I Have a Cunning Plan!

Phew! It has been a while since I have posted. Things have been very busy with work, the Holidays and generally crazy "life stuff"!

I'll admit that after Beach-to-Battleship 70.3 I got pretty lazy. What started as "take it easy for a few weeks" became "do hardly anything at all in November and December"! I don't particularly feel the need to apologize for this, as I was feeling pretty exhausted and a little burned out with training, so I took a minimalistic approach (just the odd run here and there) and enjoyed the holidays - the scale tells me that, perhaps, I enjoyed them a little too much!

Now that 2014 is well underway I am back in the swing of things and enjoying "getting my Mo Jo back" as The Coachman called it. Not only that, but this is no random training routine - I have a cunning plan!

No, that's not me! That's "Baldrick" from the highly popular BBC TV series Blackadder. He frequently came up with a "cunning plan" that was invariably completely ridiculous or doomed to failure.... I'm pretty sure that my "cunning plan" is no more likely to be successful than Baldrick's, but here it is:

Trumpets please....

I'm going to do a full 140.6 mile Ironman race in 2015 with (at least) Compass and (hopefully) Flipper and Snort.

There, I said it.... have I lost my freakin' mind? Probably, but I'm going to give it a go anyway. Having now completed three 70.3 mile "half Ironman" races (rev 3. South Carolina; Raleigh Ironman 70.3 and Beach-to-Battleship) I feel confident that if I train properly I can do this. If I'm going to do 140.6 miles it might as well be a "destination race" under the Ironman brand. I originally thought that I might give it a go this year, but three major considerations made me delay until 2015:

1. Quite simply, I couldn't find a race that hadn't already sold out that fit with the Sassoon family schedule (many of these races sell out 12 months in advance).

2. The Madbirds agreed to do one together, but Compass managed to get herself knocked-up and will become a Mom at some point over the next few weeks. She needs time to get back to her training and racing shape (and she has absolutely no idea what she's in for - it's all quite cute!)

3. Finally, if I am going to do this, I am going to do this properly and I want to address some of my triathlon limiters this year before going big.

At this point we have not decided what race we will do, but Ironman Florida and Ironman Chattanooga seem to be strong candidates.

So... what does all of this mean for 2014? I hear you ask. Well, actually I don't, but I'm going to bore you with the details anyway!

This year I want to work on form and speed (the two being related of course!). To help me get faster I have come up with a few key objectives that I'll be working on:

* Significantly improve my core strength and flexibility. The Coachman has already introduced a lot more core work into my training calendar and I intend to really improve my proficiency with the TRX. There are a lot of planks in my future!

* Focus on Olympic distance races. I'm already signed-up for Raleigh Ironman 70.3 again, but apart from that I will stay shorter. Olympic races maintain a good swim distance (1500 M) and a nice hard 10k at the end.

* Lose weight! (and, as importantly, drastically decrease my body fat percentage). I feel that 180 lbs would be a good race weight for me - we'll see! The year has started well with healthy eating and zero alcohol since January 1st.

* Improve my technique - especially swim and run. Lots of run drills; hopefully a gait analysis and attend the OSB Powerstroke Clinic in the spring.

* More bike miles and train with a power meter. I'm still researching types and brands of power meter, but I'll be flashing my credit card when/if my bonus comes through!

* A little more open water swim work e.g. with the Beaver Dam group on Wednesday nights once the water warms up a bit.

To help move things forward it's always good to have some races to look forward to. Here's my early season calendar:


March - a local 5k or two. As yet undecided.

Sunday April 13th. Raleigh Rock n Roll Half Marathon. I will likely run this with fellow St. Timothy's School parent Leigh Baker - should be a hoot!

Saturday April 26th. Arlington Place Olympic Triathlon. Arapahoe, NC. Set-up Events.

Sunday May 4th. Raven Rock Ramble. 100 mile(+) bike ride.

Saturday May 20th (tentative). Jordan Lake Open Water Challenge 1.2 miles.

Saturday May 17th. Cary Duathlon (short course)

Sunday June 1st. Raleigh Ironman 70.3

Phew! I'm already tired just thinking about it! Really "pumped" though.... it's going to be a great season!

Oh, so THAT'S why I'm tired!

So I was looking at Training Peaks (www.trainingpeaks.com) today to check out options for recording food intake (yes folks, I'm serious about getting back down to "racing weight") and just for fun I went to the dashboard and checked out my year-to-date training totals.

