excitement. Oops. Started the second loop and immediately became deflated at the increase in the headwind. And then I got into my head. Overthinking it all. And pain was starting to creep in. Left hamstring began to spasm and didn't stop. Until the end of the race. And then my feet started to go num. Neither of those things had ever happened during training, so that was super fun. The sun kept climbing, the heat kept rising, and I was suffering. Miles 73-80 were a brutal false flat with a killer headwind. I think I shed a few tears. Mile 80 came, a turn, and downhill! And like that I turned it around. I was feeling good. Miles weren't really ticking away anymore, everything was really hurting, I could feel my skin burning, and I was done. And it was only mile 100. 16 to go. Ouch. Hit mile 105 and it was the stick back into town. Made it back to Tennessee (most of the bike course is actually in Georgia) and holy cow I've never been so excited to see TN! Oh my God I started recognizing where I was! I was almost back! And then! I was!! Bike time 6:23.37. Not too shabby.

T2
Started off running in my bike shoes and quickly gave up. Steady walk to get my bag and back to the changing tent. Super weird volunteer who just kept asking weird questions. Or maybe my brain was fried? Probably the latter. Hamstring was still very mad and feet were so numb. I really wasn't sure if this run was gonna work too well. But there was just a marathon left! Just....

The Run
My nemesis. Forever and always. Started off feeling decent. But DAMN was it hot. Got to see 2 of my favorite peeps right out of transition, so that helped. But then also immediately started with more hills. Why? Why so many hills?! So some walking started. Flattened out and I settled into a "run to each aid station" plan. Worked well. Wasn't a fast pace, by any stretch, but I felt strong. Mile 4 and I obviously needed the bathroom. And then I couldn't get my HR down. And that started to worry me. So I began intervals. 4 minutes run, 1 minute walk, walk the aid stations. And that was so manageable! I felt really great doing that! And then....Barton. It's the notorious hill on this run course. Preceded by other nasty hills no one mentions! But anyway, I made it. Let the walking commence! Walked up, ran down. Great! Except it wasn't. My right knee, true to form, began its nasty little habit of causing excruciating pain. Fantastic! Bending my knee even a little bit was agony. Super. Made it up and over to head back to downtown and I knew I was in trouble. But surprisingly enough, I was still having fun. Me? Fun running? What?! Saw my peeps again when I was almost to special needs, and that was a great boost!!

Special needs and I sat down to change my very wet and disgusting socks. But sitting down was a mistake. I actually asked the volunteers if I could just stay there. Luckily, they helped me up and I began the second 13.1. I knew my knee was no longer going to be able to sustain the 4:1 interval, so I switched to a 1:1. Obviously this extended my time quite a bit, but it was better than just walking 13.1 miles. And! My friend Janet was starting her first loop as I was starting my second, so we got to go a few steps on this journey together. It was also a nice mental break. I got to talk to someone I know and love. What a beautiful moment. She dropped me like a hot potato, and I continued to slog along. Miles slowly, very slowly, passed and my body was quickly shutting down. I couldn't really eat or eat much, and I knew that was going to end terribly, but my stomach just kept saying no. My eyes were getting heavy and I wanted nothing more than to lay down. Redbull wasn't helping, Coke wasn't helping, and I still had a 10k left. Naturally, I thought about the last 10k I did and how it was under an hour. Womp womp. Thanks, brain! I'm not sure where the strength came from. The spectators? The sun was finally setting? I knew my time would be better than Wisconsin? No idea. But I just kept going. Kept. Moving. Forward. And there it was! The mile 25 mark! 1.2 to go!! Energy was coming back. And then! I saw another friend as I crossed the final bridge. Thank God it was the last uphill. Have I mentioned how the hills never stopped? Oh look! A downhill! Ugh. My knee was so, so mad. But, I could see the shoot. And at that point, I could do anything. I saw all my support crew. I saw my parents, who have supported me through all this madness. I high fived all of the random strangers. And then I heard it. "Heather Hermann. You are an Ironman!!" Three-peat, baby!! Run time 5:52.38.

Overall time 13:25.21. 32 minutes faster than IMWI, despite an additional 4 miles on the bike. Words truly cannot describe how proud of myself I am. That was a very hard day. The heat, the wind, the hills. I later heard there were over 400 DNFs. Pros dropped out left and right. But not me. I could barely walk, but instead I flew. I flew over that finish line and into a me that feels like she can finally let go of her perceived failures from last season and the beginning of this season. And the relief that comes from that? Indescribable.

