Finally - a Triathlon Season!

Deciding to enter a triathlon again feels like agreeing to go out for dinner with an ex who was demanding, exhilarating, needy, inspiring, exhausting and fun. You think, hey, it's just dinner, how bad could it be? You remember the romance, the satisfaction, the highs; then the challenge of making it work day in and day out for weeks and months on end; then the pain, the exhaustion, and finally the sheer inability to do it any more. And then you remember the first time again... and you say, hey, it's just dinner. Well, maybe lunch.

You think, hey, I'll just do a little race - how bad could it be, right? You remember the joy of the finish lines, the satisfaction of the race t-shirts and post-race naps; the camaraderie; then the sore muscles, the early mornings, the blisters, the money you poured out on gear of all descriptions; the injuries, and the chronic fatigue syndrome that hit you right after your last triathlon. Can you really do that again? And then you remember that first race... and say, hey, it's only a sprint. Well, maybe a super sprint. Or two.

How can I call myself the Slow Fat Triathlete if I'm afraid to sign up for a race? Or even announce that I plan to sign up for a race. So consider this an announcement. I plan to register for the Luna Bar Women's Triathlon in August at Rancho Seco Park in Herals, just east of Sac. And then in early October I will do the Golden State Triathlon, which is almost literally in my back yard at Discovery Park. So there. That's Rancho Seco over on the right. Looks hot, huh? Yeah, that's what I thought too. But still. If I don't feel ready, I can always downsize to the super-duper Luna Bar sprint - 200 yard swim (probably not .200 as it said on the website), 5 mile bike, 1 mile run. At the Golden State, I can always just ride home if I decide not to do the run.

I'm feeling pretty good about the swimming now. I'm up to 1400 yards per session; just need to get to 1600 and then start building what passes in my world for "speed." Biking will pretty much take care of itself because I love it, and the bike commute will start again in earnest next month when the light improves. Running... eh. It may be walking. Or walking and jogging. I did buy a nifty pair of running shoes on sale at Sports Authority... not what I recommend in terms of shoe shopping, but they felt nice, they're top of the line ASICS, and they should be fine for the limited mileage I have in mind.

Heck, maybe I'll do Lake of the Pines, too. I need some good t-shirts.