Here We Go...

Cue the epic music...

Joe and I will be racing in the same wave at the Rookie Triathlon. The last time we started a short race at the same time was Marble Falls Tri, where Joe was about two or three hundred yards behind me the entire run. I was able to hold him off in the end, but barely. Forty seconds I think. At Ironman Florida [the other race where we've started in the same wave], it wasn't that close. Joe beat me by 19 minutes. But by far, those were the two most fun races of the year [Couples Triathlon a close third].

So, you could say the series is tied at 1-1. And a race that is usually a gentle start to the long triathlon season now has brand new intensity and significance attached to it. The winner gets to boast, the loser gets to simmer in what is sure to be a close loss.

Normally, Joe and I start the race at two different times, since we are in two different age groups. That means that we never really know if we're beating the other person. For example, in the 2007 Longhorn 70.3, I crossed the finish line eight minutes before Joe did. But since I started twenty four minutes ahead of him, he actually won. You can see how anti-climactic that is. It doesn't compare to lining up next to someone and knowing that first one across the line wins.

Damn, I'm excited! Too excited to write.

Time for a windtrainer, then hard run. If Joe's going to beat me, I'm at least going to make him hurt for it.