It’s the final countdown!  Seven weeks from Saturday I’m doing this!  Parts of that statement thrill me.  Other parts of it scare the pants off of me.  Namely the thought of jumping in the water and swimming a half mile straight out into the gulf.  Twice.  Yikes.

Training is really coming together.  I’ve had some pretty solid rides over the past month.  Last weekend Jason, David and I went down to my favorite riding spot in West.  After riding 70 miles we jumped off and ran 15.  I feel like for the first time in five years I finally know how to pace myself so that I’m feeling strong deep into the race.  It’s amazing to go back and look at prior races knowing what I now know.  It’s easy to see why I wound up blowing up on the run time and time again.  If I can manage to come out of the water feeling fresh I think I have a good handle on the rest of the day.  The number one goal for the next seven weeks is to simply stay healthy.

This week Jason and I got out in the open water for the first time this season.  I had my usual anxiety issues, but they were pretty mild compared to past years.  I’m hoping to get out one or two more times this week to work out the kinks.  Yesterday I had a great 85 mile ride and this morning I had a rare chance to get out and run with my wife.  The rest of the day was spent with the usual routine of church followed by a (way too) quick trip to Stephenville to see my family.  I turned a whopping 41 years old today and they were gracious enough to take the time to celebrate it with me.

Next weekend I’ll be competing in my first long distance race of the season.  Five members of the CTF team will be heading up to Oklahoma City for the USAT National Championships.  The forecast as of today looks fabulous.  I had my best time ever on this course two years ago and I’m really hoping to smash it yet again.  I feel like my training going into it is as solid as I’ve ever had.  I certainly realize that there are a hundred things that can go wrong on race day, especially at this distance.  However, if the day goes off without any major issues, it has the potential to be a very good day.

In fund raising news I have 48 days left to raise ~$2,000.  If you have been intending to donate to the Children’s Tumor Foundation, well, there’s no time like now to do so!

Finally, in week two of the CTF Aggie Pick’em, all four points went to the house (boo!).  Luckily in week three we had some winners with Montgomery picking up two points and MePo picking up one.  That puts Montgomery out in first place with Endo BC AG, OldAg93, and MePo now in a three way tie for second.

Thanks for your continued support.  Stay tuned for next week; I’ll try to get a race report out on Sunday.