Update

I thought I would post to give you all an update on how I am doing and what I am thinking. Well, I can happily say that I am recovering and I am feeling much better. The last few days have been brutal and I am just glad that the worst has passed. I still need a few more days of complete rest to fully recover so my weekend will be spent in bed but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...finally! I just want to stay healthy for the remainder of the year...that's my number one goal.
I have obviously been thinking a lot about how my season is shaping up or not shaping up I should say. I have gone back and forth about whether or not to race this season. It is easy right now to feel down and to fill my head with negative thoughts b/c, let's face it, I have had two major set backs already this year and I haven't done any training for basically 4 weeks. Plus, I did finish last season completely burned out and ready for a major break. I am a person fueled by emotion and I need strong emotions to race fast...this has been lacking for me since october so I think it is quite normal to be wrestling with whether to race in 2008 or to take a year break from racing and just train whenever and whatever I want. However, this being said, I know what type of person I am and I know that once I get back out on the trails my competitive spirit will return and I will be motivated more than ever b/c I have been laid up for a month.
So, I will get back to training once I make a full recovery (hopefully by monday) and I will evalute how things are going throughout the first couple months. I am pretty sure that my fire to race and go hard will be burning strong and things will come around for me but I have promised myself that if the desire just isn't there to race in 2008 I won't force the issue. I must say that I am so excited to be active again and I think this excitement will continue for a long time. Never before have I been out for so long. I guess this is a good thing. Quite honestly, I needed a long break and these setbacks will serve as serious motivation in the coming months. Like I said before, I am fueled by emotion and nothing will evoke that emotion more then being overweight, out of shape and getting my butt kicked by people that shouldn't be even close to me. So, deep down I know I have the desire to race and I truly want to BIG this year and show everyone what I am truly capable of.
When I looked at my training plan I actually realized that if I peak for alabama and richmond I will be able to get in 3 base phases, 2 build phases, and a peak/race phase. This is contingent on starting my training January 14th. So, in reality, I am starting my annual training plan at just the right time. Sure, in an ideal world I would have been healthy for the last month and putting in some light training to prepare my body but, starting January 14th will leave me plenty of time to be in shape for races in June and I run less risk of burn out come nationals and worlds in october. I think this is key as it is so important to be hungry to compete in october b/c, let's be honest, the two biggest races of the year fall in october just a mere 3 weeks apart. So things are looking on the up and up and I think the key is to not focus on what has happen but rather on what is going to happen. I don't dwell in the past but, rather, prefer to focus on what I can do to make the future brighter and I think this attitude will serve me well as I begin my 2008 Xterra campaign.
Here are some pictures from the holiday...I did have a few adventures during my week of being healthy =)



--Saw some racing at the track...it was amazing.


--Oh, glorious snow!


--The skinfit lifestyle