It's the start of the year as I know it

Time to make a resolution

Ok, so I may be a month late and a few sandwiches short of a picnic, but January is an odd month on a good day. What with the hangover from Christmas and New Years then a bout of the cold followed by a work trip to Hawaii (yes it was work damn it) and a day in San Francisco on the way back the month was not as productive as it should have been - apart from the work bit which I guess makes my bosses Jean Claude (the famous fight pilot and lover extraordinaire) and Mr Cloud happy - somewhat important I guess as I haven't won Powerball yet and selling my body on the back streets of North Hills, Raleigh is not going that well for me.

So here we go 2017, bring it :)

As some of all y'all might know I finished the Austin TriRock Olympic distance triathlon in September 2016 and raised almost $3000 for Make-A-Wish. Not long after I brilliantly tore my hamstring (and I really tore it up) and I that has been quite the painful experience - not something I recommend trying (unlike the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs which are well worth trying). What with that bit of discomfort and the cold and Christmas and changing jobs I have been quite sedentary for the last few months - something greatly reflected in my girth (waist that is). Well it is time for that to end. It is time to get this ass off the comfy chair and back into lycra (quite the visual for you I know). I have found the best way to get motivated is to set a challenge and then 'out' that challenge to a few of my close personal friends (i.e. you lot) so that I cannot pike out. So here we go with this years athletic endeavor challenge.

This year the Poets Day Race Team will be competing on Sunday July 23rd in Nashville at the Music City Triathlon.

But why, you ask, am I not returning to the course that tried to beat me last year but didn't. Well I wanted to but sometimes things just don't work out. I was planning on getting a group of people to travel down through Pensacola then New Braunfels and then on to the race. It was going to be an awesome trip in an RV with some great people to hang out with on the way, however when I went to look at the race date for 2017 I saw that the race had ceased to be, it has expired and gone to meet its maker. It is a late triathlon. It's a stiff. Bereft of life, it rests in peace. It's run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. It is an ex triathlon. (sorry Monty Python for abusing your brilliance in such a supercilious way - however I am sure you would enjoy the use of the word supercilious). So Austin is out of the question.

So with Austin being dead to me I wondered where else might be a cool place to go, with a good airport for those flying in, great live music and hopefully the ability to spend a few days with some friends (new and old). Based on a couple of trips to the capital of country music and a great Anthony Bourdain special Nashville was a no brainer. So with great trepidation (because the last one hurt a little) I am now revealing publicly that I, James Roberts, of unsound mind and completely munted body will be raising funds for Make-A-Wish by doing a triathlon again in 2017. This year I will be calling some people out to come and compete/finish/give-it-a-shot and of course I am looking to exceed last years funds raised. The event in Nashville offers a Sprint course, Olympic course and team racing if you cannot swim. We will be looking to get a house to rent in the area for everyone to hang out in and make some new friends (or not as the case may be) and then a post race party in the Honky Tonk bars in Nashville.

It is going to be an great weekend, it is an amazing town and we will be raising funds for Make-A-Wish so what could possibly go wrong. I already have a couple of people who are interested and you know that if they want to do this with me they are pretty damn awesome.

So set the date in your calendar and set yourself a goal to join me in Nashville in July (and no it won't be too hot) to have some fun, replace sweat with beer and raise funds for a incredibly worthwhile charity. Sure the race may hurt but pain fades, and memories last a lifetime (unless you have had as many occlusions on your brain as I have in which case just take some pictures).

Time to get on your bike and ride.

Work hard, play hard, start training and earn your inspiration

Happy Poets Day


P.S. Regular Poets Day blog services will resume next week with what I hope will be one of the best posts yet.