This past weekend I went to Shreveport Louisiana with a group of friends who are in BAM (Bay Area Multisport, which is the Triathlon group I train with). We did the Rivercities Triathlon which has been running continuously since 1981. This was their 31st year, and it was a Great race experience. Definitely a race you should put on your list if you are a triathlete. It is a sprint (half mile swim, 18.2 mile bike and 3,1 mile run). it is put on in a park outside Shreveport and it is a great course. the park is mostly shaded which helped mange the brutal heat that we suffered through. It was over 100 degrees. After 31 years of practice, they know how to put on a quality race. Plus the goodie bag was the best of any I have ever seen for any race. We got a tech shirt, a cotton shirt, a pair of performance socks, a cap, a windbreaker, and a really nice transition bag. Everything seems to be really good quality as well. This was my first Rivercities experience, but I do not plan on it being my last. Not only were there a lot of members from my training group, but my sister and brother-in-law also met me there. Brian and Melanie raced and Brian's sister came up from Longview to cheer us on and be the media woman. It was a great race weekend, and also a social one as well. The only complaint I had, was the heat. If some one could have turned down the thermostat a little, it would have been perfect
My race list continues to grow. I have a busy rest of this year and first few months of next year. I am doing the 4 half marathons in 3 weekends next month starting on the 17th in Pennsylvania, and ending in New Hampshire on Oct. 2nd. Three weeks after that trip I am doing Olympic distance Triathlon in Galveston, and for some reason, I signed up for a half Iron distance two weeks later, on November 6th. Actually the reason was that I wanted to a half Ironman when it would not be as hot as the two I have done in Galveston. I had been thinking that the 4 half marathons and the Olympic tri would be good training events leading up to the "Oilman" half iron distance in November. But alas, I just keep adding races. I have since signed up for half marathon in Tulsa Oklahoma in November, and Baton Rouge in January. I also have registered for the New Orleans half Iron man next April. Like I said, It is going to be a busy race schedule for while.
The one in Tulsa is going to be a hectic pace. It is on my birthday (my 52nd) which is November 20th. Being the weekend before Thanksgiving, I am probably not going to be able to get any time off from work other than the weekend. It is 500 miles to Tulsa, and from the looks of it, I am going to be driving up Saturday, running Sunday Morning and driving back the same afternoon. If it were not my Birthday, I most likely would not be dong it. However, I feel very strongly about this. I want to do a race on that day. It will be several years before I get the opportunity to run a race on my birthday again, and I do not want to miss this chance to do so. There are some races closer than Tulsa, but they are in Texas and I would like to do a state run. This will be the 2 year anniversary of the conception of this whole 50 state mission. I am not exactly sure when I actually made the decision to run all 50 states, but the catalyst was the trip I made to run in Nevada for my 50th birthday. From that trip "13.1 in 50" was conceived, therefore it only seems fitting that I should make the effort to do this trip in November. This will be a milestone, both, in my life, and in the "13.1 in 50" adventure. I have been saying that if I do indeed finish all 50, then each will have it's own story. Oklahoma will be no different. An 8 hour drive, a run, and another 8 hours on the road, all in one week end, surely will be an interesting chapter in the story that is waiting to be told.
The race in Baton Rouge should also be an interesting one. It will be the inaugural Louisiana Marathon. Being the first one, it could suffer from growing pains, or the race directors could go all out to make a Good impression. Regardless, I am in. I am signed up and am looking forward to participating. It will be the same day as the Houston marathon, which is Jan 15th. The running group I belong to trains for the Houston marathon. However, starting last year, you must go through a lottery system to gain entry into Houston. Rather than do that, I was looking for an alternative and found Baton Rouge. I have ran Houston 3 times, so it was not that important to me to continue running Houston. The entry fee for Houston Half is 105.00, and the entry into Baton Rouge was 55.00. The price of Houston, I can get into Baton Rouge and have enough for a room as well. Besides, when I finish running the race in Baton Rouge, I will be in Louisiana. I believe there is a good chance that there will be a party going on. That is what I am thinking. The good thing is that is MLK weekend, so I will have a 3 day weekend. I can stay the night after the race, instead of having to rush back home. If things go as planned, Louisiana will be state #18, not bad for just a little over 2 years of pursuing this long term goal
