Sickness Or Health?

I have spent the week hoping to catch a bug.

The flu perhaps.

If not the flu, then maybe just a bad cold.

Surely there is someone out there with a contagion I could catch with a lengthy handshake or having them cough on me.

But I'd need a fever for it to be legitimate.

I suppose I could handle chills and a rash as well, should further proof be necessary.

However, I don't want any stomach issues.  I've vomited daily through three pregnancies to ever wish for that.





O.K.

One time.

I'd be willing to vomit one time.

Pretty desperate, eh?

You see, if I was sick....really sick....I could legitimately get out of participating in this blasted sprint triathlon I overzealously signed up to race in this Saturday.

I started swimming in February to complete an activity for a family exercise challenge.  I liked it so much I kept at it.  Another month, I tried out bike riding, an activity I hadn't done outside on a real bike as a form of exercise in over a decade.  While my reaction to that particular sport was much, much less enthusiastic (remember, the bike seat and the heel of a stiletto use the same principles of force and pressure),  knowing the old adage "Just like riding a bike" was true - you do remember how - birthed the idea of doing the local triathlon on August 7th.

"Months away!" I thought.

"Plenty of time to train!" I reasoned.

Now the confession:  I was in better shape two months ago than I am now.

I don't know what happened, specifically.  We moved, the boys were suddenly constantly around, I started sleeping in, it got too hot.  Blabbity, blah, blah.  Summer seems like an ideal time for exercise and healthy eating.  Why I haven't managed to consistently do either is not only frustrating, but devastating for a girl who is signed up to consecutively swim, bike and run in three days time.

For multiple reasons (fear of letting myself and others down, fear I'll never try again if I don't try now, fear that I'll have this failure gnawing away at any goal I set for myself in the future, plus the much more important reason that I actually think I can do it, albeit very slowly), I am going through with it.

The triathlon, that is.

Who'd have thought choosing health over sickness would cause such hand wringing?