Race Season is coming fast!

I have rode my bike outside three days in a row, a great sign Spring is here, and with that the start of a new race season.  This season is going to be unlike any other and has me excited for just that reason.  For those that don't know Erin and I are expecting a little girl to arrive in a few weeks.  We are both thrilled to turn the page on a new chapter in our lives and DIVE into parenting. I knew all those years on the swim team diving blocks would pay off!  Since this is our first child and I really don't know what I'm getting myself into I've decided to approach this season much less structure than in the past.  Those that know me well know that I prefer a lot of structure in my training and spend a lot of time planning, training, and racing, so this will be quite a change for me!  I'm a big believer that change is good, it often challenges us and so I look forward to the challenge.

With less structure this year it's going to give me the opportunity to try some new things that I've been wanting to do.  I'm planning on jumping in on more local races, and actually racing more often and training a little less. Here are a few of the races and adventures I'm planning to date:

Triathlons:  Pigman Sprint and Quad Cities Triathlon are both local races that I've done in the past, I'm looking forward to kicking the Triathlon Season off with them.  The Dubuque Triathlon Club always has good attendance at these races which will make for a great time! I will add more triathlons as training falls into place this Summer and am hoping to fine a few good Olympic distance races to throw on the schedule.

Xterras:  Xterras are an off road triathlon that involves mountain biking and trail running.  I'm really looking forward to racing some dirt races this year! I've already signed up for Xterra Dairyland at the end of June and have about 3 or 4 others I'm eyeing as well.

Mountain Biking:  If I'm going to race Xterra I better improve my mountain biking skills. What better way to do that then race! I've added three mountain bike races from the Iowa Mountain Bike Championship Series which should be a great time.

Trail Running:  I just signed up for the Mines of Spain Trail Race, a great local race that's quickly becoming one of the best in the Midwest!


As far as Pro races are concerned, I'm back to the drawing board.  Initially I was planning on racing the Lifetime Fitness Series with races in Austin, Minneapolis, and Chicago.  Lifetime recently announced they were cutting the prize money and Pro races from their series.  Unfortunately this leaves very few Pro Short Course races in the country.  I might look at adding some Challenge or Ironman 70.3 races to the schedule late Summer and Fall so stay tuned for that announcement.


Had to throw this picture in. Dubuque Triathlon Club surprised Erin and
I with a baby shower, Pam Connolly had this awesome cake made!