Now what?

It took about three hours for the "Wow, I did my first triathlon and it was awesome" excitement to wear off and be replaced by the "what am I going to do now?" malaise.

So I've entertained myself today by changing my template (the green was giving me a headache) and deciding on some new races. I don't think I'm going to sign up for another triathlon this year. All the details of planning training for another race overwhelm me. It's easy to do single-race planning, since all I have to do is follow one of many plans available online. Not so clear how to train for multiple races at a time. So I figure I'll spend the rest of this year getting stronger and learning more and can worry about planning races and stuff like that next season.

Randy and I are going to do a century ride in two weeks. It's not a race, but just a laid-back ride through some of my favorite scenery. I'm excited about it. Randy thinks that, since our longest ride so far has only been 45 miles, we won't be ready, but I'm not worried. I figure since it's a "fun" ride with plenty of aid stations and lots of chances to stop along the way, it won't be a big deal.

Then in November, I'll run the Battleship Half Marathon, a race that starts and ends on the Battleship North Carolina.

Which will lead me to my next goal: a marathon sometime in early 2007. I haven't decided which yet.

I figure I can use swimming as a recovery workout for all the run training I'll be doing, which will give me a chance to get my swim to a more respectable place by next year.

Before I did the race yesterday, I wasn't sure I'd do another one. But now I realize how addictive it can be, knowing that I did pretty well this time but with some training and work on my weak spots, I can be a ton faster next time.

What have I gotten myself into?