Hi everybody,

First order of business – Happy New Year 2010 to all –

Your friends and family have already wished you everything else, so me, I will wish you something uncomfortable. Yes, that would not be me otherwise.

I wish you, for 2010,

“to be all you can be, or at least, to try to be all you can be”.

Here you go! This should be a little uncomfortable.

Second order of business – Looking back on 2009 –

I wished you last year to do something worthy to remember in 2009. I hope you did. Years have a terrible habit to fly by and if we don’t make an effort to make them special in some ways they disappear not to ever be remembered. That’s why I really hope you did do something worthy to remember in 2009 because it would have been a big giant waste otherwise. So did you? More uncomfortable moments?

If I look back on my 2009, I did have a great start of the year. I started by winning my age group at the Fred Lebow Classic in Central Park (also finished 22 overall), before finishing 8 overall at the Ice Trail in France (my very first trail race) and running my best 15Km ever in CP finishing 15 overall (53’50’’ or 5’47’’ pace). I went on to reach my first key objective of the year, breaking 2h45 at the Marathon. It was in April in Paris. I gave all I had and ran the distance in 2h44’53. I had finally done it at my fourth attempts. The year was looking promising indeed.

Sport is definitely a school of humility. After Paris, it basically all went wrong. Work, injuries, life, all got together rendering everything else I did in sport in 2009 mediocre. I simply missed all my other year objectives, all of them. I did nothing worthy mentioning in triathlon. I even got my cherished time trial bike stolen. I made little progress swimming and I did not manage to keep up with my bike training. I refused to stop running despite a severe tendonitis and I insisted on racing the NYC marathon injured. I dropped at mile 18 and I am still struggling today to rid myself of the injury. Being an experienced runner does not make me a smart runner evidently. I finally got the message and I did next to nothing in November and December. My only noticeable achievement is to have put on a good 8 pounds, at steady 1 pound a week.

Third order of business – So, what for 2010?

This is indeed the time of the year when not only it is OK to dream, but it is almost a requirement to do so. Let’s do it but let’s be reasonable. A lot will be changing in my life in 2010. I am taking a new job and I am moving back to Paris. This should change my routine a little and will definitely impact my ability to train.

There is a big Running For Margo event at the Paris Marathon in April. Many of my friends will make the trip to support Margo in her fight against her brain tumor. I was hoping to break my PR again but with my ankle still hurting today this won’t be possible. Instead I have decided to run it in preparation for Ironman Nice. Nice is a beautiful race made for me with a challenging bike and a fast marathon. I don’t see how I will put the hours that I would usually put for an Ironman but we shall see. I am still committed to, one day break 10 hours at the Ironman but it is unlikely to be in 2010. I will also probably do Half-Ironman Monaco in September but that’s about all the triathlons I will do in 2010.

I will try to join a good swimming club in Paris. I need a mean coach that will kick my butt and take me to the next level. I have been on a plateau for a few years and this needs to change. I want to see some new PR in the pool and open water.

I don’t know yet if I will do a fall marathon. If I do, it will be to break my 2h44 PR. In any case, I must keep my outstanding half marathon/15K streak going (2006-1h18, 2007-1h17, 2008-1h16 and 2009-1h15). I guess I have no choice but to go after a 1h14 half-marathon or a 52’ for 15K in 2010. I must admit that these times seem awfully fast but…

Finally, I want to keep on contributing to Warren Street Master team. We are again in 2009 the best Master Team in town. I did little for the team this year and it may be challenging for me to contribute in 2010 as I will be in Paris. Yet, I will make it a priority to be there when they need me.

Voila, enough dreaming for now and let’s start to execute.

Happy 2010 to all,

Pascal,