These are likely a slight underestimate as not absolutely every workout gets reported and this does not include walking, gym work and other "cross-training".

Bike: 2,340 miles

Run: 644 miles

Swim: 146,611 yards (or 83.3 miles)

No wonder I keep falling asleep in the chair like a sad old middle-aged man! Oh...... wait.......

It's kind of cool when you look at it like this, but I need more "TITS" (time in the saddle) next year if I'm going to improve that bike speed!

Disclaimer:  This is not actually me - Compass, Snort and Flipper will attest to the fact that I have more hair....  
otherwise it's pretty close!

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I was very happy yesterday when my new Brooks Racer 5 ST running shoes arrived in the mail.

These have been my favorite make/model running shoes for a while and every time I get 350-400 miles on my previous pair I'm relieved that they are still making them.

When I started this crazy triathlon thing I tried several different makes of shoe, but none of them really worked for me. Nikes seemed to wear really quickly on the outside; others didn't have a wide enough toe box for my flipper feet (why on earth don't I swim faster?).

A couple of years back the guys at Bull City Running fitted me for these and I haven't looked back. They are nice an light and super comfortable - this is my fourth pair. As you can see, they have been made in a range of colors over the past couple of years!

Try as I might I can't get this picture to post the right way up - just imagine that you're in Australia!  The middle pair (my most recent) are usually white in the toe, but a few muddy runs recently have taken their toll!

A couple of weeks back, while I was marshaling at the Outer Banks Marathon, I visited the race expo. and the very nice Newton's rep tried to persuade me to switch. I have thought about trying them for a while, but they felt a little uncomfortable when I tried them on..... why change? I love these Racer 5 STs and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"!

Thanks Brooks - I guess you can count this as a favorable product review!

Singing The Off Season Blues!

Oh yeah, I got the off-season blues!

Beach 2 Battleship was almost a month ago and I seem to be becoming a big fat slob! I'm sure my  weight has probably pushed back up somewhere towards 200 lbs, but thankfully I haven't been stupid enough to look!   Via a combination of circumstances which include "budget time" at work; work travel; out-of-town visitors; general family stuff and pure laziness I have managed to do very little in the way of workouts over the past few weeks and now I'm struggling a little to get motivated.....

On the plus side, it has given me the chance to rest my knee for a while and I've enjoyed a little more red wine in the evenings! But now it's time to get real again, and this week I have at least managed to keep-up with the light workout schedule that The Coachman has prescribed (albeit not in the order he gave me - probably another demerit for me!).

Another positive to come out of this is that I've had the chance to slow down a little and think about my objectives for the off-season and next years racing calendar.

Along with the other "Mad Birds", Compass, Snort and Flipper, I have been thinking a lot about whether I want to do a full Ironman distance 140.6 mile race.  After a lot of thought and discussion (including, of course, with SWMBO and The Coachman) I have come to the conclusion that, yes, I would like to do a full Ironman, but that 2014 is not the best year.  We struggled to find a race that fits with our already crazy calendar and how I would fit in not only the race itself, but all of the training required.

A secondary consideration was a non-binding pact that was made with the Mad Birds to race a 140.6 together.  This appeals not only because they are a fun and crazy bunch, but because we could train together sometimes (riding 100+ miles up to Virginia and back on your own gets old quickly!).  Compass, of course, is preggers at the moment, so obviously nothing for her next year (it's cute that she still has absolutely no idea what she has coming to her!  :-)  ) but she's determined to do one in 2015.   Trying to get Snort to commit to anything (except food and alcohol) is like trying to nail jello to a wall, but we all know that she'll do one.  Flipper has taken a different approach and signed-up for Ironman Coeur d'Alene next year.  She states that it will probably be the only one she ever does, but we know that that's BS as well!

So....    if the longer term objective is a 140.6 in 2015 with an emotional new mother, an angry soccer mom and a broken distance athlete, what will next season hold?   :-)

I'm already signed-up for Ironman Raleigh 70.6 in June, so that will become my "A" race.   Beyond that, I currently have no commitments, so I have started to think about what my limiters are and what I can do in 2014 to prepare for the possibility of "going long" in 2015.  Here, in a nut shell, is what I came up with:

1. I can generally do the longer distances and have a good mind set for endurance, but I'm slooooow.   I need to work on speed before I start to pick-up endurance work again
2. My technique could be much better in all three disciplines.  Especially swim and run, but also on the bike.  I need to improve my technique.
3. Core strength and flexibility are definitely limiters for this Old Fart.   I can improve these.
4. I weigh too much.  If I'm serious, I should lose around 15 lbs or so.   

