And 2009 is underway...

That's right. No more of this "oh, I'm in the off season." "Nah, I'll leave that heart rate monitor at home and just meander." "Not so much feeling like a workout today. And that's okay because I'm in the off season."

Nope. Nada. Over with. Last night I plunked down almost $140, and another $140 for Stuart on our first half ironman of the year. That's right -- our first. As in, rather than going for a full IM this year all at once, I decided to break it into two. 2007 was HIM #1 down at Ironman 70.3 Cancun. 2008 was all about Rhode Island 70.3. This year, if all goes according to plan, I'll be crossing the finish line of TWO half ironman races -- the Kinetic Half here in Virginia in May, and then the Ironman Augusta 70.3 in September down in Georgia. With a few other races and fun stuff thrown in the mix. We originally had planned on the White Lake Half in NC instead of Kinetic, but time and money seemed to make the local race make more sense. A few DC Tri clubmates have also promised that they're signing up, so it'll be a fun day albeit a bit more hilly than the flatlands of rural NC.

And if all of that goes well....well, on August 31st I'll be online with my credit card in hand for the big one. Stay tuned to that sidebar listing my 2009 races. Right now it says Tentative, but there are definitely changes afoot.

So, a few more weeks to go in the off-season training plan, and then it's time to really buckle down under the direction of a new coach. One way or another, 2009 is gonna be a BIG year.