Headed to Santa Cruz for Sandman!

Me about to enter the water at my first Tri: Treasure Island Triathlon 2005


I've officially lost my mind
My coworker Jerry, a 46 year old man in better shape than myself who was my original inspiration for training for triathlons, has convinced me to join him Sunday for an event in my alma mater of Santa Cruz! Now I'm not certain that I'll be able to register the day of the race- but I'll find out tomorrow. It sounds like it hasn't filled up. It's also nice that it doesn't start until 9am and it promises to be a fantastic 74 degrees!

Sandman Triathlon

.5 mile SWIM - 15 mile BIKE - 4.2 mile RUN



I'm sure I can conquer those distances. I hear the run is particularly challenging since it is all along the sand on the beach in Santa Cruz. But I'm more worried about the swim, believe it or not. The last time I swam in an event in the Pacific Ocean I didn't feel too hot. In fact, it's safe to say that I panicked midway. I hardly even remember swimming. Most of the time was spent on my back trying to talk my heartrate down or swimming a mean dog paddle around the course. It was a totally humiliating experience for me as my first event because my parents and boyfriend were present- along with two other friends. But it also was a good lesson as I had not spent much time training in the open water before the race.



I should probably stop right now with the self-berating. Brian brought to my attention that I may not be giving myself enough credit regarding my athletic abilities. Indeed, I may have painted a sorrier picture of my nerdy youth than was necessary. But I only mean to provide a context to my newfound thrill for triathlon. You see, even for someone who dreaded team sports as a kid, triathlon can be a very rewarding experience that fulfills some of those missed opportunities. And to be fair to my parents, I did receive swim lessons as a young boy and was taken to the pool and the ocean often when we lived near it. This has helped me overcome my fear of the water, as I simply have grown more used to the natural feeling of being out in the ocean. I would like to add that recently I've spent a lot more time training in the Pacific at Aquatic Park in San Francisco. I still get the jitters on race day, which is normal, but I no longer feel a sense of emergency when I realize I'm far from land.


I'll be keeping you posted on what happens in the next day regarding this race.