This is a funny time to start out a blog such as this, since I've just sworn off running for the remainder of the year. I ran a few races at the beginning of the year, then did a lot of training for a bike touring trip, then ended up sitting on my duff for about three weeks. After not consistently running for nearly 4 months, I made the mistake of packing in 6 weeks of hard training for the Hood to Coast relay (17 miles). Shin splints ensued. And now, although there are several more races in the year that I'd like to do, I'm at the point where I am downing ibuprofen and naproxen before every training session, which is not the kind of guy I want to be. So I'm taking some time off my feet, putting in some miles on my bike, in hopes that I can start again fresh in December to start training for next year.

In order to keep myself motivated, I've made a list of races that I'm interested in doing:

Jan. 22: St George Painters Half Marathon

Feb. ??: Tuacahn Duathlon

Mar. 06: Lake to Lake Team Relay

Mar. 19: St George Spectrum 10K

Apr. 23: Hurricane Half Marathon

May ??: St George Triathlon (Olympic Distance)

Jun. 17: Ragnar Wasatch Back

Jul. ??: Bryce Canyon Half Marathon

Jul. 29: Saints to Sinners Cycling Relay

Sep. ??: Redrock Relay

Oct. 2: St George Marathon

Nov. ??: Snow Canyon Half Marathon

That's about 144 miles of running, and who knows how many miles on a bike. Sounds like kind of an exciting year, eh? Hopefully I can put together the training and the funds and the work schedule so I can pull it all off.