So you want to be an ironman?

Last year saw many first, my first triathlon.  I did 3 sprint distance triathlons: Combat Tri in Texas City, Sugarland Tri, and Blackland Tri in Plano.  My first ultra, the 50K at Huntsville State Park.  2014 has new challenges to conquer. My first 70.3 half ironman distance triathlon.  I've chosen the Onalaska Tri on 09/14/14 at lake Livingston.  This is not an Ironman branded event which I feel is a smart move as I am looking for a smaller venue to get my feet wet.  Leading up to this event, I will complete the Sugarland Tri on June 22, and the Shadow Creek Ranch Triathlon on July 13th.  The Sugarland Tri was such a great race, I was excited to be able to compete in it once again.  And since all my tri's last year were pool swims, I felt it important to find a sprint tri with an open water swim to get a feel for it before the 70.3 which of course is a 1.2 mile open water swim in lake Livingston.  Luckily I have a great team of endurance athletes that like to train with me and are willing to also take on this challenge, so there are four of us competing and two coming to support us in our endeavor.  I was very active in my running during the winter, which is as expected, as I love to run.  I did however neglect my biking and swimming.  This month I have started back to making a weekly effort to bike and swim.  Today was my 3rd time in the pool this season, and I was happy to find that my swim speed is still where I was at the end of the season last year.  The bike upgrade I was hoping for this spring won't happen due to lack of funds.  Family and home became a bigger priority, but I feel confident I can put in the training needed to finish.  Here's to Tri-ing!