Looking down the barrel and seeing darkness

Looking down the barrel and seeing darkness
~Reed Nelson~
JUNE 2005
Just a quick note from me this month. There is a lot going on, but I was not sure what to put here. So, I will give you my personal horizon. I joined about 6,000 people in Chicago in 1992 and did the bike portion of the triathlon with two other gentlemen from my employer at the time. I really smoked the course. It was flat and I am actually pretty accomplished as a power rider when I am in shape for such efforts. I love biking… I really do. I have another triathlon coming up this weekend. This time I have to do it all. It will be my first solo effort. It is sprint distance, so no worries there. The biking is again flat, so I will likely blow past a lot of people and might even be fortunate enough to have an age group best time. The run is easy, too… but I will lose nearly 4 minutes per mile to the best runners in my age group. This is very humbling. And then there is swimming. Murky water with a temperature of 61F is on tap. I have never done any competitive swimming, and have just learned to swim 1,000 meters without cardiac arrest. So, my horizon is murky darkness. God forbid I see any fish, as I might be startled enough to inhale a bunch of salt water. Ever seen someone throw up while riding a bike at 25+mph? Yet another fear will be confronted and conquered as I do this, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain. Did I mention how cold the water is going to be???