2011 Season.

Season shopping is upon us, and I’m not talking about the holidays.

Although I’m a little late, the fall/early winter is the time I go shopping for races for the next season. I haven’t been in this sport very long, but I find myself looking forward to shopping season because it gets me amped up for training during the winter before that spring feeling of ‘race season is around the corner’.

Shopping for races in Texas is a bit different than shopping for races in Iowa so my season is a bit different than it would have been if I was north. First off, the Texan season goes later into the year, and the running season happens over the winter. So planning for an iron distance in September does not leave me with a lot of long distance race options during the summer. Not to mention, the size of Texas makes it more difficult to find races just ‘down the street’. Remember, I’m a poor graduate student, which means my budget for this lovely sport is limited and I can’t drive 5 hours across the state to race. However, not to worry, I have come up with a season for next year! Without further ado, here are the races (so far) that will highlight my 2011 summer:

• March: Warrior Dash (5k run with obstacles), Conroe, TX
• May: CB&I Tri (Sprint), Woodlands, TX
• June: RBM Triathlon (Olympic), Irving, TX
• July: Triwaco (Olympic), Waco, TX
• August: Clear Lake Triathlon (Olympic), Clear Lake TX
• September: Redman (Iron), Oklahoma City, OK

You probably noticed the lack of HIMs in there, but there aren’t any that are close enough for me to race at that don’t require flying. So instead, I’ll use my resources (aka the National Forest down the road) and set up a mock race for early August.

But for now, it’s back to work and prepping for finals. I’m super excited about next season. My mojo is starting to come back and I’m sure it will return full force when I’m home for winter break and stuck inside in a snow filled state!

Peace out!