What to do?

Adam and I are still deliberating about what to do with triathlon this year.  Here are our options:

- Ironman Texas in May:  It might be fun to have another try at a full.  Course is nice.  Lake swim, rolling hills on the bike and flat run.  Hot weather.  Cost is kind of high because of high entry fees (for registering late) and flights aren't cheap ($900 each + bike fees).  Not sure that I am mentally and physically ready for another full distance tri at this point.

- Half Ironman in Kona, Hawaii in June:  World famous beautiful course and great place for a vacation.  We've never been to Hawaii before.  Flights are $700, which is pretty good I think. We could get a resort condo for about $100/night (not bad).   Ocean swim (which I'm now a pro at right??), some hills on the bike, HOT HOT HOT volcanic rock climate, rolling hills on the run too but apparently it's VERY scenic.

- Local Races:  There's a half ironman distance race in Calgary in June and several sprint and olympic distance races in the province.  Advantages: easy for child care for our kids, familiar courses, we could place really well in the shorter distance races, minimal costs.  Disadvantage: kind of boring.


So, what to do, what to do????  If you asked me last week, I would have told you that we are leaning towards IM Texas.  But we didn't register because I feel like I need to be excited about training and racing before I commit....and it's just not coming.  Because this is a hobby and not something I feel like I "should" do, I feel like if I'm not going to REALLY enjoy myself and be excited about it, then I'm not going to do it.  So even though it kind of makes sense to do Texas since we have the conditioning in place and it might be our last year for awhile that it works with family life, I just don't know that we'll do it.  That being said, it kind of feels like my best friend is dying when I think about not doing a full....I am so bonded to that lifestyle in some ways.

Adam just suggested the Kona option yesterday and we're definitely looking into it.  My feet still hurt when I try to run and I may not resolve my GI issues in time for a full, so it's definitely a safer choice.  The course is still challenging, which is good because really, who likes easy goals??? Not me :)
Here's some pictures:

IM Texas

Part of the swim is in this canal with spectators right next to you.  Pretty cool!

Apparently the bike is really scenic. Ok, maybe not this scenic:

Half Ironman in Kona

 These shots show where you bike along the coast.

The run is all through this golf course, which they call breathtaking, scenic and HOT.