Not a New Year's Resolution

It isn't New Years Day and fitness should never be a beginning of the year resolution, it should be a lifestyle. That being said, I make a new "resolution" about 4 times a year. The space where I was posting my workouts has gone silent out in cyberspace. I am no writer but I do like to keep track of workouts and adventures. Whether or not the stories are of interest to anyone besides myself is another matter.

History of a Lumpy Kid:
I have always felt like I was a "stocky" girl. Okay, sometimes fat would have been a more appropriate description. I'm short and thick, always have been. The trade off is that I think I'm pretty strong, I have good endurance but I wish I had more speed. Guess I'm a slow twitch kind of gal.
I wasn't an athletic kid, I did roller skate (remember this was the 80's people) I even competed for a time as a young teen but as a young adult I was a complete slug except for a few bouts of jazzercise, step aerobics and going to the gym at 5 a.m. kicks.
In my early 30's I started jogging. All my life I had wondered why people run. I thought they were just missing part of their brain or something. Actually even though I've joined the ranks, that hypothesis stands. Runners are crazy. I ran my first "official" 5K just before turning 36 and it was not pretty, it didn't even have a "great personality" but I was hooked. I was lucky enough to be working at a place that had a fitness center and I had/have a boss who was/is a runner. Man is it fantastic to have a boss that understands that a healthy worker is a productive worker. How many people are lucky enough to be TOLD to go for a run when work is hectic and you aren't able to think clearly. I was lucky enough to find a series of running buddies at work and a group doing aerobics in the fitness area. AND THEN....
I met my husband. For the first few months it was occasional jogs, some hiking, nothing major. He introduced me to backpacking which was another enlightening experience. Then came biking. First moutain biking, then road biking. Oh dear. Next thing I know, I've been talked into trying multisport racing. Not triathlons, because I don't swim well, but hours of running, trail running,crawling thru thickets that tear your skin off, orienteering, biking, paddling till you have blisters, etc. So now I've completed several short distance races (less than 4 hours) , a couple of mid distance races ( more than 12 hours), a good number of 5ks, one half marathon and a 100 mile bike ride/race. But I still feel like the chubby kid and I'm rarely happy with my performance, even when I should probably be totally stoked. I think it's a personality flaw. One of many.
In a matter of weeks, I'll be 40. 40. aaaacckkk. When I was turning 35 my goal was to be in better athletic condition than I was at 25. Accomplished, it wasn't difficult considering my condition at 25. This year I think it's time to step it up. I've proven to myself that I have the will power to push thru grueling athletic events. Now I want more. I want faster, I want better, I want to leave the 30 year olds in my dust. In order to do that I must train. I must train differently. This year is about speed play, intervals, strength AND endurance. And no knee injuries!