My first race is coming up this weekend and I could not be more excited!

Actually, now that I think about it, that’s a lie… Or not. I am not sure.

Excuse me. I’d better go do some research on this race.

…

Ok. I am back.

Wow! Aehm. Really? I had no idea. I figured it would be your average duathlon but – turns out – it’s not. It goes something like this:

Run: 3.65 miles – mostly on trail/hilly
Bike: 30 miles – includes 3! u-turns
Run: 3.75 miles – all on trail/very hilly

Who knew? I honestly had no idea although I have been signed up for this event for months now. I haven’t run on trail since October and I have never been a fan of u-turns!

… 5 days later: 

Ok. This time I am back for real. I have given it some thought and have decided that: Of course I am excited for this race! Hello! It’s a race after all and I have not raced since 70.3 Worlds in September. (Except for the St. George Halfmarathon but running races don’t really count.) It’s about time to start the 2012 racing season party! I would rather start the season off with a triathlon than a duathlon but triathlons are a little hard to come by this early in the season even when one lives in the desert. I have only competed in a handful of run-bike-run events but, as far as I can remember, they hurt much worse than swim-bike-run.

Although the very anxiously anticipated TriFest in Tucson is not until later in March, TriSports sent me an outfit in the mail today and I can now represent my new sponsor properly! Very exciting! Thank you!

Here is my (very tentative and hopefully incomplete) racing schedule for 2012:

March 31st:

April  21st:

August 4th:

I am stoked! The first highlight is definitely Oceanside 70.3 in just a few weeks! This is the race I have been training for over the last few months and I am very excited! At the end of May, I am taking the kids and my bike* to Germany and I can’t wait to be part of the Half-Distance European Championships that will be taking place in my backyard. When I signed up for this race, I had no clue what I was getting myself into** but, as it turns out, this is the biggest half-distance race in Europe and, as of this year, also the Championships! Wow. I can’t wait!

*Any advice on how to best get my bike over there is much appreciated. In case anybody has a bike box they want to lend me, let me know…
**Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

I’d better stop here before I bubble over with excitement. Time to get a good night’s sleep, and prepare myself the best I can for all these fun events coming up!

Happy Training to Everyone!