Rebuilding

OK - so maybe I stole the title from Jim Ristow, but its sort of what I'm doing.  Reflecting back on the year - I had a lot of fun, still kept in shape and accomplished what I set out to do:  take a mental break from the discipline of Ironman training.  So I would say on that, mission accomplished.  After this break I am planning on some pretty serious IM training - I will be the youngest in my AG next year and that's the best time to try to get to Kona (as you get to the older AG's).  So, this off season I have taken a look at my body and am doing some serious work to get it ready for next year.
What have I done?
1.  Addressed my bunion issues - -this is a work in progress, but the podiatrist is pretty positive that I can take care of it since it was not too bad.  This has caused me to have to buy new shoes, wear braces on my toes and learn how to run again (in minimalist, zero drop shoes).  This rebuilding is going well.  I am up to 5 miles in the new shoes and everything is going well.  The real test on bunion pain wont come for quite a few months -- not until I start doing 100 mile bike rides.
2.  Give myself over to my Adapt trainer Scott - -Right now Scott controls my workout schedule as we work on my biomechanical issues:  my right hip and as we dig into things, also my left shoulder.  These workouts are really more physical therapy than strength training at this point but I have definitely noticed a difference in the running (my hamstrings are starting to do some of the work!). My hip still goes clunk - -but the clunk is getting less and less.  We have just discovered some weak spots in my shoulders - so very much a work in progress.
3.  Examine my body composition.  Its a hilly race at elevation next year--don't need to say much more.  Currently at 20% BF and would like to get down to 17-18% (This is pretty lean for a 50 yr old woman - -you youngsters and guys don't laugh)  I have a ton of difficulty dropping weight when I am training hard.  So despite it being the holiday season I am trying to take care of this now.  I am now down 7 lbs from where I was at on Thanksgiving day - -probably about 5 more to go.  I am guessing that I will have a bit of a pause for Christmas week but I want to be there by the end of January.  Then I will need everybody's support to keep me there all the way to September.  I will not have been this light since freshman year of high school!
4.  This isn't really on the rebuilding theme - but I have decided to be self-coached this year after many years of having a coach--I guess only time will tell if this is a good move or a mistake.  I learned a lot from my old coach and well - -I'm currently paying for 2 kids in college - so no coach will certainly make things easier.  Over this off-season, I have been laying out the structure of my program all the way up to Tahoe- and I'm pretty happy with what I've come up with so far.

Mentally, I am itching to get on with the real training - -and that is a good sign.  January 7th is the day to start - so I just have a couple of weeks of unstructured exercise left and then the work begins.