Shaving Hardship and Festivities in Austin Tx

Good day, Hello.

Ok someone is going to have to give me a crash course on shaving. It is literally impossible for me not to end up a bloody mess. I'm serious I must have about 20 major cuts. For those of you who are new to my blog, I am not talking about my face. Anyone who knows me, knows that shaving my face is not a problem...Yet. Meaning of course I don't cut my face. Right?

Anyway, tomorrow is round two! In the city where Lance Armstrong resides I will be competing in the 2009 Austin ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup. From the moment I arrived I could tell it was a very active city and that the heat will be a factor. Considering that I had heat issues in Oklahoma I need to be double prepared for this race. I have narrowed down where I went wrong last week and am ready to try a new strategy. Energy was not an issue last week but fluids were. With that in mind we will see how this plays out.

The course is quite similar to Oklahoma, a bit of a false flat heading up to the Parliament buildings within the city with some tight fast corners. Swim is in a river that has been made into a calm lake like swim. The run is flat with plenty of water stations and ice. Woo hoo!

Competition is not as stiff as Oklahoma but still many notable characters and should make for an interesting race. I am going in with a rank of 14th so the obvious goal is to beat this ranking but I will set my sights higher. There is an obvious way I hope this race unfolds but I am ready for anything.

So, I will continue to rest and stretch out the lingering effects of last weeks cramping. Hope all is well up north. A congrats to Hilary Willie for her win at the North Shore Triathlon and Alison Hooper for her second place overall Female. Way to go you two! Only the beginning!

And a big thanks to Michelle and Michael Garel, my home-stays for all the fantastic food and putting up with me for my time here in Austin.

As for tomorrow, I'll let you know how it goes,

Ciao for now,

Andrew McCartney