well I've looked at the season's calendar for 2011 and I`m thinking ...no, actually, I printed off the following schedule and taped it to my fridge.
June 11 - Ottawa Riverkeeper Triathlon/Duathlon
July 30 - National Capital Triathlon/Duathlon
Sept 3 - Canadian Iron 226 Triathlon/Duathlon
I think it will be best to keep myself "local" for my first year back at this...Plus I definitely want to attempt at least 10k for the National Capital Marathon in May, maybe as a token kickoff. I also live beside Gatineau park which has quite a list of cycling races throughout the spring, summer and fall. It is a great, big
(361 square kilometers
) hilly green space that actually provides car-free space for 6 hours every Sunday once the snow melts. In the winter, we use it for cross-country skiing which hopefully I can get back to next week once the festive season is finally over.
I`m actually getting very excited about 2012
(bear with me
) - In researching events for this commitment I`m making online, I came across some fabulous ones in a few cities throughout Québec, the province where I live. I just moved back here last year after 29 years in Toronto, so I am getting reacquainted. Anyway, owing to our temperatures in the winter, we have a couple of very cool looking events during January-March: Aquathlons
(using olympic-sized swimming pools instead of open water which would really help avoid the collisions I've experienced
) and winter Pentathlons
(or `Pentathlons d'hiver` as we call them
) which incorporate cycling, running, skating, snow shoeing and cross country skiing, averaging 30-50k. I know I`m not ready to compete in those yet but think they make a great long term goal for next winter!
Swimming is in the plan for today, as would be a long ride if I didn't still have company staying with me, but at least I will get some time in the pool!