ladies, thank you for all your kind words. I must say I laugh to hear you all say go for a warmer race. I live through 9 months of winter here in Montreal (well not quite, but its only hot three months) and the heat gets me almost as much as the cold. I love the course at Placid, and the proximity to home can't be beat, so I'll probably stick with it. You will all definately be hearing about my training in the future.