Wait, I signed up for WHAT?

So I just registered for a new race.  In the registration process, they asked to get to know me better.  Here is what I wrote (partially copied from my Twitter profile):

I'm Chris. My occasional blog posts can be found at CPAGrrrlStrongerFasterBetter.blogspot.com.  

I run, I eat, I occasionally swim, I struggle with my weight.
I #wycwyc (pronounced "wick-wick!"),
I am a #261FearlessAmbassador and
I #StandwithPP.   

My crazy runner friends talked me into doing my first Triathlon and I'm writing this before starting any training at all, and quite frankly I am scared out of my wits.  So things are just as they should be.   

LET'S DO THIS!

So there you have it.  I'm registered for my first Triathlon.

HOLY CRAP.

How in HELL did this happen?

Oh right, my awesome crazy runner friends provided a TON of Positive Peer Pressure, and after several days of researching and looking up training plans and debating whether my relaxed approach to training could actually get me ready for such a thing, I decided to DIVE IN.

The course is described as:

The Gildan Esprit de She Naperville Triathlon is a sprint distance triathlon in and around Centennial Beach. The swim course takes place in the Centennial Beach Reservoir, guided by lane markers and swim buoys and supervised by a large team of lifeguards. Our “Swim Angels” will also be available as a measure of encouragement and added safety. The bike course is two laps on paved roadways throughout the Naperville area and the run traverses paved roads and paths through Riverwalk Park. 

They add:

Please note: there will be a a two hour cut-off time to complete both the swim and bike portions of the race (from the last wave). In addition, there will be a three hour cut-off time to complete the entire race (from the last wave).

.75-kilometer (.5-mile) swim | 21.4-kilometer (13.3-mile) bike | 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) run

The swim is, of course, the scary part.  I learned how to swim better about 18 months ago, and have been practicing occasionally since, using the indoor pool at my gym.  I was VERY pleased to find that "Centennial Beach" is really a POOL and not a lake environment, since I have a real problem with lakes.  [They kinda gross me out.  They're just like big stagnant pools of water, who wants to swim in that?  Yuck.  This California Grrrl says give me an ocean or a pool, please.] But I digress.  Back to my weak swimming skills.

YAY!  It's a pool!  Image courtesy Google Earth

Swimming a 1/2 mile is scaring the crap out of me.  I can barely swim 2 laps without a break now.  Speed will be of NO concern in this race; only finishing the swim.  A 13-mile bike ride will take me a little over an hour, and a 5k after all that might take as much as 45 minutes (!) but it all sounds like a cake-walk once the swim is done.  Based on the cutoff time, I will have to finish the swim in under 45 minutes or get serious about going faster on my bike.  Hmmm.  I think a test-swim is in order, and quickly.

I've gotten my hands on a free training plan that looks like it will suit my needs (and has a long enough timeline that I can build in all the flexibility I'll need to make that work).  And I guess I'm going to baby-step my way to participating in my first Tri.

I'll be #wycwyc-ing the HELL out of this.

I repeat:  HOLY CRAP!  Can't look much into the future on this one; one step in front of the other.  Step 1:  go for a swim this weekend.

CPAGrrrl, OUT.