I Blame It on the Second Beer

I had never even considered signing up for this race.

The swim venue is called the Choptank, for freak's sake. (And we all know how I feel about chop.) I remembered too late the tales of jellyfish I'd read in race reports.

The bike course is flat. But it's windy.

The run course is flat. With no shade.

Still, I found myself painstakingly typing in my Visa account number on the Tricolumbia site about 48 hours ago.

At which point, I sent a frantic text to my coaches along the lines of:

I may have had one beer too many tonight. I just signed up for Eagleman 2011. Uh-oh.

And they responded with shock and, dare I say, a bit of glee.

For let it be said that I have been floundering a bit this year with no major commitments. Sure I claimed I wanted to do my first half Ironman in September. But between my cranky hip and some unexpected schedule constraints, I couldn't fathom making time for the training.

So a commitment has been made, which will give me focus for the next 10 months and incentive to solve a litany of issues, including but not limited to, said cranky hip, multiple profound nutrition fails, TT bike discomfort (the lure of a new bike is tempting), wintertime lack of motivation, etc, etc.

It's time to take my newfound confidence in the water to the (potentially) jellyfish-infested, effin' Choptank and show it who has the upper hand.

And it's time to remember my strengths, including that I can ride hard and absorb training and maintain a solid effort over the course of a race and finish strong.

Remind me of this next June, OK?

Thanks.