So What's Next?

Almost two weeks have passed since Ironman 70.3 Raleigh; my legs feel back to normal and I have enjoyed some lighter workouts and (like George Washington, I cannot tell a lie) some junk food and a few extra glasses of wine.

But now it's time to get busy again.

So what's next?

As the Raleigh race was approaching I did think about taking a couple of months off over the summer to enjoy spending a bit of time at the coast and generally "de-tox" without feeling the need to keep to a rigorous and regular workout schedule.   Several things made me change my mind however:

• I know myself and "taking it a little easier" could quite easily become "laze around and drink too much beer"....    that's NOT what I want!
• SWMBO has been incredibly supportive and has encouraged me to keep training as long as it doesn't interfere significantly with family life.  (Thanks dear!)
• After Ironman 70.3 Raleigh, I really want to do another 70.3 this year!

Before rushing to any decisions I wanted to talk things over with the Coachman, so after the One Step Beyond Coaching group swim session at Triangle Aquatic Center on Tuesday morning we met for breakfast to go over what the rest of the season might look like and beyond.

First decision was that Beach-to-Battleship 70.3 in Wilmington, NC on October 26th (Set-Up Events) would be a good target race.  Objective (weather allowing) is to use the tide assisted swim and flat course to crush the 6 hour barrier. 

We had a good discussion about how training would look for the next couple of months, especially as I'm hoping to spend quite a bit of time at the coast.  I have also had some concerns about my knees having been a bit sore for the past month or so.  I was pleased with our decision to move to a bike and core focus for a while (with maintenance swim and run workouts) before moving back into a full build for the race.

I also decided that I am not going to do any other races between now and Beach-to-Battleship except, perhaps, Outer Banks Olympic for primarily social reasons.

Now this is where it gets a bit scary..........

I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I....   ummmm.....   sort of.......   broached the subject of possibly...... doing a full 140.6 mile Ironman event next fall....    there.....   yep.....    I said it!

Now I'm still a long way from being fully committed to this yet, but The Coachman saw no reason why I shouldn't do it.   My biggest concern is to get family buy in for the amount of training it will entail.  I was somewhat ecouraged by The Coachman saying that much of the training would be broadly similar to what I'm doing now, with the main difference being longer "long" bike and run workouts as the chosen event gets closer. 

Maybe it's time to start looking for a "destination" race to take SWMBO and the Junior Sassoons to?  Next years late season options seem to be:

Lake Tahoe (Sept.)
Kona (Oct.)    World Championships - OK, so maybe not!!
Florida (Nov.)
Arizona (Nov.)
Cozumel (Dec.)

Decisions, decisions.   Florida is a popular "first timers" race, but it sells out extremely quickly (as does Arizona).  I quite like the sound of Lake Tahoe, but there's plenty of time to worry about where!

Another thing that I would like to do if (and it's still a big IF!) I decide to do this, is to try to raise some money for charity.   I need to work on this.  There are several good causes that are close to our hearts and it will be nice to feel that I'm doing something for others as I indulge in this incredibly self-centered sport!

So there, I've said it in public.  I guess time will tell whether it comes to fruition or not!

And for those who may be wondering:  No, I will most certainly not be getting one of these if I happen to sign-up and actually finish....