Last week when I went to register for the perfect triathlon I had found, I got a sad surprise: it was FULL! I thought that signing up 2 1/2 months beforehand would be plenty of time, but apparently 800 other people had the same ideas I did! So because of this unexpected obstacle, I’ve had to rethink my training plan. You’re probably thinking that I’ll NEVER do a triathlon, that I’m just talking the talk and not walking the walk. And I admit, I’m kind of disappointed in myself that I haven’t secured myself a spot yet. But I promise you, I WILL do this!

As soon as I saw that the race was full, I scoured the Internet for other options. My situation is made more difficult because I work every other weekend, and my October weekends are half taken up already by our anniversary and my school’s homecoming. But I was determined. Finally, I found two options that I thought might work. They looked like decent races, but the downside was that they are both a 4-5 hour drive from Houston and they were both on September 12, a full month earlier than what I had been preparing for.

I still thought I could do it though, so I asked David what he thought. That’s when he told me that he and his dad have a planned fishing trip for September 12. I definitely want my husband to be there for my first triathlon, so my dream is being postponed. I will have to wait until early next year.

In the meantime, there are other types of races that I can do. It’s important for me to do these, because having a race to look forward to really motivates me. They are lots of fun and will keep me from getting bored. Here are the ones I’m considering as of now.

September 13 – Tour de Pink

This is a cycling event in Houston that offers a variety of distances. Since I’m new at this I’ll be taking on the shortest length, 12 miles. As an oncology nurse I love to support races that promote cancer awareness and research, and this one benefits the Pink Ribbon Project. One of the requirements is that all participants MUST raise a minimum of $100 in addition to the entry fee. I wish I was already registered and could send you over to my donation page, but I’m experiencing difficulties with the website at this time. I’ll let you know when I work it out! I’m a little nervous since I’ve never done a bike race before, and I hate asking people for money, but it’s completely worth it and I’m excited!

September 12 – Race For Our Daddies 5k

This is the day before the Tour de Pink which might not be the best idea, but I only have a couple of free weekends in the next few months and I want to take advantage of them. This race promotes charities dedicated to prostate cancer research, it’s free, and it’s in Memorial Park. All great things, and it might just be too good to pass up!

October 18 – Run2Restore 5k

This event takes place in my hometown of Katy, and apparently it is promoting “family restoration.” Although I’m not quite sure what that means, it looks like they are raising money to help fund the building of a Christian retreat center. So that’s fine.

Those are the highlights. I do have a few other options, but these are my favorites. Anyone out there want to participate with me? Care to share your own exercise plans? What motivates you? Let me know!