You can't do it all (at once)

There are a lot of awesome races out there.  I've done a few of them.  My very first race, a 5K, was in Canmore, surrounded by mountains.  The Banff triathlon, also in the midst of the mountains is pretty much my favourite course yet.

There is an ever expanding list of races I find myself wanting to do.  At the same time, there are frequently races that I've done which I want to repeat.  If I actually did every race I'd like to, I'd be doing a race almost every weekend.  I'd probably even have to find a way to put myself in two places at once.

This desire to do it all is part of what led me to sign up for a second half Ironman this summer.  Great White North is a race that receives rave reviews.  On top of that, it pretty much seems like everybody does that race.  Yes, I am a bit of a 15 year old girl for wanting to do a race just because "everybody is doing it", but I still can't wait to experience the team atmosphere on that course.  Now in my defense, I really did want to do two half ironman races anyways.  I also signed up for it with my coach's blessing.

Today I heard that there is likely going to be a marathon in Banff in 2013.  My immediate thought was: I want to do that!  How awesome would it be to do my very first marathon in the midst of the mountains?  It sounds crazy and corny, but when I am surrounded by mountains, I feel centred and at peace.  Doing a race there just seems right.

But then, there is the fact that it will be only two weeks before my first half Ironman of the season, which is also my A race this year.  I know very well that you don't do a race that requires significant recovery (such as a marathon) anywhere close to your A race.  By the time my coach sent out an email (to the team; it wasn't actually a hint just for me) mentioning the marathon, I knew I couldn't do it.  Not this year.

Sometimes, it feels like you have to fit everything in.  Racing is still very new for me, and I want to do everything.  I've never had a lot of patience, but this is one of those times when you need it.  It's unlikely to work to do that race next year either.  I might have to wait years before I can feasibly consider it, all because there's other races I want to do more.  The upside is that I have years.  Lots of them.  Even if I occasionally feel old, I'm not even half the age of some Ironman finishers.  I have time, lots of time, to fit it all in, and if I want to do it well, I need to take that time.

Of course, it looks like they might also have a half marathon option...


Little side note: I'm just going to touch on my lack of blogging lately.  I've mentioned in the past that a blogging lapse often means I'm going through a rough patch.  That isn't the case at all this time.  Things are actually extremely good, and extremely busy.  I'm finding a new balance in life, which on top of the balls I already juggled, now includes a job and more structured training program.  The blog is an optional thing that I do when it works for me, and I'm pleased to say that I'm feeling the writing itch lately, so I expect it will become more frequent again.  At this point though, a lower blogging frequency doesn't mean anything negative.