Possible New Addiction...OH SHIT!

What do you get when you cross breed a love of off road biking and running with a severe addiction to racing triathlons?  Check it out...
http://www.usatriathlon.org/resources/multisport-zone/my-story/the-call-of-the-wild

It's called XTERRA, and after reading this story, I have to say I'm intrigued...ok, honestly, I'm a little more than intrigued.  I'm whatever would be more than intrigued but just slightly less than officially committed and obsessed (yet!).  I'm not going to lie, I did look up the possibility of an XTERRA type race happening in my area (state)...assuming that there would not be one and this new found possible obsession would pass quickly.  Not so much!!!  Turns out there IS an XTERRA race in my state...SWEET (oh shit!)!!! 

Hello Sugar Bottom, you spicy little tri!  Ok, maybe little is a bit of an understatement.  It is a full Olympic Distance off road triathlon...pretty sure it's harder than Whaletown (the hardest damn Olympic tri I ever did) ever hoped to be!  I'm generally a big fan of the Olympic distance, it's enough of a push to require some serious training, but not so time consuming as when I attempted my last Half IM (something that I've vowed to myself to repeat this year...oh shit!). 

So, the question is now, do I do it?!?!  Do I take the plunge on probably one of the hardest races I'll ever do?!?!  A race that will most likely fall a day after finishing my first full week of RAGBRAI and a mere two weeks before my A race of the 2011 season, the Pigman Long Tri (half IM distance)?!?!  And why the hell did this article appear out of thin air on the day when I've been required by my coach to plan out my entire 2011 season???  Oh the indecision, the pressure, the excitement?!?! 

I kinda say "why not"...I want to continue to live the no fear life and so "why the hell not"???  What do I have to lose really?...besides maybe a few limbs, my dignity, and a lot of time spent training??  Heck when I put it like that, it's not so bad...is it?!?! LOL 

Oh shit, and the addiction continues...

For now, my new friend Sugar Bottom, you are penciled in, in italics, onto my 2011 Race Calender.  Here's what the rest of the year looks like:

• Cowtown Half Marathon - February 26
• Dam 2 Dam 12.4 - June 4
• Hope Run 10K - TBA
• Midnight Madness 10K - July 9
• Cornman Tri - July 10
• Okoboji Tri - July 16
• RAGBRAI - July 24-30
• Sugar Bottom - TBA
• Big Pig Tri - August 21
• Hickory Grove Tri - August 28

(Holy Shit, it's a good thing I picked up a couple extra jobs...this is going to be one expensive year, but like us crazy runner's/triathletes are know for saying "it's cheaper than therapy" :))