Oh SH*!T

[threadwalker]

I JUST had an "oh my god! what have I done to myself?" - moment. My heart is STILL racing. It may not slow down all day.

I am signed up for this race:

Alcatraz XXXI Triathlon Escape from the Rock.

I've been wanting to do it for years, got on a wait list, and, "poof" got in for 2011. It conflicts with a family event, but it's been one of those things I've been pining away for since I started doing triathlons, so I'll suck it up and do the race while my family is swimming and sipping mojitos. I need to keep better track of my calendar or I'd have seen the conflict during family reunion planning sessions. You can't have everything and I'll get to do something I've been wanting for years.

Only thing is, just now I discovered I got on the wrong wait list.

!!

I thought I was doing an olympic length tri. I seem to have confused "Escape from Alcatraz" with "Escape from the Rock".

How bad can it be?

I thought I was swimming 1 mile, biking 25 mi and running 6.2 mile starting at Alcatraz.

In this NEW reality, the "will it kill me reality?",

I swim 1.5 miles, run 2.25 miles, bike 12 miles, run 14 miles.

HOLY COW! THIS thing is WAY harder than anything else I've done. The biking isn't the hard part so having a shorter bike doesn't make a difference to me. But the swim? and the 2nd run leg? which goes up over part of Mount Tam!!!!

Still freaking out...planning and processing on hold indefinitely until I calm down. My heart start racing everytime I try to encompass the 14 mile run AFTER a 1.5 mile swim.

And now I have something to take my mind off the drama at work. Yay me, I sure know how to distract myself. (ugh)

Comments

[lifeofglamour.livejournal.com]

WOW!! Congrats (?) on getting in! I have no doubt that you're up for the challenge.

[dame-cordelia.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's quite a challenge for you. Otoh, you do like to challenge yourself.

Time to put a training schedule in place that will have you ready for this by next July.

I know you can do it.

[weenie100.livejournal.com]

Holy c***! If it was anyone else I'd say, withdraw and give the spot to someone else. But, this is YOU! Death Ride Challenger! I'm sure you'll be prepared & fine. I saw a quote about many being willing to compete but not that many are willing to train & prepare (was that from you?).

[thread-walker.livejournal.com]

Yes, the quote was something like:\

The will to win is nothing without the will to train/prepare.

Calm down. I've done this. It's intimidating, but you CAN.

[ninevirtues.livejournal.com]

Hey.... congratulations, you got in!

Here's the deal: The swim was hard when I did it, but if you navigate correctly (um, I did NOT, I found this out later) it's much easier. (When you jump off the boat, aim for the transamerica pyramid so as to hit the entrance to Aquatic park in a way that accounts for the outbound current.)

The second run is flat, easy, mellow. You will leave your wetsuit in a bag and run to where your bike is racked.

Bike-- rolling. Train relentless rollers. Steady on the uphills and exploit the downhills.

Run #2: You are just going to have to slog this out. Consider, though, that you will be running along the golden gate national rec. area, over the GG bridge, etc-- people fly across the planet to see that, and you will have a ringside seat for it. It eases the leg ache. ;-)

Last but not least, two 'practice' races to consider:

1) Alcatraz Challenge: Swim across the bay, run across the GG bridge. Low key. Doesn't fill up that I know of. June.

2) Anchorman (a sprint distance version of your race). Early June.

Re: Calm down. I've done this. It's intimidating, but you CAN.

[ninevirtues.livejournal.com]

Duh, I meant, "the FIRST run is flat..."

Re: Calm down. I've done this. It's intimidating, but you CAN.

[thread-walker.livejournal.com]

Advice GREATLY appreciated. I think I will look into Anchorman.