Egad

What have I done? Why would I sign up for a triathlon? Who am I anyway? Have I lost what little mind I ever possessed?

One and a half weeks to the big day. Let's see how we're doing, shall we:

Have I done a "brick"? (A brick is where you do two of the events in a row as if you are doing part of the triathlon, i.e. swim and then bike, or bike and then run) ...Erm, no.

Can I run 5k (3.1 miles or thereabouts) without stopping? ...Uh, not really, no.

Have I done a practice swim, or even a dip, into some open water? ... Um ...well ... No.

Do I even know what I'm wearing to the swim? ...Yeah, that'd be another "no."

On the positive side, am now slightly more physically fit than before. Can and do regularly swim 40 laps (36=1/2 mile) in the local pool. Have been known to run 8 whole minutes at a time. Also, have purchased jersey and bicycling shorts for the occasion, so will provide much amusement to those whippet-thin types as I struggle moistly into my togs for the ride, fresh out of the brisk yet refreshing waters of Lake Washington, pasty white thighs quivering with exertion and ... Okay, that's probably enough descriptive prose.

Am kicking into high gear, i.e. obsessing mightily over the details: What food to bring? Which ghastly fluorescent flavor of sports drink? Will probably go in search of appropriate swim gear, or else give up soon and just wear swimsuit with sports bra underneath, thus sealing fate as sporting Dorkiest Triathlon Ensemble Ever Worn. Also guaranteeing self painful welts on bottom from suit leg-holes which are quite, erm, enthusiastically elasticized. Very appropriate for staying in place in the pool, the suit much to its credit never rides up and so I am never required to tug it out of place (here I am thinking with distaste of that suction effect, where you pull on the suit and it just sticks harder to your butt so you have to "crack the seal" and let some air in, as if it wasn't embarrassing enough to have had it stuck up your wazoo in the first place, but now you have to rummage around the leg-hole in front of the whole pool) but I think sitting on it for an hour or so will be a bit uncomfortable. But, I will have sporty new padded bike shorts which will take some of the sting out of it, one hopes. Plus Julianna is lending me her gel seat which has to be cushier than my stock saddle.

Of course, there is no situation which my father cannot complicate further by planning a visit. At least this time he actually called ahead. He's coming on Saturday. I suppose it's time, he hasn't seen the baby since Christmas and has never seen the new house at all. I have decided to show him around the house, let him visit with the baby, then have him sift through the various photos of the baby contained within this computer and we'll make an order of them to get printed up at Costco. You just upload the photos and they print them up, you get to pick them up in an hour or so. This will keep him busy and out of J's hair as she is building the long-planned (talk about obsessing over the details, but that's okay, she's happiest doing so) chicken coop. She does not want "help." Remind me to tell you about how Dad "helped" with the baby's room at the Woodstock house...

Well, must go clean up and get cracking on that list of stuff to bring to the tri. At least then I can forget stuff instead of not knowing I needed it in the first place.