I received an entry to this year’s Escape from Alcatraz triathlon via the lottery. Sometimes, you have to be careful what you wish for. I’m excited about the race, which I’ve never done, but I have to commit myself over the next four months to a level of training I haven’t put in for a few years. Though the land course is very hilly, and the sand steps are notorious, I’m most focused on the 1.5 mile swim in the Bay. I don’t fall to the level of Dana Carvey as a synchronized swimmer in the old SNL skit (“I’m not a very strong swimmer.”), but my progress through the water is slow. My goal is just to get through the swim as smoothly as I can and then trust my legs for the rest of the race.