So, after chatting with The Coachman, we have an off-season plan that will include more drills, speedwork and core/strength training.  I also intend to do The OSB Power Stroke clinic in the spring and, hopefully, do some individual video swim sessions with The Coachman.   I would also like to see if there's somewhere I can get video gait analysis for my run.

On top of that, if I'm lucky enough to get a bonus this year, I may invest in a power meter for the bike - just one more thing for the geek in me to analyse and obsess over! 
As for losing 15 lbs, obviously once I start burning more calories again that will help, but I also intend to get serious about diet and "calories in".   I'm realistic though, and will try to be sensible over the holiday period without beating myself up before getting more focused in the New Year.  I'm so lucky that SWMBO is a truly fantastic cook and that we already use healthy indredients and eat very healthy food, but I can still cut down on snacking, make some substitutions, use "portion control" and go easy on the red wine! 

From the race point-of-view, it seems to me that Olympic distance races are perfectly suited to my objectives - I can keep distance/endurance in the swim and suffer like hell in the bike and run legs!  :-)   So I will be targeting Olympic distance and no doubt throw in a few sprints, road races and probably the Cary Duathlon at the start of the season.   I'll keep you posted as the race calendar develops.

Now I just need everyone to keep reminding me of these goals and to help me get there - thanks! 

Beach 2 Battleship Race Report

Back on Saturday October 26th I took part in the Beach 2 Battleship 70.3 mile "half iron" distance triathlon in Wilmington, NC..... I guess this race report is long overdue. I'll try to keep it short!

This race is gaining a very good reputation and (somewhat surprisingly, I have to say) is rated by Triathlon Magazine readers as one of the top five triathlons in the world.... It's a great race, but how can this be when there are so many great races and venues?

Anyway....

I'll spare you all of the usual preamble; suffice to say that I made the two hour drive down to Wilmington on a beautiful, crisp Friday morning and arrived at the Convention Center on time. The check-in line was pretty long....

...but apart from that, everythiing was very well organized. After taking a look around the expo. and buying a natty new bike jersey, I attended a long, but entertaining compulsory athlete briefing (where I sat with fellow OSB athlete and fellow Brit Anne McDonald and her family) before dropping my "T2" gear bag off and heading out to Wrightsville Beach to drop off The Slut and set-up my "T1" transition area

Anne - pretending to be nervous before the race, when really she knows that she's going to absolutely crush the run and smash her personal best tomorrow!

The transition area was on the grounds of the Wrightsville Beach Municiple Complex. Thankfully there was plenty of parking and I soon had The Slut in position before heading over to take a look at the swim finish.

How T1 would have looked before color photography was invented....



....and in 2013



It was nice that my number matched the year of my birth!

The ubiquitous shot of The Slut in position

The swim for this race is in the intercoastal waterway. The start is on Wrightsville Beach island and once in the water you basically turn right and swim about 3/4 of a mile to a single turn buoy before turning left and cutting diagonally past a small island to the swim exit at Seapath Marina.


 



The swim finish showing the path around the island and diagonal swim to Seapath Marina

There were numerous athletes from the Outer Banks Tri Group competing and it was nice to run into Jim Snyder and Samantha after checking out the swim finish. The following day Jim would run the entire 26.1 mile marathon (he was doing the "full iron" distance) in a gas mask to raise awareness for wounded warriors - awesome!

Now that I was set-up and had the lay-of-the-land, there wasn't much to do but head back to the hotal and wait for SWMBO and the Junior Sassoons to arrive! Once they were safely checked-in we enjoyed dinner at the local Olive Garden and headed back for an early night!

This race starts at 07:30 for the 140.6 distance and 08:00 for the 70.3 mile distance so it made a nice change not to have to set the alarm for 04:00! On top of this, there was a wave start for the 70.3 and my advanced age meant that I was in the second to last group to start and wouldn't be entering the water until around 09:20. The previous evening I had arranged a taxi to take me from the hotel to Wrightsville Beach and it arrived only a few minutes late at around 06:45 (phew!). The first thing that I noticed as I stepped out into the fresh air.... it was freakin' cold! The O/N low was close to a record for the date in Wilmington and it was around 34 F and breezy as we left.

