An old friend sent me this suggestion for something I should try next year.
I laughed hard. It would take me a lot more than a year to be able participate in something like this. My first goal is to be able to hike over the dunes.
But my friend has been doing these for 15 years now. I remember her training for her very first one. I remember her that next Monday morning in the office, recounting the experience. On the swim portion, she entered the water, just around the buoy and back. A not too difficult swim, yet the race was much different from the training. The water was alive, churning with the mass of humanity all around her. Drowning could be a possibility. Eventually, she panicked, grabbed the buoy and held on for dear life. Her retelling was so vivid. I could picture the boat coming out to rescue her. Feel all the emotions running through her mind as her first race was over prematurely.
Instead of backing down, taking some time off, she entered the very next race she could find… and finished. And has continued ever since.