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 | The Sounder Commuter Train at Tacoma Dome Station. Tacoma, WA March 1, 2007 |
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« "oPtion$: The Secret Life Of Steve Jobs" | Main | Scale » December 19, 2007Escaping From Alcatraz: June 8, 2008You know that moment when you found out you won something unexpected? Like, you entered some random sweepstakes, and then later you're told that you won the grand prize? I'm having that moment right now. Two years ago, my friend Jeff and I tried to enter the "Escape From Alcatraz" triathlon. The event is always popular, so the sponsors have implemented a lottery system to limit the number of participants. Neither of us got in for 2005. Well, we thought we'd try it again for 2008, and - we made the list. At or around 8 AM on Sunday, June 8, 2008, I'll be impersonating shark-bait in San Francisco Bay. (Yes!) If you're not familiar, The Escape from Alcatraz triathlon is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. The race starts from the side of a boat just off from Alcatraz island; you swim to shore (1.5 miles), strip off your wetsuit and run a mile to your bike, then ride 18 miles in an out-and-back loop to Golden Gate Park and finally end with an 8-mile run. (Course information and map here.) I've done Alcatraz once - in 2000 - and my goals at the time were simple: 1) finish the race without killing myself, and 2) finish in under four hours if possible. I finished with a time of 3:44:27, which made me very happy. This time, it's all about faster. I'm trying to shave a half-hour off my time, and finish under 3:15. It's going to be a challenge, no question, but I'm a much better runner than I was in 2000, and I'm planning to train on the cycle more consistently (as well as doing lots and lots of hills). I figure the time breakdown looks like this:
The trick is going to be some serious, at-distance training sessions. After spending two or three months getting up to speed in each event, Jeff and I will be spending our weekends in simulated triathlons, getting the endurance up. Hoo boy, do I have a lot of work to do - I've got to get back in the water, get back out running Greenlake, and buy a bicycle. I am sooooooo looking forward to this! Posted by Gavin Shearer at December 19, 2007 5:20 PM. Posted to Cool | Fitness. Trackback PingsTrackBack URL for this entry: Commentsthat's cool! You'll need to look out for sharks, of course. And Vicky. Posted by: Mr. Sharumpe Post a commentThanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out) (If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.) |