I made this journey with the love of my life and my best lady boss. He completed his second and she completed her first. I am so proud of them, I am so proud of me, and while I'm sure the post race depression will hit, I am savoring and relishing flying this high. Like the pheonix, I rose from my own ashes and I found my strength and my joy.

The Only Way Out is Up

I've been pretty down the past month or so. Maybe not that whole time, and I've definitely had some great days, but letting go is hard.

I haven't let go of my dream of Kona. Not at all. But I've relinquished it for this season. I haven't had the season I thought I was in for, and the truth is a brutal pill to swallow. It's been physically and mentally taxing, the training hasn't been what it probably should have been, and I am in a stupid fast age group. These are the realities I must accept. It doesn't make it hurt less.

I can do better. I am better than what I've allowed this season. I can be stronger, healthier, and wiser about how I do things. When you're at the bottom, there's only one way to go

Ironman Ohio 70.3

July 28th, 2019

I've had a few other races along the way, but apparently they weren't important enough to discuss? Just a 5k, a 2 mile OWS with a mad current, and a 5 mile Heat Wave in some of the swampiest conditions! Some were great, 2nd place overall in the swim, and some weren't. But the tris are the main events...

Training has been very hit or miss this season. Either I feel like 7000% or I feel like death. It fits with my mental state of extremes? No idea. But consistency would be better, me thinks.

Alarm went off at 0330 after a fairly decent night of sleep. Ate my naan and peanut butter (new race breakfast!) in peace while downing coffee and water. I was feeling strong. I was feeling ready. Bike looked good in transition, laid everything out, waited for my folks.

It was finally time to don the swim skin, wetsuit optional race, and head to the start. I was ready. Until I started chatting with a man who qualified for 70.3 worlds 7 or 8 times and Kona twice. Awesome. Not freaking out at all. Hop in the water and take off. Trying to get into my rhythm, but this stupid woman would NOT get off me. She wasn't so much drafting and swimming on top of me. Over and over and over again. I seriously considered grabbing her head and shoving it under or punching her in the face. But it's not allowed and I wanted to keep racing. At long last, got away from her. Only to meet her again at the end. Which seemed to take years to get to! I felt smooth, but I knew it was going to be slow. 33 minutes. A kick in the face after my 27 at Virginia. But that was wetsuit legal. So, it's ok?

No flat tire in T1!! Tiny victories. Hopped on my baby, Shadowfax, and took off. Was still feeling pretty awesome. The tailwind helped a lot. First 20 miles was almost a 22mph average. Woohoo! I knew it wasn't going to last, but damn was it more brutal than I thought. Miles 20-36 was a delightful cross wind. And then it got better! With a headwind from 36 to the end. Still managed a 19mph average the last half, but the damage was done. I just didn't know it yet. 2:41 and some change. Not my finest work.

T2 was lightning quick, but oh that sun. She was out in full force ready to beat us up. And damn was it hot and humid. Took off like a rocket. Because I'm a moron. First half mile was almost an 8:30 pace. Why?! Poof. Matches gone. Again. Run got slower and slower. I had been doing mental math the whole time about placing and podium, etc. By the time mile 4 came along, the highest I could have been was 7th. Already out of podium. And then I saw 2nd place female fly by me. Of course she was in my age group.

I didn't give up. Not then. Not really ever. But at the halfway point, after getting passed by seemingly every woman in my age group, I made the calculated decision (how my therapist phrased it) to pull back even more. Not to crush it. Not to risk an injury to my increasingly angry knee. Podium wasn't going to happen. 70.3 worlds wasn't going to happen.

Finally finished. 5:41.09. I know I can't PR every race. But to go almost 20 minutes slower than 2 years ago is a bitter pill to swallow. I was slightly crushed and disappointed. I know I am better than that performance. I am better than what this season has been. I have a few more small events, and then the big one. Ironman Chattanooga. It's been tough to accept Kona qualifying is not happening this year. I've shed more than a few tears about it. Over the span of many days. I have a lot of big changes coming, and apparently this journey is full of more dark places than I was prepared for. But I am a phoenix. I have risen before and I will rise from this.

Ironman Virginia 70.3

May 5th, 2019

Where to begin? Redemption? Hope? Terror? Mostly all of those things.

