Clearly, I have gone insane.

Earlier this week I told two of my girlfriends that I would do this women's triathlon with them, and I wasn't even drunk. Clearly, I have gone insane.

That said, I've already started "training" in that I've done 40 minutes of "running" (ahem, walking) and 20 minutes of "biking" (stationary, easiest possible setting) twice this week, and already feeling like a freaking gladiator. Mind you, I haven't been swimming in, oh, YEARS and am already scared that I'm going to drown. (Seriously, what the hell was I thinking???)

So here's the big question: who's with me? They have events all over the country, including one in SoCal, but I've chosen to meet up with a couple kickass women I know in Austin, TX. If you're thinking, why the hell would I be interested in doing this, Dinah? Here are the incentives:
* The women I'm doing this with are super chill and not competitive. I've already started hearing rumblings that some of them will be walking the 5k running bit. Mostly we're all going to be really impressed with ourselves if we just finish the damn thing.

* There are 4 months to train, and the distances really aren't that bad. Okay, the .75k (1/2 mile) swim has me all kinds of scared, and that's going to require a lot of work on my part to just be able to do it without dying. That said, the bike bit is only 12 miles, and the running bit is only 3. These things are totally doable. In 4 months.

* Did I mention that the women I'm doing this with are really, really cool? We've already made plans for some guilt-free queso and Mexican martinis after the race. You know you want to join us.

* If you've never been to Austin, it's totally rad. The food is particularly tasty--breakfast tacos, queso, BBQ, and so many other yummy things. And if you come for a triathlon, then you can be all like, Whatever, I just did a triathlon, I'm eating this entire pot of cheese, I don't even care!

* If you're looking to lose weight, this could be a great way to stick to a really awesome, well-rounded exercise plan. I mean, as long as you don't justify entire pots of cheese every day, of course. But running, biking, & swimming are all really awesome ways to knock out some cardio, introduce some variety into your workout, and tone your muscles. Just think of how smokin' hot we'll all be when we roll into Austin. Right??

In conclusion, you have two choices:
1. Do the triathlon with me. We'll coach each other every week, hold each other accountable, cheer each other on, it'll be awesome! And we'll meet up in Austin and party like rock stars, baby, yeah!
2. Hook me up when I ask you for money. The whole thing is to raise money for breast cancer research, after all, and if I, the most out of shape, unathletic person I know, complete a FREAKING TRIATHLON then you'd best pony up some cash.

Go here for more info. Registration starts February 7.