After much debate and tough love, I’ve dropped weight in my pack prior to leaving VTS! I mean I am taking enough clothes for, oh say, a long weekend (if that), for 11 months. Who needs to match? At least shipping stuff back home from America is WAY cheaper, and I mean … really … I can do this! Yes, I am giving myself a pep talk to send my stuff back home so soon! So what clothes am I actually taking for 11 months, you ask? 1 athletic shorts 2 capris 1 pair of jeans 3 skirts (2 knee length, 1 long) 1 dress 1 nice shirt 3 casual shirts 1 short sleeve cardigan 1 sweater 1 long sleeve shirt 1 rain jacket 5 tank tops 4 pairs of socks 1 scarf 2 weeks of underclothes 1 tankini 1 pair of leggings … BAM! That’s it! So don’t judge when you see me in the SAME clothes ALL the time! End of story. Note to future racers: Don’t buy clothes for the Race because 9 times out of 10 … you will keep that shirt you love and wear all the time back home, over the one that is “for the race.”