Obviously, weather watching was a high priority. The week started looking like it would be absolutely perfect. Cloudy, high of 77, light winds. Ideal! Unfortunately, and naturally, predictions changed numerous times and by the time Saturday rolled around, there was a 90% chance of thunderstorms, high in the 80s, and windy. Unamused. So completely unamused. And on top of all of this, it was my first tri since IMWI. I didn't do nearly as many bricks as I should have (because I'm a whiny child with my coach), I'm about 10-15 pounds heavier than I want to be, and I was beyond nervous for combining these three events into one day of madness. What if my amazing 2017 was a fluke? What if I'm never going to podium at an Ironman event again? I hate hypotheticals!!!

Race morning. Got almost 7 hours of sleep. Which a ton for before an event. Truly shocked I slept so well. But immediately had to check the weather. Still storms predicted. F#@k. My bff Lady Boss and I began our race prep, feeding off one another's anxiety, and attempting to function. Good times....

Made it to race event and transition. Set up Shadowfax with all my water bottles and reinflated the tires. Didn't double check them before I left and this would come to bite me in the ass. Laid out all my gear, lathered my neck with vasoline (chafing on the neck from the wetsuit hurts!), applied a layer of sunblock, and made my way out to the bathrooms. Because of course.

The Swim
Self seeded swim in the Chickahominy River. Jumped in and took off. And the anxiety finally melted away. My happy place. And damn was I flying. Passing people like it was my job. Clearly I didn't self seed very well....official time was 27:54! I hadn't broken 30 minutes before. And I smashed it!! So happy. 3rd out of the water in my AG!

And then it all went wrong....T1 was the longest run ever. Easily over a half mile to get back to my bike. BS! It was through uneven grass, too. Petrified I was going to roll an ankle. But I made it. Only to find the valve on my front tire had bent and was slowly leaking air the entire time I was in the water. Double f#@k!!! Quickly changed it as I watched person after person take off. Oh the rage. Unreal rage. This also would come back to bite me. Hard.

The Bike
Took off like a bat out of Hell. Angry riding at its finest. Passing people, cruising through the rain, hoping I don't hit a slick spot and go down. Obviously it rained the entire ride. Why wouldn't it? Through 160° hairpin turns, over dangerous railroad tracks, around technical curves and climbing technical hills. And oh how carbon brakes love the rain. Said no one. Ever. About mile 50. That's when I knew I burned up too many matches. But there was no going back. Legs and back were on fire, jaw hurt from clenching too hard, and I was done. But wait, there's more!

T2 went off without a hitch, minus the cross country running through grass and tree roots....

The Run
I died. I was absolutely spent after the first mile. Only 12.1 left! It was a double out and back. Awful. Climbed a giant bridge. Twice. Started off at a decent pace, maintaining my 9 minute miles. But that quickly disappeared. Switched to walking the aid stations and the bridge, but the damage was done. No matches left at mile 5. None. Not even seeing Lady Boss on the course 3 times helped. Those lack of bricks caught up with me. But dammit, this was my race and I was going to finish. And finish I did!

5:40.53. About 15 minutes off my PR, but it's hard to compare different courses with different conditions. Which I need to remind myself. Constantly. As I write this 3 days later, my legs are still sore and I want to sleep for days, but it's a recovery week and I'll be ready to tackle all the next adventures. OH 70.3, watch out!!

Great Bunny Chase 5k

As part of my year, I'm doing 12 running races in 12 months. As long as it's at least a 5k, timed, and not free, it qualifies. I was down in GA over Easter weekend as I had Good Friday off, so what better time than to do a race on Saturday that my love is doing the timing at? The Great Bunny Chase!!

The plan had been to do a 56 mile ride in the morning, then go to the race. My best lady boss was the bunny we were chasing. She's a beast and ride it not, there's no way I was going to catch her. But we both had this brick workout scheduled now, and the planning began. Best laid plans, right? A 56 hour ride turned into a 3 hour trainer ride due to nasty winds and frigid temperatures. It wasn't amazing, but all in all, not the worst ride I've ever had. Tiny victories?

Arrive at race location. Still freezing. Awesome. But my love is there!! Being long distance, any chance I get to see him is a huge plus. The kiddos do their Easter Egg thing, while the adults freeze. Kids and their resilience. Rude. Anyway, it's finally go time. And boy do I go. My legs feel good, but the wind has got my lungs screaming from almost the beginning. But I'm hanging on and flying by people. What? That doesn't happen during a run....

