Spring has sprung here, although you couldn't tell last weekend, which brought a funny mixture of blustery hail snow mixed with rain. But I swear it, many of us have been running in shorts of late. And then we woke up Thursday morning to a light dusting of snow on the ground and hedges in the back garden. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to some true spring weather, and almost out of principle have decided to banish running tights from the wardrobe... which lead to a slightly chilly run on Tuesday morning when the temperature was only about -2.
In other news, I'm a very lucky girl, not only because I get to throw myself into a frenzy of spandex-wearing endurance training a minimum of 6 days a week, but also because...... my new bike is now rideable! Having spent some time getting custom fitted, I finally put it through it's paces on the trainer last Saturday, and except for the usual discomfort getting used to the new saddle, it was a great ride. I hope to get out on the road this weekend, and except for the forecast for Saturday, it looks like it will definitely happen.
With Spring here, so is the 2011 racing season, and while my primary goal is reaching the finish line in Placid, I've picked a few local races to test out my legs, make sure that my equipment (including of course, the engine), nutrition/hydration planning and wardrobe all work well together. So, without further ado, here is my race schedule.
Now, the races leading up to July 24 are all in preparatory, my main focus remains the preparation for the big day, just a way to sort of shake the rust off, but not in a manner which is going to infringe on the quality of the IM specific training. For instance, the half marathon on May 29 will likely be followed by at least 5 km of a cool down run. I chose the swim on July 16 to simulate the experience of swimming in a group of people - while this group will be no where near as large as the one in Mirror Lake on race day, it will help me remember that in terms of contact during the swim, it's a matter of expecting it, accepting it, and getting over it... some of you might recognize whose wise words those are. Those who know me know that I have tended to dread the swim in the past, so I figured that the more I do it, the more comfortable I would be.
Ottawa is a great city in terms of the availability of running and multisport races, and I know that I will be seeing alot of friends and training mates out on the course, which really adds to the fun of it - it's always awesome to hear someone shout your name followed by a "woooohoooo".
I know that spectating the Ottawa Race Weekend for the first time made me want to be a racer, and despite the throngs of participants, it remains one of the highlights of the Spring season for me. If you haven't watched/run/walked it, I encourage you to go for it.... with registration sold out for this year get out there and cheer, and throw it on your race calendar for 2012!
I hope that everyone has a great Easter Weekend with family and friends. I know we'll be taking advantage of some extra time for swim/bike/run, but the in between will be filled with Easter chocolate, food and fun!