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Race registration season

I just came back inside after digging our car out from under about 20 inches of snow. The 5th worst blizzard in Chicago history. So it seems weird to be thinking about registering for a race. But it's that time of year. Many of the fall marathons either recently opened or are about to open for entry. Including Columbus Marathon registration that opened yesterday during the storm.

To complicate (or is it help?) matters, we just joined a gym again this weekend at the end of the New Year's deals that come up every January. We're back to the gym down the street. More expensive, but 24 hours during the week and we save the 20 minute drive to get there and find parking. So I now have access to treadmills, indoor pool, the whole thing. It makes my choices for this season wide open since I can begin training immediately.

And those Early Bird discount deadlines are coming up fast. Even though many triathlons have been open for entry since before Christmas, the prices keep going up until sell out or race day. In many cases, there is a major price increase in March or April.

So far our calendar has only 2 pretty firm dates...Tour de Pepin, in June, where we're planning on riding together to roughly our end point last year before I will continue around the lake to finish the whole 70 mile route. The Mama can take the ferry and then be my recovery vehicle if I need one! The other event we have penciled in is The Mama has a pending request that I do the half marathon at Columbus with her in October. She would like a fitness goal now that we're back at the gym and it would offer a price-is-right opportunity with my mom watching the kids so we could participate together.

For those of you keeping track at home, this is supposed to be a "triathlon" year in my new, tentative cycle of running and multisport. Every other year and all. And neither of those two events is a triathlon. I'm fine with it though. I've pretty much set my Ironman goal aside for another season. Meaning I have my pick for an "A" triathlon, what distance, or a combo of a few different races. Do I do a couple of sprints? One longer Olympic distance or 70.3? When? What race? Despite my access to a pool and indoor running now, I hestitate to pick an early race since we'll be in Minnesota in June.  So that rules out Pleasant Prairie though I'd definitely do that race again if it worked out better. And I have to be careful about racing around the time my son will be starting Kindergarten. We're also thinking of going on vacation. See why I delayed that Ironman now?

Then what?

All things considered, I'm eyeing a small, midseason Olympic distance. Or maybe the Chicago Triathlon? Knowing what I'm getting myself into this time helps, Which changes my calculations a bit knowing what kind of swim, bike, and run shape I need to be in and what the conditions will likely be--hot in July or August. Maybe an early season and then late season sprint instead? I'd be a lot less worried about the work needed fitness-wise. Or do I go big with a mid-season half-iron? That's a lot of eggs in one basket. More expensive. But an interesting late-July or early-August timeframe and close to Chicago.

I've got some course maps to look at and decisions to make.