Once I had double-checked my T1 area and spent some time chatting to Anne and her husband Dave and also to OSB Athlete Audrey Shipprack (who wasn't racing, but was supporting her friend Diane) I headed to the shuttle bus that would take me to the swim start.

Despite my late wave start, all athletes had to be over the bridge and onto the island early, so unfortunately I was in for a long wait in the freezing conditions. I had my wetsuit on and was layered-up with a long-sleeve T, a ratty old sweathsirt, socks, old sneakers and Dollar Store gloves (all of which would be left at the start and donated to the Salvation Army) but it was still COOOLD! Things improved slightly as the sun got a little higher, but I was very pleased when it was finally my turn to get into the water, which was still close to 70F.

Swim: 1.2 miles. 00:39:43

Beach 2 Battleship has a reputation for fast swim legs because there is often a "tidal push" that helps propel you to the finish. Unfortunately this year.... not so much! The tide was basically slack, so there was little, if any, push as shown by my time, which was slightly slower than I swam at Raleigh Ironman 70.3.

After getting "that constricted feeling" for a short time while wearing my wet suit at Lake Royale Sprint, I decided to stay out of the fray and waited for the faster guys in my age group (white caps) to get going before I started. I pretty soon got out to the middle of the channel and found good water and a nice steady stroke. There were a few guys who were a little erratic and crossed my line, but in general I had no difficulty sighting off the large orange turn buoy that was 3/4 of a mile ahead. No problem with the turn and then think that I took a good line cutting closer to the jetty on the right, followed by the grassy island on the left as I headed to the finish. Overall I was satisfied with this.

The swim exit was up steps onto a dock and there were "wet suit strippers" to help you remove your rubbery warmth.... brrrrr! It was chilly when that came off! There was a long run (about a quarter of a mile) over rough pavement to T1, but on the plus side, there was a walk-through tent with warm showers running to help flush away some salt water.



Coming out of the water with wetsuit under my arm and sporting my new OSB Racing Team shorts!


T1 was uneventful. 00:06:23 - sounds slow, but that includes the long run and putting on arm warmers, gloves and a wind jacket for the bike - it was still COLD!

Bike. 56 miles. 03:11:06.

Definitely slower that I was targeting (and slower than Raleigh Ironman 70.3, but this was a common story because of the wind). The way the course is set-up you basically ride ~35 miles north out of Wrightsville Beach and then ~20 miles south back into downtown Wilmington. Unfortulately there was a pretty good wind from the north, so the first 35 miles plus felt like a lot of hard work! I kept in aero position and maintained a good cadence, but it was always destined to be a slow ride. I didn't have any issues on the two "metal grid" bridges that everyone had talked so much about last year. Another plus was that I managed to judge my clothing well and stayed warm without over-heating. My major observation is that the bike course is bor-ing! Lots of flat highway and not much of interest until close to Wilmington. Because I was in a late wave start, I wasn't overtaken by many people and overtook loads, so that at least made it a little more fun!


Wrapped-up warmly somewhere on the bike course!


T2 was pretty uneventful.  Somewhat unusual in that you hand your bike off to a volunteer who racks it inside the Convention Center before running to a changing area where you pick-up your gear bag and change into running shoes.  Unusually I stopped to pee!    00:04:33

Run.  13.1 miles.   02:21:17.

Ugh!   This is where I fell apart a little because my right knee started hurting so badly!   The run started well and I felt good when I first spotted Compass and Flipper cheering me on and making sarcastic comments about my hair!   :-)   They had come to support me, Rabbit and others that they know - awesome!  Shortly after that, as I passed the finishing chute on my way out, it was even more awesome to see SWMBO and the Junior Sassons, who were making posters as I passed.   The course went south along the river walk and out of Wilmington Center before a long out-and-back section through a park around a lake.  Apparently at one point there was a juvenile alligator lying on the course, but I didn't see it!  