I start seeing people coming back on the out and back course. Sweet. Turn around. See lady boss as the bunny. She says "3rd overall female minus the bunny." I'm not sure why my brain didn't work, but all I could think was "huh, I didn't think she qualified for awards." Kept running, got to the aid station, and there was nothing. Cool. Not dehydrated. It's fine.

Start booking it back downhill, mostly to get to water. Another woman: "2nd is right in front of you. Go get her!" Wait, I'm in 3rd? Me?! No way!! Too bad my body was done. I could see 2nd place the whole time but there was nothing in the tank to catch her. I couldn't even be mad! I was on the podium at a run!! Me! The least runner triathlete ever!!

Turns out, maybe I'm slowly becoming a runner.....

Shirtless

In tris, they have changed the rules and neither men nor women are allowed to have zippers open on tri tops lower than the xyphoid process (lowest part of sternum). The pros flaunt this at various races, but I won't get into a rant about that at the moment. The point is, when I'm racing, no matter the temps or humidity, I have to keep my tri top on. But training? That's a whole different story.

I have a condition, probably genetic although I'm never paying for the that, which makes my tendons and ligaments have too much elasticity, but unfortunately, causes my skin to have not quite enough in some areas. Mainly my abdomen. So, despite no children, my stomach is covered in stretch marks. You know, from growing into a full grown human! Nevertheless, society says that's ugly. That I should cover it up. That no one wants to see my stretch marks or my still somewhat jiggly tummy as I run. To society: go eat a bag of dicks.

It was 80 degrees with 90% humidity on my run this morning. I made it 4.5 of my 9 miles and that tank top came off. Because it was hot. And I was soaked. And I don't feel like getting chafing during a training run. So bra and shorts wins!! Did I get glares from asshats who have seen women clad in much less at the beach? Obviously. Did I let them dull my shine? F#@k no. My tummy was free, in all its stretch marked and jiggly glory. And in those 4.5 miles, for just a little bit of my day, I was free.

Rest

Some weekends you go all out. Long ride, possibly a brick, on Saturday, long run on Sunday. Earning that rest day on Monday. And some weekends, you walk around a beach town, drink in hand, after sleeping in and enjoying a massive breakfast. It's called rest.

As a triathlete, and an intensely driven woman, I am constantly on the go. Physically, mentally, emotionally. It's truthfully very overwhelming. Always on to the next, brain churning, body moving, go go go! It's exhausting. So a well needed, training free weekend, was just what the nurse ordered.

Tybee Island with the love of my life. No training. Beach, booze, and buffets. Hotel bed sleep. Sunshine. History. Simply existing and enjoying life. It's now just under 4 weeks until my first tri of the season. Last year's Heather would be freaking out, over training the next 3 weeks to compensate, setting herself up for injury. This year's Heather? She is aware that Ironman Virginia 70.3 is an early season race, a test of how training has been going, a jumping off point. And that sometimes doing nothing is a hell of a lot better than doing too much.

Craft Beer Half Marathon

March 30th, 2019

Day after my love's birthday, my folks came down too, and I was ready for redemption. Almost 3 months after Red Nose and I had been doing well with training with my coach. 5k times had been getting faster, so theoretically my 13.1 time would too?

The night before was full of alcohol and pasta, but I woke up feeling good. Stomach wasn't happy, but it wasn't angry either. Fairly neutral. Tiny victories. It was breezy and cool walking over, but I could see the sun starting to peak out from behind the clouds. I would have preferred the clouds....

Love of my life was doing the 5 miler after doing an ultra the week before, so I started 15 minutes before him. Started off with a downhill. Yay! It was gradual, so knees were ok with this. And my time looked great. Got onto the path and settled in nicely at an 8:40 pace. A bit fast, but lungs and legs felt good, so I just kept going. Classic me.

About halfway through, hill. And I knew this hill was coming, I could have practiced it, but I don't like hills so I didn't. Oooops. Ended up walking it because there was still a long way to go and it's good practice for not burning all my matches. The 2 hour pace group passed me and it took me a solid 2 miles to catch up. Yeesh!

Mile 8. Knee. Knees are dumb. IT bands are dumb. Running is dumb. I had been neglecting foam rolling and stretching and it started to show. A little bit of hobbling and limping while running, but I kept moving forward. And passing people. Which is always my favorite. Teehee.

