Back to my trip to England! I was sat at the airport, having checked in and now relaxing in the lounge, taking advantage of the WiFi to browse the Internet. I dropped by the Ironman site as I needed to cancel my race slot for Sri Lanka, and while there decided to take a peak at other races…

And that my friend is where I found it!

A new race had been added.. and it was perfect!

Qujing Half Ironman in China. Around the time I expect to be in Asia.

In a place off the beaten track, with no direct flights, so keeping many potential competitors away.

And.. on the same day as the Asia Regional Championships in the Philippines, so all the top racers in Asia would have already booked up to be in Cebu, meaning they most definitely wouldn’t be in China!

With 50 slots for the 2019 Half Ironman Championship up for grabs … plus 25 for Kona!!! Total 75!

And taking place on my 53rd birthday … well this part maybe a problem as I won’t be around to celebrate my birthday with anyone, although I personally can’t think of a better way to celebrate my entry into “the world“ than qualifying for “the world” championships and being recognised as one of the top athletes in “the world”.

As soon as I saw the race I knew this was it, my inspiration for the year. August gave me more than enough time to begin at the beginning and work my way through a training schedule long enough and tough enough to allow me to compete. I felt the excitement rising inside me, my mind immediately starting to calculate the weeks and months ahead.

So, within the space of a week I have gone from being disillusioned and down after accepting my chances to qualify for 2018 were zero, to excitement and drive to start training again with the aim to qualify for 2019. I need to think how I’m going to do it, and I need to make a plan B in case August comes around too soon. I’m hopeful I’ll regain the desire to write, not just about the training, but about the people I meet and the places I go, about the highs and the lows, the good and the bad, about everything I learn as I travel my journey from Javea in January 2018 to Paris September 2019!

It’s time to tri Harder, and I can’t wait to get started!