One of the first things I did after registering for Coeur d'Alene was make a giant list called "things to buy & do." The goal was to figure out all the expenses so I could budget them over the next 11 months instead of getting hit hard in one month. It included things like: a wetsuit (I'll actually need this for Poconos ), hotel reservations, a neoprene swim cap, etc. "TT bike" with lots of question marks next to it. And a coach. I've been running on and off with Capital Area Runners for about the last 9 months. I'd never done any group training before I started running with this group, but I love it. Motivation, support, camaraderie, and no stressed-out hidden feelings of competition, which is excellent when you are generally the caboose of any given workout. You are where you are, and you work hard to try and get better, and that's that. And George , the coach, is fantastic. He's reasonable and conservative and understandi...