i did it again (ironman st. george)

well, i did it again.

actually, i did (several) it(s) again.

i did:

1. signed up for another Ironman--the inaugural Ironman St. George, in Utah, to be held May 2010 (http://www.ironmanstgeorge.com/)
   
2. signed up for another Ironman, without checking the course profile--it's a ball buster (check it out for yourself: http://www.ironmanstgeorge.com/course.php)
3. signed up for another Ironman, simply because of peer pressure--all my buddies mysteriously decided that this race, of all races, was the race to do
   

i should issue a correction on the last one. most of it was me, and the fact that i just couldn't stand not having an Ironman to do. i guess it just gets under your skin. there are things that i get from Ironman that i don't get from anything else--at least, not anything that i've tried so far. life lessons, personal fulfillment, spiritual growth, call it whatever you want, nothing else is like Ironman. and i've come to realize that those things, and hence Ironman, is something that i need...i guess like so much of the ascetic traditions in the world's panoply of religions, spiritual development only comes through physical and mental ordeal.

i know i said that i was on hiatus for the foreseeable future because of the current economy and my current job situation, but the race is 13 months away and i figure things may change in that course of time. besides, a year seems to count as "foreseeable future," so in a way i suppose i'm still following what i said before.

i may live to regret this. not just because of the $550 non-refundable registration fee, but also because of the course.

the course is flat-out tough. right now, the bike course involves approximately 2,000 feet of climbing over a loop that you have to do twice. the run course isn't any easier, with around 500 feet of climbing on a loop that you also have to do twice. tough. tough. tough.

F my life.

WTF was i thinking!?!?

oh yeah, i wasn't.

lovely.

and with my luck, race day will feature 40-knot winds and torrential rain exceeding anything the locals have ever seen. and why? because i'm doing the race. you see, every Ironman i've done has had weather conditions beyond anything the locals have ever seen--every time, i've heard people say the same thing "freakish conditions, never seen anything like this, can't explain it."

well, i can explain it. it's me. me. and the big guy upstairs (or whatever upstairs) giving me a good dose of one-on-one conversation and personal attention for whatever random truths or lessons or insight or realization or enlightenment or masochism he (or it) has decided to give me.

well, i've got a year to prepare. let's hope i develop some athletic ability by that time.

and oh yeah:

F my life.

WTF was i thinking?

oh yeah, i wasn't.