Some of my long-time readers will remember last year when I completed the swimming leg of my first Triathlon Relay. Of course, being totally green and naive, I hadn’t realized when my friends talked me into it that the swimming portion is the hardest of the three. I mean, think about it… When you’re in the middle of a dark murky lake at 6am, it’s kind of difficult to stop and catch your breath like you can on a bike or while running. And add in the part about waves lapping in your face, and other people kicking you in your nose, and weird lake plants tickling your legs, and it’s…well…a challenge, to say the least.

And yet, once I was done with the panic attack and then made it to the hand-off zone, there was something about it that was strangely empowering, and slightly addicting.

So, being a glutton for punishment, my former relay team and I have all signed up to complete the triathlon this year as individuals. That’s right…Swim, Bike & Run, here we come. The event is a sprint triathlon, which is the shortest distance there is. It will encompass a 1/2 mile open-water swim, a 12 mile bike ride, and a 5K run. Each distance on it’s own is quite doable. It’s the combining them all together that makes me nervous.

But, we’re going to try, if for no other reason than it will force us to get off the couch and get to the gym. Because if you know me, you know nothing motivates me more than an external deadline. I won’t exercise because it’s good for me… oh no. But to keep from looking like an idiot, or to keep from drowning… now that’s a good reason to exercise.

I may be resurrecting my exercise blog to track my progress… or I may not. But either way, check back after August 16th to see if I survived!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 12:44 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.