The Sweet Escape

Back in 2006, I admired AER's performance at the Treasure Island Triathlon so much that I faced my fears of open-water swimming and road cycling and I signed up for the Wildflower Triathlon. And on May 6, 2007 I completed the Wildflower Olympic Course in 3:10.

Then and there, I got hooked on triathlon.

But a month later, when I woke up at 3:00 AM to put her hair in double French braids and to see her off before her Escape from Alcatraz swim, cycle, and run, I became entirely envious of how amazing of a triathlete AER is. And as she came out of the water from her swim in the San Francisco Bay, I realized that I *REALLY* wanted to do THAT one day.

So I put my name in the lottery drawing a few months back. And on December 8, they picked my name. Yes..

"[I am] one of the lucky triathletes that have been selected as a winner the December 15, 2007 random drawing for a slot in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon to be held in San Francisco on June 8, 2008...

SHIT! I didn't mean I wanted to do THAT one day so soon!!!!

But a few days ago, I finally overcame my fear of this amazing race just enough to pay my registration fee. Which means, of course, that...

"...On June 8th, [I] will get to jump off a perfectly good boat into the frigid water of the San Francisco Bay, swim with 1800 of your best friends from Alcatraz to Little Marina Green. [I] will climb out of the water and run (with or without shoes) one half mile to the transition area, jump on [my] bike and ride 18 miles (most people say that it is all up hill) and then run 8 miles (under the Golden Gate Bridge, through the sands of baker beach, up the infamous sand ladder and back to Marina Green to the finish line. What a great way to spend [my] life."

So now it is time to re-focus and get back to training. With a lot of work, it WILL be pretty sweet...