And the Race is On

(and here comes pride up the back stretch)... Oh Sorry! I was hearing George Jones in my head :)

Over the last couple of weeks I've been working on getting my race schedule lined up and I started registering for things left and right! I had planned to race the Rev3 Olympic in Knoxville, but a few days after I paid for it to the tune of a couple hundred bucks, I learned that my first-born's high school graduation is that day :( BOOO! So I had to back out. BUT, luckily the folks at Rev 3 are giving me credit against a future race so all is not lost. Even if it would have cost me the entire entry fee, I couldn't miss my baby's graduation, now could I?

In addition to all the racing I'm doing, there's alot of things I'll use as "training events" as well as a team-building day for work. After all was said and done and my debit card stopped smoldering, here is what 2011 looks like for me:

April 9th - 65 Roses 5K race
May 1st - Scenic City Sprint Triathlon (doing this as a relay with my girls, and I've got the swim leg)
May 21 - Dragonboat Race (I actually signed up to ride 62 miles for the Tour de Cure, but I forgot that I had already signed up for the Dragonboat Race)
June 11 - Chattanooga Rat Race (1.2mi swim in the Tennessee River)
June 26 - Tellico Sprint Triathlon (800m swim, 16mi bike, 3.1mi run)
July 24 - Tri the Mountains Blue Ridge Sprint Triathlon (600yd swim, 18mi bike, 3.1mi run)
August 21 - Fall Creek Falls Olypmic Triathlon (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run)

and then....

the big Kahuna...

the Mack Daddy of my 2011 season....

September 25th - Ironman Augusta 70.3 - this is my very first 1/2 Ironman and will consist of 1.2mi swim, 56mi bike, and 13.1mi run.... yes folks that is a 1/2 freaking marathon AFTER the swim and the bike! YIKES! I'm really nervous, but I've just got to look at it the same way as all the other races.... one foot in front of the other!

Also this July, it looks like I'll be registering for a full Ironman in 2012. I almost peed my pants just typing that, but hey... I've come this far, right? There is no going back now - I mean, there's no other way to earn that IM tattoo, so I've just gotta do it. Unfortunately IMs sell out quick - some within minutes - so I'll have to be poised and ready when the registration opens, which will be the morning after this year's race. Can you believe it? I'll have to register a year in advance, which will mean I will have 365 full days to freak out and think what the heck have I done! LOL But with any luck, come July my new motto will be Lake Placid or Bust!