I have been asked a number of times to blog about my training adventures....Although I can't for the life of me figure out why anybody would want to read about the self-inflicted torture I put myself through....except for maybe the participants of the classes I teach! HA! Maybe they really DO just want to see if I hold myself to the same standards expected of them!

This blog will hopefully set the record straight....I practice what I preach (ok not ALL the time) - but when I set my mind on something - Look out! The bottom line is this, I LOVE to sweat, work hard, and push my body to exhaustion. This is partially why the sport of triathlon appealed so strongly to me. Triathlon is not only a test of endurance, where mental strength has to match or often exceed physical strength, but to compete in the sport requires multiple hours of cross training, eating, sweating and often times, cursing. It was perfect.


My problem though, is I get bored. Some may say this is a weakness in my mental 'game', and maybe so. I say, once I've accomplished something, I want to move on. Take it to the next level, or switch it up to do something completely different. After completing the Oliver half Ironman 2 years in a row - I was bored. I needed something totally different to set my sights on. Something fun. Something new. Something kinda crazy. Why not just do a different race? Different distance? Nope. I wanted a break from triathlon - I wasn't having fun - that means I needed a change.

Enter Sharkfest. Yes, thats right - Sharkfest. What is it? Oh - Its a swim. Where? From Alcatraz Island across the San Francisco Bay. Aptly named for the shark infested waters that surround Alcatraz, the website clearly states it is NOT a swim for Novices. Gulp. When my swim partner mentioned it to me during one of our ocean swims last year - I was like "NO WAY - I'M NOT SWIMMING 1.5 MILES IN FREEZING - IMPOSSIBLE CURRENT - SHARK INFESTED WATER FOR FUN"......uh....yeah....for the record, I have also said things like " I will never run for fun", or "I will never do long distance triathlon", etc.... 
All teasing aside, I am actually pretty excited about the event! It's something different - something fun - and yes, kinda crazy - but I am looking forward to the training - the mental game - the cold showers and winter ocean swims to acclimate myself to the expected water temperature. Stay tuned! It's sure to be a wild ride :)
 - Click on the picture below for the link to the site