HITS Palm Springs - my first 1/2 ironman

Folks, it's official. I am now registered to participate in the HITS Palm Springs 1/2 Ironman on 1 December 2012. This is super exciting for me, as I have wanted to complete a half but have not been in shape for it. Initially, my goal for this year was to participate in Mountain Man in August, but I wasn't ready. After taking a look at my travel schedule in September and October, I decided today that I won't be fully prepared for SOMA in October. So I will run the 3rd leg of SOMA as part of a relay, and postpone my 1/2 Ironman debut until December. We are all booked into a gorgeous casita with a special paws program for Lola, and I am jazzed!

Anthem Sprint Tri - in reverse

Yesterday I had a blast racing the reverse-order Anthem Sprint Tri. While a triathlon conventionally is swim then bike then run, a reverse tri does just that - reverses the order. So we ran, biked, then swam. For the record, the swim is in a 4.5' deep pool to minimize the likelihood of drowning!

Stacy B. raced with me - we racked our bikes together, cheered each other on, and finished exactly 13 seconds apart. And she finished second in her age group (or, as she puts it, her "weight class"), an awesome finish given that it's her first solo triathlon in 6 years.

We are thinking of doing SOMA 1/2 Ironman as a relay: Stacy in the water, her hubby Pat on the bike, and me on the run. This for three reasons: 1. I may not be completely ready for a 1/2 Ironman by October, but I will be by December and so can run one then (the HITS half in Palm Springs); 2. I want to stay injury-free for NYC; and 3. relay races are awesome. Period.

One last thing - I am obviously heavier and less fit now than in some of the "work-in-progress pictures" below. That's why I didn't call them "after pictures". But I am feeling great and have a super outlook, so I know I will re-realize that look again soon!