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Hello, Blog-o-sphere. It’s been a long time.

What have I been doing with myself, you say? Well, as you probably noticed, I took a hiatus after I attempted to start a second “music blog” – which died a silent death. It just wasn’t any good. And I must have been prescient when I killed it off, too, because just today, I read this article.

And that’s how I decided that (a) My new favorite word is ineffable, and (b) It is best to stick to writing about what I know: my own life…

Personally, I find music to be ever more interesting than my own life. But it also seems like magic … something I don’t fully understand and something that can render me speechless, confident, happy, sad, and vulnerable all at the same time. Um, let’s just say it’s ineffable.

Anyway, what I’ve been doing is racing against the clock to get ready for a race… the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. I have only five weeks to go!!! The past few weeks have included some pretty solid training. Not fabulous, but decent. And, since I’ve finally gotten into a groove, I’ve tried to throw in some Alcatraz-specific training. In addition to normal training, we’ve done a really, really hilly ride – with 6100+ feet of climbing on something like 12-16% hills – out in the Catoctin area. (It was so bad that I had to get off my bike and walk up some of the hills…). And I’ve done a hill-repeat ride, where I repeated and fairly good 6% hill five times. And this weekend, we plan to do an 83-mile ride along Skyline Drive in northern Virginia. Craig didn’t even let me start complaining about how hard it is going to be before he said emphatically that he’s doing it (with or without me). [So, shut your trap, missy! We’re doing this!]

Finally, I’ve tried to increase my “hilly” runs, and I also plan to don the wetsuit and wade into the 52-degree Chesapeake Bay this weekend. (San Francisco Bay will reportedly be 52-54 degrees on June 1. So, I’m trying to shock my system in advance.)

The Escape from Alcatraz people have started sending out wake-up-call newsletters to make sure the people who are signed up to do the race realize what they’re in for. And I have to tell you, it’s pretty terrifying. Ok, not really. But seriously, it is. They assure you that the only sharks that might be in the area where the swim takes place are of the 4-foot variety. Bigger sharks don’t venture into that part of the bay. Also, the water is quite a shock when you jump in (You don’t say?), and you can get caught in currents and eddies. (Sounds like a water park.) They have the gall to suggest that you should float on your back to take it all in and make sure you aren’t in one of those eddies. Um, I’m just gonna swim. Hard! (Actually, I hope I have the presence of mind to float on my back and take it all in, but I really think I’m just going to want to keep moving in –hopefully– the right direction…)

I’ve also been doing the Real Video bike course from the race on my Computrainer. I love the 12% climb at mile 12. And I love the way the hills always come after you turn a corner, giving you no way to get any momentum beforehand. It’s so cute.

And then there’s the run… up hills, on sandy beaches, and up sandy “ladder” stairs. It all sounds positively lovely. (Why am I doing this again?) Seriously, though, I’m not going to care about the run, because when I get to the run, I’m just going to be so glad to still be alive!

The truth is that the main thing motivating me for this race is the ability to say – after I’m done – no matter how terrible my time is – that I AM A BADASS. I’m convinced that I will be allowed to call myself that, because serious, top-of-their-age-group triathletes that I know in our area have never done this race before – simply because the swim is too cold. So, while that will make me wonder if I’ve totally lost my mind, it will also motivate me. I mean, what else is there to shoot for after an Ironman besides achieving badass-ness? … I’m warning you now, people: you are not even going to be able to stand me after this. It will be ineffable.