I'm Still Here? Can I Unpack My Car Yet?

So, where am I now?  I'm still in Florida.  I've lost all track of time, any sense of how long I've been gone or what time of year it is.  It's odd because for some reason I'm thinking back to last winter and how by now I was two thirds of the way through my Tucson adventure, ready to move on in one short month and yet this time it's like I've barely even gotten started.

That, and I'm still carrying my life around in the back of my little car.  But as of now it looks like this road lifestyle will all end on Saturday when I finally drive to Alabama and actually stay put for a month.  This nomadic lifestyle is definitely getting old.  As is keeping my dirty laundry in random grocery bags while awaiting my next washer/dryer opportunity. 

Where am I now?  Near Daytona Beach.  I spent the weekend in Lakeland, FL because, well, mostly because I had to go somewhere with open hotel rooms and with the NBA All-Star game in town that meant heading at least 30 miles west of Orlando.  It also worked out well because I randomly got an e-mail from a guy who I wrote a training plan for under QT2 who lived in the area and wanted to know if I needed anyone to ride with.  Um, yeah!  Sure, why not?  We went to the same trail actually that we rode at the training camp a few weeks ago, we just started at a point south of where I actually had ever made it to and parked right next to it so we got to avoid the annoying parts of getting there.  It has been very strange these past few weeks because while I've sort of been alone, there have been these sporadic meetings up with people, so it's been nice in that way, too.

There's not really a whole lot else to say.  I've spent more time in different Starbucks all over Florida these past couple of weeks than I have in my entire life combined until now.  See, it makes me feel like I'm part of civilization rather than hiding out in a hotel room on my lap top.  And I'm a little freaked out at the realization that April first, also known as the date of Texas 70.3, is getting really, really close.  I feel like I haven't raced a half ironman in about five years.  I feel like I haven't raced at all in five years.  I'm not even sure I remember how to get ready for a race.  This will definitely be an interesting season.