Race Week (Already?!?)

Well here we are, once again - seems like we just did this, eh? Racing another Half Iron distance one week from today, in High Cliff State Park in Wisconsin. Near Oshkosh. South of Green Bay. Never been there, not even close. Should be interesting.

I'm packing up tonight, heading to Wisconsin tomorrow to live with family and train on the Ironman course before a whirlwind weekend of business in Chicago and racing at High Cliff. It's weird and interesting to be packing up my whole life for a week - my computers so I can work, my training gear, my racing gear, special foods, the dogs...etceteras. It will either work entirely to my advantage this week that I have more than a race to think about - I'll go in relaxed and easy - or totally the opposite, where I'll feel frazzled and confused. Let's hope the former, eh?

Goals for raceday are pretty damn simple: redemption. That doesn't mean some new speed record or personal records or anything like that. It just means - run my race, my way. Execute, execute, execute. I also hope to take advantage of the unique atmosphere - I'll be totally solo out there, no support crew (physically - always the Team is present) and that should do well for mental toughness and maybe even some meditative racing. It's an unfamiliar course in unfamiliar country - all these things that could be obstacles, I'll try and work to my advantage and just have fun out there. The weather (a week out, what do they know) looks good so far - warmer than the last race, anyway. The countryside promises to be beautiful, so I'll hope to just really enjoy myself. Relax, have fun, and let the race come to me.

I got a new camera and I'll be taking it along - I'll try and kind of photo-capture my blog a bit this week, take you along for the road trip. And I'll try and blog everyday if possible, if for nothing else than to keep those on the homefront apprised of my positions. I'm really excited to be training on course at Ironman - I have shorter bike courses, so instead of the long loops like last time I'll try and really work a few particularly difficult parts of the course. And of course, looking forward to hanging out on the lakefront with my family. A blessing that in owning my own business I'm as portable as I am - life truly is good.

Stay tuned, much more to come.