Mile 10. 5k to go!! But knee and IT band were done. So, so done. And then it wasn't. And then it was. It was such a fun game. Not! But 3.1 miles? I can so that. Easy. So I did. Until mile 12.4. Where there was another massive hill. Seriously?! Why are all finish lines at the tops of hills?! Walked it again because I just didn't have much in the tank, and then I could see it. The finish line!! Searched for my folks and my love, saw them, and dragged my ass over that line. Official time was 1:56.29. I'm back!!

Hot Chocolate 15k

February 17th, 2019. Hot Chocolate 15k in Atlanta. Second race of my "12 Races in 12 Months" Challenge. I was nervous about it being as bad as my half marathon in January. Particularly after getting my foot crushed at work on Friday. It was bruised and slightly swollen. Would I even be ok to run? What if it was too much and it gave out? What if it was fine but my legs still didn't have it in them? Hooray for anxiety....

The morning started like all my mornings. Some carbs, protein, and lots of coffee. The threat of rain loomed as clouds and wind remained the entire waiting period in the corrals. I just had to trust it was going to be ok. I kissed my love goodbye as we made our ways to our separate corrals. Luckily, I found some friends in my corral and that helped calm me down. It's so much nicer to have friends!!

The gun went off and we were off! I felt surprisingly great considering the ride the day before and the potential broken foot. Miles started ticking away...and so did hills! I had no idea Atlanta had hills. And they weren't huge, but it was just roller after roller. The uphills killed my quads, hamstrings, glutes, and lungs. And then the downhills killed my knees. Awesome. But I've learned to run downhill better, so it was delightful to make up some time there.

Mile 5. Up a hill. Great. But over halfway! My pace was a tick under 9/mile. I was thrilled!! Especially with the elevation changes. Mile 6.2. 10k done. Just a 5k left. And I was at around an 8:50/mile pace. Even better! But 3.1 miles can sometimes be a long run. It wasn't time to drop the hammer yet.

Mile 9. Easily go time. Oh wait. It was uphill from mile 8.8 to 9.1. Fantastic. Thanks, Atlanta. But I crested that hill and knew it was mine. I had done what I had set out to do. I wanted to run an average of 9/mile pace. Overall time was 1:21.28 for an 8:45/mile pace. The sense of accomplishment!!! And oh all the chocolate afterwards....

The redemption is sweet, as is the boost of confidence that I gained back. It's a long way to September with a lot more hills to climb along the way, but I needed this "victory" in more ways than words can describe.

And onto the next!

Anxiety

I have anxiety. It's pretty severe at times. It causes many issues in varying degrees in every aspect of my life. I'm 98% sure it's a contributing factor to my GI issues, I lash out at people, more specifically one person who continues to love me despite my nonsense, and it makes my insomnia borderline out of control.

In regards to triathlons, it causes me to push too hard. I go "balls to the walls" in every aspect. All out swims, all out rides, and all out runs. That works for shorter distances. But when the goal is Kona, that just isn't an option anymore. I was wildly overtrained and fatigued last year, and if something doesn't give, history is going to repeat itself.

That being said, I took the steps to change this. I have a coach who is going to plan my workouts so I don't have to stress about them. While still long distance, I have an incredible support system in my S.O. and all of our mutual friends. And most importantly, I have begun the search for a therapist. I need the help right now. And I am not ashamed to say as such.

Red Nose Half Marathon

First race of the season! Red Nose Half Marathon in Columbus, GA. January 5th, 2019.

I was not at all ready. One 9 mile run and one 10 mile run on the books prior to this race. Paces had been off, I was on my third weekend of traveling in a row, averaging 5 hours of sleep for the week leading up to it, working 10+ hours at work, and pushing way too hard for the off season. These aren't excuses. I am not trying to be "woe is me." I am trying to mentally heal.

I started way too fast and fizzled out beyond belief. My stomach was doing jumping jacks, my head was throbbing by mile 2, and my legs were shot. Hooray for not being able to pace! Overall time was 2:06. Not terrible. Really not. But when I wanted to go sub 2 hours, not good enough.

I need to get out of my own way. I can't PR every race. It's not a thing. I need to accept that. Let it go, brain!! It's not safe, it's not healthy, it's not ok.

Find the peace. Find the joy. Find the power.

Happy New Year!

2018 stats
Swim: 100.4 miles
Bike: 2,536 miles
Run: 738.7 miles

Feeling great. Already got 6.2 miles under my belt this morning with the Resolution Run with the S.O. and a bunch of awesome friends. About 16 pounds heavier than I want to be, but it's the hard reset time. I am focused. I am fierce. I am finding the joy.

Bring it on, 2019!