Intrepid,
I don't know that it helps much.
Some days my own head barely stays above the water, so to speak.
My first event was the UM last year, and initially there was a lot of resistance. My husband, my folks... me... I wasn't sure it was in me, but wanted to try. Everyone else was concerned about the sharks ;)
But... I did the UM last year. Less than 3 months after my husband died, in a plane crash, the night we were prepping to take my boat down for pre-race training.
I subsequently went through hell and back... including finally arranging time to transport my boat down, only to have my car towed by my apartment complex, calling in a favor with the local police chief as the bereaved widow to get my car out of impoundment at midnight on a Saturday, and pissing off the entire towing company and apartment complex with some angry but well deserved words.
I am here a better person for all of that shit.
You can do it.
I only had a few training runs, and was far more out of shape than I had been in ages.... but I did well and cannot fathom where I would be today without those times to keep me going.
Go for it.