Next weekend I am heading to Pheonix for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon. I'm excited, but I'm not entirely sure what to expect since this will be the first half marathon I've ever done that isn't included in a half-ironman distance race. I'm not sure what kind of time I'll be looking for, at least faster than my last one, 1:56, but that was in a triathlon, so I'm not sure that will be too hard to beat. Not to mention the last one was really really hilly too. I've heard good things about this one, that it's flat, the weather will be nice, the rock bands every mile are nice, and the atmosphere is fun.

I went ss mountain biking again today, not too long, but enough to get moving. The day was beautiful, so there were a lot of people out there, I'm sure most of them were "New Year's Resolutioners." But, for those who aren't usually on the trails, let me explain one VERY simple rule: he who goes uphill has right-of-way. That being said, here I am tearing up a hill, single track trail, trying my best to keep my cadence up to make it up to the top, and a woman with an impressive amount of makeup, designer running outfit, headphones (in the open spaces?? PLEASE!), trots slowly down the hill. I see her in plenty of time, but there's no way I'm going to stop in the middle of going up the hill, so I just keep spinning my way up. And she doesn't move. And she still doesn't move. At the VERY last second, she realizes I'm still coming and jumps out of the way. I doubt she learned anything.

My new year has started with a new sponsor as well: The Probar. I sought out the sponsorship because they are high-quality bars with nuts, berries, and all around goodness. I raced in the Netherlands, at the ITU Long Course World Championships using these, and they did the trick. I am a huge fan of The Probar. Check them out! The link is under my Sponsors.