Home Course Advantage

25 more days to go! For newcomers, please refer back to the my first post on January 3rd.

We officially have a race name for this one man triathlon adventure. Daniel and Magen Davis (missionaries), Pam Bates (Christ Church Missions Director), and I have brainstormed regarding the race name and informational materials. The official name is

Swim, Bike, and Run to the Cross: 140.6 miles

The name is a modification of an existing Christ Church ministry called The Run To The Cross 5K. This event is popular in the Birmingham community and all are invited for a 5K run and an outdoor festival at the church. Hopefully the name will resonate with those familiar with the Run to the Cross 5K.

Informational materials are nearing completion and we are going to be sending them out through a variety of means. I have been exposed to new technologies like Facebook and Twitter by people much younger than me. I feel like an old man grumbling about kids and all that rock and roll they listen to. Everyone assures me these things are easy to learn and best of all, they're free. Nevertheless, email and Facebook are awesome tools to spread the word. If this event resonates with people, I have no doubt it will rapidly spread using these technologies.

Home Course

One of the benefits of starting your own triathlon is the opportunity to design the course. People not too familiar with triathlon always have a concerned look when the ask me about the swim. Maybe January 30th and swimming in the same sentence is a little disconcerting. My standard reply is, "You know that shallow pond in front of Veterans Park where all the geese roost?" "Yes, I do, " they reply. Well, I won't be swimming there. I'm going indoors and swimming in the pool. Some triathlon purists may cringe at this and quite frankly, I would much rather do an open water swim as well. The need to stage this event in the winter and the before sunrise start rule out an open water option.

The bike course is going to be on the roads of North Shelby County. I plan on sticking close to the home base. Oak Mountain State Park is nearby and aside from the need to ride up a short mountain to get into the park, it's a great spot for riding.

The run course will be on my regular training grounds at Veterans Park. The park has a crushed gravel trail and has both 5K and 8K loops. Right now, I plan on running the 8K loop five times and picking up the last mile and change at the start of the sixth loop. There is a pavilion in the middle of the run course and any spectators will be able to see me three or four times per 8k loop with minimal movement on their part (100 yards or so of walking).

I should have a really good time on this course. Time, of course, is defined in this case as the relative enjoyment one has.

What's Next

Below is a preliminary outline for topics that will cover the next few days.

Who in the world are Daniel and Magen Davis?
Why France?
Catalysts that Made This Event Happen

I'll be sure to sprinkle in some training updates, too, for those that wonder how in the world I can attempt such an event.

Best to all of you,

Chris