To Tri or Not

I've been thinking for a long time about doing a sprint triathlon. A couple days ago, an opportunity presented itself to do an olympic triathlon in Orlando, Florida with a friend out there. Having never done even a sprint, I'm sure you can understand my concern about doing twice that in a standard tri. Plus it's in July... hot. as. hell. Anyone done a tri who can give me some advice? (Like, do I really need to buy one of those unitard things? And am I crazy for thinking I can train enough to swim 1.5km-- in alligator infested waters no less-- by July?)

In other news, I ran a new part of Mission Trails today. A friend and I started at the Equestrian Staging Area and, from what I can tell on the map, ran part of the Grasslands Crossing Trail, Spring Canyon Trail and possibly some of the North Perimeter Trail. The wild flowers are blooming in brilliant force right now--it's really quite beautiful in the sagey-brushy way the desert landscape can be; however, the creeks are drying up fast--which makes for easier crossing but not as much acoustical satisfaction.

It's been fun discovering new parts of the San Diego "wild." I say "wild" because it's hard to feel totally in the wild when the trail you're on goes under the 52 freeway. And yet, those little, black-winged bugs that stick to your face or go up your nose, and all those sunbathing snakes and lizards, and that God-only-knows-Creature thrashing in the bushes...all make the wild feel very real and a little bit scary. Yes, it's a fun juxtaposition.

What I really need to do is invest in some good trail shoes if I'm going to continue running such places. From what I hear, it makes a huge difference...and seeing as how I rolled both ankles going down steep, narrow trails today, it's probably true. (Not all things are consumer gimmicks, Asha.)

So to wrap it up: It's hot out there. If you're a trail runner, do watch out for rattlesnakes; they are getting more aggressive in Southern California right now because their territory is getting scarce. Luckily we didn't see any today, but a hiker we came across on the trail warned of a couple snakes we were heading toward, so we picked a different route. Also-- wear that sunblock! (Is it just me, or does it seem like it only takes about eight seconds to get a sunburn these days?)

Tomorrow I'm doing a road run with a friend who just ran a marathon in under 4 hours. INsane. My goal is to keep up with her... steps to getting faster. Probably going to be painful.

Keep on truckin'