2013 so far….

I just wanted to drop by my online space and update you guys on what has gone on during the first busy weeks of 2013.

Winter time is always pretty crazy for me as I am traveling back home to Luxembourg and tons of appointments are waiting on me. That’s normal when you travel a lot and everything piles up over the months when you are away. So after a few easy days off after my last disastrous race at Ironman Cozumel, I spent a week working all my meetings off. That was pretty intense and very stressful, but also a lot of fun at times. I was already back to training, so I only gave myself two weeks of total recovery and then went straight back into it. My goal was not to gain too much weight and maintain my fitness. One of the highlights was the election for the Athlete of the Year in Luxembourg where I placed third again. Pretty good but I was hoping for the top spot…weeks later the people in Luxembourg voted for the People’s Athlete of the Year, and despite the official result that came from the votes of the sport press, I ended up winning the People’s Vote by a nice margin. That was great to hear and gave me some motivation to start the year.

Shortly after the Luxembourg visit, I was back in the car and on my way to Northern Italy- in order was a short five day Spa recovering break that we both really needed. This area of Italy is one of our little happy places and we had time to reflect and recharge while training. God, that felt good. Can’t wait to go there next year again. Those amazing five days passed quickly and I was back on the road to the first real camp of the new season. Ski skating in Austria. So I set out for two and a half weeks of work on the skis, but also running, swimming, home trainer riding and all that. I was focused but had time to enjoy the evenings with Alicia, my Mum and her partner, plus our dog. The poor old Leon (the dog) was in his last few weeks due to cancer and I made sure to spend some serious time with him.

Towards the end of the camp I got tired and knew that I was working hard so we packed up and drove back to Luxembourg. Driving is fun when you have a good car sponsor who always supplies you with the newest cars- thanks to Garage Losch for that. One more day of meeting up with my friends and I was back in the plane en route to the warmer climate in Florida.

The weather has been very nice this year and that played in my favor as I needed to get in shape for my first real test at Panama 70.3. It had been a while since I raced that distance and I was not really a 100% yet, but good enough to place 4th overall and collect some needed points.

I am excited about the first highlights that will come early and mid summer, but I will fill you in once we get closer.

For now it’s important to set sail in the right direction and make sure the boat is moving. All seems well now that I am back to work and my normal triathlon routine. The plan is to make 2013 count, in terms of sport but also in life.

All the best to all of you. Stay safe and healthy through out the year and make sure you stick with your goals till you get there. Feel free to follow each move on twitter and facebook, so we can stay connected. Till the next month…