About three or four miles in I became acutely aware that my right knee was hurting and, before long, I was down to not much more than a jog.   I'm pleased with myself for "toughing it out" and running the whole thing (apart from a couple of aid stations where I walked so that I could drink) but the time is obviously pretty dismal!   It was nice to see Compass and Flipper again as they rode their bikes next to me and chatted a while before disappearing (presumably to some bar or house of ill-repute!). Great also to see speedy Anne and crazy Aussie Eleanor Richardson as the passed me on their return legs as I was still running out. Somewhere out there Angie McDonald, who I had seen at the swim start, was also rocking it. There was a great OSB cheering section in downtown Wilmington, but I have no idea who they were! All I know is that I want some of what they were drinking! :-)


Overall:   06:23:01    Much slower that I was targeting, but I'm not beating myself up - many others were in the same boat because of the conditions and my knee problem didn't help!

After ice cream with the Junior Sassoons we picked-up my bike and gear bags before heading back to the hotel for a shower and short rest. The wonderful Thai food that evening was well earned!



The run before my knee started hurting!

 

On Sunday we enjoyed a really nice day looking around historic downtown Wilmington and touring the Bellamy Mansion before heading home.

Another one in the books!



The Sassoons on Sunday morning with the USS North Carolina in the background.   Thanks so much for coming out to support me - I love you!

Lake Royale Sprint Triathlon Race Report

When my plans to race the Outer Banks Olympic Tri fell through because of a scheduling conflict I got a little "itchy" because I have raced fewer times than usual this year and I wanted to get in at least one more "practice race" before Beach-to-Battleship 70.3 at the end of the month. While the Lake Royale Sprint is obviously nowhere near the same distance, it is relatively local and well-timed at three weeks before B-2-B so, after checking with the Coachman, I signed-up.

In 2010 this was the second triathlon I ever did so I thought that it would be fun to compare performances. The race takes place in the Lake Royale development (resort community?) just outside Louisburg, NC - a nice 40 minute or so drive from home. It's organized by FS Series and I remembered it being a nice, friendly event.

The logistics of the race mean that you have to drop your bike and gear at the transition area before driving a couple of miles to the parking area and taking a shuttle beack to the start, so I knew that I wanted to get there early. I woke before my alarm (as usual) and took my time over coffee and a bagel. I had packed my gear into the car and loaded The Slut the night before, so it was then just a case of jump in and drive.

The dark drive along Route 98 through Wake Forest was pretty cool - it certainly had a good "Halloween Vibe" as the car head lights illuminated the fog banks.

Pretty soon I arrived at Lake Royale, took the long drive down to the lake and off-loaded my gear and bike. I was pleased to see that my race number (90) put me right at the bike exit from transition and I was early enough to get the first slot on the rack. After parking and waiting quite a while for the shuttle back to the start the sun finally emerged from behind the trees and the transition area started to fill....

The ubiquitous shot of The Slut wearing her Zipp 808 race wheels (and my "yard sale" of gear and clothing!)

Frantic preparations.

After collecting my timing chip and getting "body marked" I had plenty of time for warm-ups and so took The Slut for a four mile spin before slipping on my running shoes and running for a while on the first part of the run course. I was pleased I did this as it quickly reminded me of how hilly the run course and the first part of the bike course are - I made sure that The Slut was left in a low gear when I re-racked her! Finally it was time to go for a warm-up swim and get ready for the start.

Sun emerging over the swim start.

While listening to the race briefing I ran into fellow One Step Beyond Athlete Erin Cutrell who had signed-up for the race at the last minute and after a fist pump I was called down to the men's start....

Swim: 500 M.
The water in the lake was pleasantly warm, but still cool enough for the race to be declared "wet suit legal". I decided that, given that I hadn't swum in a wetsuit for months and that a wet suit is compulsory for Beach-to-Battleship, I would wear mine. Only a short swim, but I figured that the time lost taking it off in transition would probably be balanced out by the added buoyancy that a wetsuit provides during the swim. For this race there were two mass starts - first all men and then all women three minutes later. The course was roughly an clockwise elongated triangle. I lined-up on the right as it seemed a better angle towards the turn buoy, but it ultimately turned out to be somewhat of a mistake.... This was definitely one of the rougher swims that I have been in - there was a LOT of contact and I took several good blows from arms and legs (and, I think, delivered a few too!). Never-the-less, I felt pretty good on the first leg - until, that is, I approached the turn buoy. Holy crap - what a scrum! As I positioned myself to round the buoy, dozens of swimmers who had started further left started to squeeze over. I was pretty much pressed right up against the buoy and had to switch to breaststroke and basically fight my way around. As I came out the other side into the second (longest) swim leg, I felt unsettled and that all-too-familiar panicky constricted feeling - why, oh why, did I wear that darned wetsuit? I told myself to slow down and breathe, did a little side stroke and managed to find some open water by deliberately swimming a little to the right. Thankfully I was soon back to freestyle and finished reasonably well. Ultimately it was a good lesson for Beach-to-Battleship (I don't do well in scrums!) and on reflection I can be pleased with the way I handled it and recovered.

