A new year is almost upon us and I am really quite happy to almost be done with 2009 and move forward to the excitement of 2010!  There is no question that 2009 was one of the toughest years on paper for me but there has never been one single life episode that I have not grown from. Soon I will be 6 feet tall!!!

2009 was the farewell year for our beautiful dogs. I cannot begin to tell you how much they meant to me.  So many of my decisions over the past 13 years revolved around Madison and Brunswick – where I would train, for how long I would travel, where we would live, where I would race and even who I would marry. The fact that Dave loved my dogs made it very easy for me to love him back and when I saw how much he loved them, I knew that he had a huge capacity to love and care.  And so I guess Madison and Brunswick helped me to know that Dave was ‘the one’!  Now, without my Maddy and Bruny, life is a bit lonely and there is a huge hole in our lives. It will be very weird to drive down to Florida this winter without the two of them huddled in the back seat wondering just how long this trip to the park really is going to take. It will be strange to check into a hotel on the way and not see them running down the halls sniffing at all of the rooms. It will be crazy not to have to find a dog friendly house to rent in Clermont!  We so desperately want to get another puppy but I would be trying to find a Madison or a Brunswick and that is impossible. I am sure it will happen but we have to be ready for at least 3 months of no travel and I am not sure when that will be.

2009 was a bit of an unhealthy year for me in terms of my lungs. I am still extremely healthy but I am not the invincible Ironman athlete with the 100% lung capacity. This year has been my first big battle with CF and it was reflected with some very patchy race results. But I did manage to race and that itself is a victory. I did come away with two wins – one at Philippines 70.3 and one at the Muskoka Triathlon – so I was able to satisfy my professional goals even with  my compromised lungs!  And if anything, this year really allowed me to live my mantra – race with heart, finish what you start and do the best you can with your deck of cards!

Friendships have grown, my family is healthy and sport still fills my heart, clears my mind and nourishes my body every single day and so life is in fact pretty darn amazing!  Our Success Camps are all planned for 2010. We will have two ‘winter escape’ camps to Clermont in February and March and our 3^rd annual Muskoka Success Camp in June just before the G-20 summit lands at Deerhurst. It will be a wonderful busy year. We are also working on a name for our coaching  – we are thinking “Live Breathe Triathlon” – LBT – as a bit of a spin on my name ‘LB’ and Triathlon – “Lisa Bentley Triathlon.” There will be more coaching details in a few weeks but it will very limited. And I will start to sell a few items on this website – stay tuned for some fun products!!!

Meanwhile – get some rest over the next few off season months. Keep exercising but move for the joy of sport instead of for the personal best!  Use the off season to live and breathe!  Off to ride and run for fun!

Stay safe and train happy…

Enjoy your visit at LisaBentley.Com!