It was a season! I managed to fit in a few more sprint triathlons this year. Expectations have been adjusted accordingly.
We don't ride on the roads anymore except at the races. Our personal risk reward assessment on this is that the greenways and Peloton are safe and accomplish what we want to do, and the roads are not (for us). So the intervals are few and far between, but the sights and sounds of the greenways and Umstead State Park are many.
Bri and I had fun at the Triangle sprint triathlon at Harris County Park. We actually did the mini sprint, which was half of the sprint, more or less. I missed a bike turn and Bri lost her chance to run me down. She won, and I was 5th. In between us were 3 children. She says we have to do the regular sprint next season, but I am reserving the right to go super-short.
There was another sprint at the Rex Wellness triathlon in Wakefield. This is a 250 yd swim - 10 mile bike - 2mile run. Also fun. I think I finished 10th or so.
And then the real fun! The Battle at Buckhorn sprint triathlon on Sep 30, followed by an off road triathlon in Greensboro on Oct 7. Years ago I won the Battle at Buckhorn 3x in a row. This year I did not. But I enjoyed myself.
The off road triathlon was also a good time. We have 2 mountain bikes. One is an old, heavy Giant with front suspension. The other is a light, sleek Litespeed with a front stem shock. Both are 26 inch wheelers. I went with the Litespeed option. It was probably the better choice, but man, I got crushed by all the 29'ers with full suspension. Anyway, this was my 2nd longest event of the year, with a finishing time around 2:30.
Off road is fun and different, and not on the road. The Natty Greene's Revenge triathlon is the only one I know of in NC that offers an off-road triathlon option.
The next morning we woke up bright and early and put on our Hurricane Swim. It was rescheduled yet again due to the late September storm that formed off the SC / NC coast. Fortunately our reschedule date turned out to be a beautiful morning and all went well.
We did a lot of weekend hiking. One of our fun family activities for 2023 was to find a new trail, hike 2-3 miles, then hit the nearest brewpub for dinner afterwards.
Life is good. Family is happy. Dog is cute. See you next time!
-edit- I forgot to publish this.
