kimloeffler

I am so happy to be back on Cervelo for 2012. When it comes to bikes, Cervelo is the creme of the crop, and now with the launching of the new P5, they have definitely raised the bar once again.  A few months ago, I was given the opportunity to test out the 2011 P4.  The bike is solid, comfortable, fast and as you can see from the photo below, I am just loving it.

I am fortunate to be sponsored by Zipp once again in 2012.  My P4 is decked out with Zipp wheels, Zipp aerobars, Sram Quarq crankset and my ISM podium saddle.  I am thrilled to be riding Cervelo again and look forward to racing the P4 in just a few short weeks at San Juan 70.3!

Finally starting to put together a race schedule! When I started racing Pro, my goals were to win an Ironman and to finish in the top 10 in Kona in one year.  I accomplished my top 10 back in 2005 with a breakthrough race fiinishing 8th and top American.  The Ironman victory has eluded me.  I’ve been oh so close with 4 runner up finshes.  As I enter a new race season, my goals have not waivered and I going for it once again in 2012!  We are still finalizing things, but here is what we are thinking so far:

Ironman New Zealand-I know it is early.  I am an Ironman junkie, what can I say! Our plan is to race NZ off of base training and accumulate some early points for the big dance.

TX 70.3-flat-yuck, but hot and humid-yay!

St. Croix-I have always wanted to do this race-this is the year!

Ironman Brazil-another race that has been on my bucket list-very excited for the race and the race-cation!

Season Part 2 will be determined after Brazil-depending on my ranking in the KPR.

Training here at the NTC in Clermont is going really well. I am swimming and biking more than ever for January, keeping up with my LB plyo routine and feeling strong and fired up for 2012!

Yes, there is great biking in FL!

Certainly I can deal with the 3 sessions a week that are SCY!

I was told I am too skinny to draft off of, so I decided to take one for the team!

Time has really flown by since Ironman Florida and it’s hard to believe another season is now underway!  I took a long break after Ironman Florida.  I had a long season and my body was telling me it needed some rest.  I had been telling my legs to shut up and go for a long time and now it was time to respect the plea!  I had a great holiday season with my family and friends.  There were lots of dog walks, coffee dates and lazy days.  It’s always nice to take a break and do all the little things that get cut short when you are training for 5 Ironman’s in one year.

So here were are.. 2012… I’ve been back at it for 2 weeks now and it’s great to feel like an athlete again.  I’ve decided to set up camp in Clermont FL.  It is a quick direct flight home and one of the warmest and sunniest places in the country with an amazing 50m outdoor pool and swim program.  My goal over the next few weeks is to work on my swimming.  I typically start racing in January and it was a very hard  decision to sit out of Pucon 70.3.  My pool times were better than ever last year , yet my races did not reflect the improvement.  My coach and I feel like we are on the bubble, so this is the year!  I am postponing my race plans until Feb or March to allow for a solid swim focus.  As my coach Lisa Bentley puts it, I am on the shut up and swim, bike, run program for the next 2 months!  Time to get my legs strong and learn to keep that darn elbow up!

I have a busy year coming up.  We are planning to do a few training camps for our On Track coaching athletes (www.ontrackhealth.net), a summer kids triathlon camp, and will continue to fundraise for our local charity: http://www.takumta.org/.  Camp Ta-Kum-Ta is a camp based in Vermont, where kids who have or have had cancer can come to play, swim, share and heal.  We have been working with this organization for several years now and have many events planned throughout the year.

I am in the process of planning my race schedule and I am having a very hard time-so many races so little time!  I am hoping to start my race season at Ironman 70.3 San Juan.  I will be posting my race schedule soon.    OK, enough blogging, time to shut up and train!