"We gotta get right back to where we started from..."

I feel like my racing season just ended and now I am about to start all over again. Come to think of it, maybe I was never really out of season at all. This year has been one race after another and this weekend is no different as the Army Ten Miler is happening tomorrow morning. I feel a little less prepared this year than in previous ones since my running has taken a serious vacation recently. I guess I regret that a little bit although I must admit that I needed the break. Between St. Anthony's in April and the 1/2 Ironman there has been a whole lot of training going on. I know I can finish this one and i am looking forward to doing it for fun and not really worrying about the time.

that's the the thing about endurance racing; no matter where you look it's all about time. Race times, training time, time to eat, time to sleep...it can get very overwhelming and all-consuming. Couple that with trying to work, go to school and have some semblance of a life a person can go crazy!

I feel so fortunate that I have so many friends who can relate to what I do and who understand the importance of things like long Sunday runs and 5 am swim workouts. I used to divide my friends into categories and wound work hard to find balance with everyone. Between Denison friends, kickball friends, triathlon friends, Pi Phi friends and work friends things definitely got very confusing. Nowadays it seems like there are lots of crossovers. This was a big year for endurance sports in my world as so many in it completed their first races and became addicted enough to sign up for more. It makes spending time with everyone that much easier!

The past couple of months of laxness has been lots of fun but I'm actually ready to get back to the training grind. I guess that is part of the beauty of my new career. In some way I am getting paid to train! I may not have a job yet but I have a race docket for the rest of '07 and part of '08:

Army Ten Miler, October 6th.
Celtic Solstice Five Miler, December 15.
Shamrock 1/2 Marathon, March 16, 2008.
St. Anthony's Triathlon, April 27. (coincidentally this will also be my 29th Birthday!)
Columbia Triathlon, May 18.
MOOSEMAN 1/2 IRONMAN, June 8.

Looks like I better get cracking!