Tuesday night my relay team did a training swim sans wetsuit to simulate Sunday morning’s La Jolla 10-mile Relay Swim. It was approximately 62 F in the water as the sun was setting. For all of you cold-weather freaks who consider me a wuss for thinking it was cold out therethat doesn’t faze meit was freezing! I lost sensation in my fingertips during the swim and it took close to a half-hour afterwards to come back. The water temperature has gone up since, so last night was more bearable during the SportsQuest Direct Aquathon with the Triathlon Club of San Diego. The 1,000-meter swim took me 15 minutes and I felt unorganized and rushed. My form was off for the entire swim and I never settled into a groove. This will be different on Sunday, when the swimmers are more spread out. I’m looking forward to that.

Anyhow, my transition to the run went quickly and I was into my 5K run in a minute’s time. The run along the beach to Scripps Pier and back, twice, went well. There were piles of washed up kelp to hurdle along the way and confused-looking beach goers to dodge. I liked the out-and-back format of the run because I got to see how fast some of the other club members are. My 5K took me 21 minutes, which is a solid pace, and I felt good about it. But when I saw some of these guys and ladies blow by me in a sprint, during both laps, I was really impressed--and motivated.

Photo Courtesy of TCSD

I’ve been working on my race schedule for 2008 for the last week, and with the help of our Active Expert Gale Bernhardt, I’ve decided on the schedule below. My main events for the year will be the Vineman Ironman in July and the San Diego 100-mile Trail Run in October. The races in between are still open to debate, but this is my first draft for the time being. What do you think? A little too ambitious? I’m feeling good about it. 2008 will be a big year, but I feel like it all becomes relative along the way, right?