I am doing a triathlon...

... and it will likely kill me.

I am confirmed my participation in a mini-triathlon on our campus in a week and a half.

I have been contemplating this for a couple of weeks now, and been training in my sporadic fashion to try and get myself somewhat prepared.

It includes a 100 metre swim in the pool, a 12.4 km route on bike (around the campus), and then a 3 km run/walk/crawl to the finish. It can be done for competition or for recreation, but is intended to give the average mortal a taste of what a triathlon entails.

On Wednesday, as part of my training, I went for a 10 km bike ride, then went for a 1 km run/walk, took a 45 minute break, and then went and played ultimate frisbee for a couple of hours, and seemed to be okay. The biking and run/walk don't really concern me, except that I've never done those distances back/back.

This morning, I faced my biggest challenge: the pool. I have never been a swimmer (If you asked me if I could swim, I would answer: "Just barely.") I got up early and made it here just after 7 a.m. Went down to the pool where it was me and about 25 seniors.

I didn't drown, but I do realize that it is going to be very difficult for me to do even 100 metres. The only stroke I could do even remotely well (meaning making some movement) was the backstroke, which causes some difficulty when you can't see where you're going, and isn't really condusive to a triathlon.

I made friends with the two female lifeguards (I guess I was a bit of a novelty among the many seniors they typically see that early in the morning), so they gave me a few tips. I'll be back again a few times next week to see if I can do it.

I'm not doing this for any type of competition: it's just something I've always wanted to try. I think I'm likely in the best shape of my life right now, so I figured it was worth a shot. Oh, did I mention it's also taking place on my birthday? My 33rd birthday?

Yeah, so I figure a triathlon on my 33rd birthday is destiny: I have to do it. Even if it means drowning.