Meet "Alice"

Every other marathon year tends to be a year of turmoil; one of significant reflection about whether I've run my last PR race, if I can overcome my myriad of injuries, and if my age will deter me from pursuing more. Now that I've completed the five World Marathon Majors, I easily came to the conclusion that I've accomplished about all I want to in regard to running some of the more prominent marathons. And yet there is a bigger race out there that continues to haunt me. It did not take long for me to find a way to channel my "I'm done" phase into what I think might be my most challenging race season yet. Meet Alice. She flaunted herself under my nose while I was testing a Trek Madone road bike. Can you say sweeeet? Trek's newest Speed Concept carbon fiber tri bike, which made its debut in the time trials at last year's Tour De France. Screw the road bike. So I signed up for my first Half Ironman in Racine, Wisconsin, to be preceeded by a few other shorter distance triathlons, a half marathon and followed by a fall half marathon and a local marathon that made its debut in the Fox Valley last year . With the help of my awesome coach, Chris Palmquist, my journey has begun. Off for a ride...