Whole Iron Woman turned one on Saturday – hard to believe it’s been one year since I started on this blogging journey. My original purpose for this blog was to document my half Ironman training. I had no idea that people – other than my close friends and family – would actually read it.

What’s in a name? The name Whole Iron Woman was actually the idea of the Spectathlete. We were brainstorming blog names, and I was coming up with nothing other than naming it after my twitter handle (@trirunner302) – boring. The Spectathlete suggested the play on “half ironman” since that race was the inspiration for the blog. I liked it, and Whole Iron Woman was born. Thanks to the design genius of Alison Carrier, we were able to personalize Whole Iron Woman with the nifty purple collage of my racing highlights.

The past twelve months have been a learning experience. This blog has kept me honest about my training and focused on becoming a better and stronger athlete.  Whole Iron Woman has also connected me with a larger community of endurance athletes who have become a sounding board and a constant source of inspiration and advice.

Here are some of my highlights from the past year:

Total number of posts: 131

Total number of hits: 13,607

Busiest day: December, 19, 2011 (the post that had NOTHING to do with sports)

Most popular post: Race Report – Amica Ironman 70.3

Most popular guest post: Not the Three Way I Was Hoping For

My Favorite guest post: Confessions of  Newbie Triathlete

My Favorite post: Thou Shalt Not Whine and Wonder Women (it’s a tie)

One of my funnier moments: Can You Find a Less Crazy Hobby

Most paranoid moment: Half Ironman Panic Syndrome (HIPS)

Best race report: DC Tri

Only post about a podium finish: Splash n’ Dash – Race Report

My favorite post about a PR: Yo Adrian, I Did It!

Number of blogging networks joined: 3 (BlogHer, EmpowHER & Fitfluential)

Number of my posts on other blogs: 2 (Greatist & Huffington Post)

Number of product reviews: 4 (Sufferfest, BodyMedia FITness Challenge, 2 books)

Number of race reports: 12

Looking ahead to year two of Whole Iron Woman, I will continue to blog about my training and racing ups and downs as well as the more interesting parts of my life as a endurance athlete. I also want to write more about current trends and topics within the world of triathlon. I religiously read Triathlete, Competitor and other triathlon-related blogs so a lack of content is not a problem. It’s just a matter of committing the time to sit down and write about it. Finally, I would love to do more product reviews. So if Brooks, Lululemon, Athleta, Cervelo, Garmin, SOAS or TYR is reading, I’m ready, willing and able to review your stuff – just send it my way!

Thanks to everyone who has been reading this blog! I appreciate your feedback, and I’m looking forward to another great year of swimming, biking, running and blogging! As we head into the 2012 season, I thought I would share this video of my 2011 season – courtesy of Heather. Enjoy!

I’m always looking to read new and interesting blogs. If you write a blog, leave me a comment with your blog url so I can start reading you! And if you don’t blog, what are you waiting for? It’s time to join the fun!