It Was Only a Matter of Time

Before I got in over my head.

Like literally.

Over. My. Head.

Treading water.

Up the creek without a paddle.

My tri club advertised an OWS clinic (I know, I had no idea either. It means "Open Water Swim"), on May 24, because apparently it's a really good idea to have SOME SWIMMING experience in open water before you know, like actually going and jumping into open water, like say, in the Schuylkill River, for your first triathlon, just for example.

So, I noticed late last night, after going out on a school night (to see Mongol D.C. Filmfest), that the deadline for the May 24 Open Water Swim Clinic was May 1. That would be today.

I panicked. I followed the links. Clicked on this and that. Next thing I knew I had spent $75 and was signed up for ...

a ONE-MILE OPEN WATER RACE.

But did I notice that then? Noooooooooooooooooooo. Toddled off to bed.

This morning, however, as I was swimming my 1000 meters, I started thinking. How far is one mile? It's far. Like...waaaay far. And then I thought about how I hadn't seen anything about a CLINIC when I signed up last night. No, all I saw was something about a race. And it was on the 25th, not the 24th. And it cost $75, not the $30 that the D.C. Tri site had said.

Is it possible that I had MADE A MISTAKE???

After I got to work, I e-mailed my little friend to try to get a handle on the situation:

From jeanne mccann to alejandra:
Reply:
sorry. i was on a conf call and im'ing and doing 20 thngs at once!

guess what. i just BY MISTAKE signed up for a 1 mile swim. race.
instead of an ows CLINIC.

effing idiot.

and the compassionate response I got?

From alejandra to me:
Reply:
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahhahaha

ha.

HA.

HAHAHAHA.

you might as well sign up for a half-ironman then. 1.2 is all you have to swim!!!!

OK, now she had me just a little bit worried:

Jeanne mccann to alejandra
Reply:
[expletive deleted]
should i get out of it?
i can swim 1100 meters really slowly. 35 min. how far is a mile?
so, i could do it maybe in an hour?
with lots of breaks? Tell it to me straight.

And straight she gave it to me:

alejandra to me
Reply:
um.
um.

the thing is...

you're swimming 3:10/100meters.

thats s-l-o-w.

just being honest here...
no. you don't need to do this. nor really probably SHOULD you. a mile is a long way. you're not ready.

Coming from someone who is always standing by, ready to tell me to get my ass in gear and just do it, I kinda took her word for it.

So I wrote to the race director and explained that I'm an idiot and despite the GIANT WARNINGS all over the signup that there are no refunds, I asked for a refund, or at least a chance to get into the OWS clinic, which deadline of course I had missed as I was busy signing up for the "Intro to Half Ironman Swim."

Sigh.

(Stay tuned, the personal shopper exposé is still on! It is SO ON.)