Fear of Commitment

When one signs up to participate in Team in Training, they know all along that, if something comes up, they get injured, or they are just not enjoying the training, there is a “get out of jail free” card awaiting them about two months into the program where they can opt out of the commitment without owing any more money than the initial $80 registration fee. It is sort of like that “last chance” exit door they had on rides at Disney World. Of course, my one memory of that exit door is when I planned on leaving my family so that they could ride the Tower of Terror after waiting in line with them and, of course, they made me ride…I did not enjoy it very much as evidenced by the picture of us taken during the 13 story free-fall where my head is completely hidden into one of my parent’s lap.

Well, unlike at Disney, I didn’t want to leave at the exit and was excited to get on–well, stay on–the ride. (Am I taking this analogy too far?) This week, we had to sign a couple of forms committing to raise the minimum amount required for our event, order our wetsuits (that is a whole other post), and then actually sign up for the triathlon on the Nautica NYC Triathlon website. I did this without second thought. I could, and should at some point (again, another post) wax poetic about how much I am enjoying training so far. So, I printed out the form, filled it out, sent it in, and registered on the website.

That's Going to Be Me! Oy!

Super quick, super easy…..and super scary! My confirmation e-mail said the following: “Thank you for registering for the 2009 Nautica New York City Triathlon. See you July 26 in the Hudson!” There is something about that sentence that makes all of this slightly more of a reality than it was before. There is really now backing out now. I’m raising the money, getting a wetsuit, going to a pasta party the night before, waking up super early on the morning of July 26th, and showing up to dive into the Hudson River, bike on the West Side highway, and run over the Harlem hills in Central Park. I’m incredibly excited, incredibly nervous, and still in disbelief that this is actually happening!

Only 77 days to go….(typing that made me a little nauseous)….