Time: 09:31. 1:54 per 100M. My target was "sub 9" but the scrum incident obviously messed that up! [My 2010 time was 11:19]. Somewhat surprised to be 29th male out of the water!

T1: The first transition was uneventful. I had sprayed PAM on the ankles of my wetsuit before the race and it worked like a charm as my ankles slipped out of the legs without me having to look as if I was fighting a sea lion! 01:14

Bike: 15 miles.
The out-and-back course features two very distinct sections. The section leaving and returning through the Lake Royale community is extremely technical, with hills and a lot of very tight turns. Once out onto public roads the course is (relatively) flat through farm land, but the road surface is a little rough in places.

During the race there were at least two crashes. Thankfully these two were not too seriously hurt and managed to smile about it afterwards. The young lady broke the forks on her bike and got nasty road rash, but still managed to go on to finish the run - Bad Ass! :-)

My ride was pretty uneventful apart from at the tight turnaround point where I went in a little fast and skidded the back wheel. Thankfully my cat like agility (yeah right!) saved me and I just managed to keep things upright! Erin cruised past me a few miles in and was obviously going very well as first lady on the course. I feel that I kept things going pretty well - maintained aero position and kept a good cadence. Geared well on the hills and cornered well too.

Time: 48:15. 19.1 mph average. I was targeting 20 mph, but must admit that I had completely forgotten how hilly and twisty the Lake Royale community section was - I'll take it! [2010: 54:13]

T2: Uneventful. 00:36

Run: 5k (3.1 miles). My run was really a tale of two halves. Off the bike I really struggled to get my legs moving. This wasn't helped by the hill straight out of transition, but it wasn't the usual "rubbery legs" syndrome - I just couldn't seem to get any stride length and felt as if I was shuffling along. I focused on keeping my run cadence up but it took the first mile before I really started to feel as if I was running, but when I finally got things going I felt great! (even with all of the hills - this must be one of the hilliest 5k courses around). Despite being slow out of transition this has me feeling strangely confident about B2B.

Time: 28:26 9:10/mile (I didn't wear my Garmin, but I would estimate 11 min/mile to start and 7:##/mile at the finish. I definitely did a very significant reverse split!). [2010: 31:51]


Overall: 01:28:05. 4th in Age Group; 44th male and 52nd overall.

There were some smokin' fast people out there on a difficult course. The guy who won overall took 01:05:12 and the winner of my age group came home in 01:13:24 (7th overall). Best of all Erin was first place overall lady in 01:16:42 (12th overall). Rockin!



A happy Erin after the race.


Very pleased that I decided to do this one. A good little warm-up for B2B and a few good reminders. I think that ultimately my two "problem areas" during the race turned into the biggest positive takeaways: I overcame the minor "panic" during the swim and finished it well and once I finally got my legs under me in the run I felt very strong.

Beach-to-Battleship here I come!

Updated Race Calendar

Because someone asked.....

No, unfortunately, I didn't race the Outer Banks Olympic event in the end. There was an unanticipated calendar clash and I couldn't get down to the coast. Usually I would be pissed-off at losing my registration fee, but in this case I know that all money made by Outer Banks Sporting Events goes to local food banks and educational charities so I'm happy to have contributed (and the race was sold out, so I also let them know that they could sell my spot to someone else and make even more for good causes).

So.... what does the rest of my season look like?

The "big one" is the Beach to Battleship 70.3 mile race on October 26th in Wilmington, NC. Looking forward to that one, especially as SWMBO and the Junior Sassoons will be joining me, along with some good friends. Rumor has it also that Compass may be coming down to cheer wearing her "Baby on Board" shirt!

Tomorrow I will be racing the Lake Royale Sprint Triathon in Louisburg, NC. I signed-up on a whim because I have missed racing this year! This was the second triathlon I ever did back in 2010, so it will be interesting to compare performances.

Picked-up the race packet from Inside Out Sports Raleigh yesterday.  My race number accurately describes the age that my legs feel at the moment!