I've Lost It

I just signed up for the 2010 Chicago Triathlon. My Dad and I will be competing in it together (his 4th triathlon ever, my 6th). It was my first triathlon ever back in 2008 (a supersprint), so it'll be nice to return 2 years later and gauge my vast improvement.

But I'm not doing the Supersprint...

I'm not even doing the Sprint...

I'll be completing the Olympic Distance race (for all you non-triathletes, that's roughly 1 mile swimming, 25 miles biking, and 6 miles running). And I'll be doing it all at the world's largest triathlon in the middle of a sweltering Chicago summer.

Here's where my stupidity comes in: I've been going around telling people the swim was a HALF mile. That's what I thought. I swear I checked and double-checked. I think it's a giant conspiracy, and the moment I clicked the "Register" button, they made the course longer. And now I'm really nervous.

To put this in perspective, the longest I have ever swam without stopping was 875 yards. And that was in a pool. For the triathlon, I have to swim TWICE that far... in Lake Michigan... with hundreds of other flailing triathletes around me.

Oh... and boats.



Apparently there are BOATS I have to avoid also.

This was a horrible idea, but it's done and the money (an exorbitant amount) has been paid. So it's time to go big, or go home. Time to put my money where my mouth is... and all those other inspirational sayings.

I have 7 1/2 months to prepare for this, and a 5-month training plan to get me there. I definitely think I'll be putting off my intentions to cancel my Y membership. I have a lot of pool hours ahead of me!