Race Plans

On Sunday, my husband informed me that there was a race near Rockford this coming Saturday that looked interesting. I think he felt bad that I'm not going to do the half iron distance race that I've been training for since March. So, we checked it out and decided to go for it. It's in Roscoe, and was formerly the Rockton Tri. It will be a 350 yard pool swim, a 17-mile bike (which is what really got my attention), and a three mile run. It should be a small race and I plan to go, have fun, and do the best I can.

So, this week has been taper time. I've been following the taper I would have done for my half iron race, since my body is in that training mode. Monday I did a 1500 meter swim. Tuesday I rode, ran and swam and my body felt awful. Every session was hard and my legs felt tired and heavy. This is real typical of how I feel during a taper.

But today, I swam, rode and ran and felt sooo much better. Since all three sessions were really short and based on time and speed, I decided to ride inside on the spin bike at the fitness center and run on the treadmill. I wore my racing outfit to reacquaint myself with swimming in shorts and a tri top. It was a good workout, and my body feels fresh and rested. Tomorrow will be a short, easy swim and Friday will be a rest day.

I also signed up for a couple other races. I've wanted to go back to Evergreen. I did that race the first two years it was held, and they do a great job. Last year they added a sprint distance, but the key is the bike is still 40K--yeah for me. So I signed up for the sprint. I also signed up for a small sprint race in Schaumburg that I've done the past couple years. It's close, the price is right, and they do a great job.

I have plans for two other races--the 30th Annual LaPorte YMCA sprint which I've done several times--its a small race, great venue, and they do a great job; and the Niles Triathlon in Niles, MI on Labor Day Saturday. This will be my A race--olympic distance. It's a great course--challenging bike course which I love. I lost track of how many times I've done this race. It's a pretty easy drive and is always very reasonably priced. Every year the competition gets tougher and more challenging.

So, that will be a total of five races, and the entry fees for all of them is about what I paid for one of the half iron races I did last year. No overnight stays, which really cuts down on expenses (hotels, meals, extra gas mileage). Also, only one Sunday race to interfere with church for us and the kids. (We're hoping we can get them a ride to church and pick them up after the race--that's what we did last year!)

I have to say that while I'm getting the usual pre-race jitters, I feel so much better knowing I'm going to get to race this year after all. Jerry has been amazing and supportive as always. He knows how much I enjoy racing, and is willing to share this with me.

(I decided not to renew my USAT membership this year. I'm only doing two sanctioned races, so it's actually cheaper this year to just pay the one day fee for those races--more money saved.)

Congratulations to everyone who raced and rocked this past weekend--great job, everyone! Good luck to everyone racing, training, and riding this weekend. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate.

Until next time--God bless!