I did it!!!

Thank you to all of you who supported me. I am very appreciative! It was a great cause and a great time. I'll post the finish line picture and more information soon.

PS- My time was 3:22:24

You're Invited

In one week from today the triathlon will be over, and I will be exhausted. If you're interested in coming out to cheer me on next Saturday I would greatly appreciate it. I could use all of the moral support I can get! Let me know if you need directions/information.

Two Weeks

Two more weeks until the big day. I'm starting to feel very nervous! Two main questions are running through my mind: When do the roads re-open (I need to finish before the roads re-open) and will it really be humiliating to be the very last person to finish?

We had a mini-tri today. It was my first time swimming with my wetsuit. I discovered the wetsuit takes about 20 minutes to put on and 10 seconds to get off! I also discovered that the wetsuit creates the sensation that I am slowly suffocating to death. The wetsuit comes up around my neck and puts just enough pressure on my trachea to cause me to feel as though I may die at any moment. Apparently this sensation is completely normal and I just need to 'get used to it'. Windpipe crushing aside I did finish my mini-tri and felt pretty good. Slow, but good. Very very slow, but good.

Yes, I'm still training

I know I've been absent from the blog for quite sometime. There is a variety of reasons/excuses for my hiatus -- but don't worry not one of them is that I stopped training. My triathlon is still on track for September 29. I am getting very, very, very nervous. I hope I can do this!!!

Thanks to all of you-- I have raised $50 over my $2400 minimum. Although, if you haven't given you still can. It's impossible to raise too much money for cancer research! Thank you!

Your Money

First off, thank you to all of you who have contributed to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society! I am almost to the minimum requirement of $2400! I thought you may like to know how your donation will be used or if you're still considering donating then see how your donation can make a big difference in the life of a patient.


How is money spent by the Society?

A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.

A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.

A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.

A donation of $500 provides one patient in the local area financial aid for treatment related costs.

Impossible!

"But when a thing has to be attempted, one must never think about possibility or impossibility. People quite often do what seemed impossible before they did it. It is wonderful what you can do when you have to." CS Lewis

This Saturday's brick session caused me to think about this CS Lewis quote. After biking for well over 20 miles, I had to immediately run for 15 minutes. (or at my pace just over a mile) About 7 minutes into my run, my calf just completely cramped. My legs had had enough of this nonsense! I reminded myself of the CS Lewis quote, briefly stopped to stretch out my calf and continued running. I finished and lived-- which at 7 minutes in seemed an impossibility. I'm now hoping that while the triathlon seems an impossibility-- I will be impressed with what I did when I had to.

Needless to say, today my legs are very very sore!

Bricks

Today at our team workout we did our first brick. A brick is the bike/run combination. So for instance, today we biked about 80 minutes and then immediately ran for about 15. There are many theories as to why this is called a brick. One is that 'brick' is a combination of the words bike and run, another is that it is a block workout like a brick. The most popular theory is that when running after biking one's legs feel like a brick. I'm inclined to think this is the most accurate experience. My legs did feel like bricks! They didn't however seize up, which I'm told can happen. They went a bit numb, which was actually in my favor--at least they didn't hurt! Either way I did it! I biked and ran and didn't keel over!

The TNT folks are really great. Not only do they provide the great snacks Cathy mentioned after every team workout. They also cheer for us through out the workout. I have to say it is really encouraging to have someone cheering me on. As I was finishing my brick today it was just nice to hear 'Great Job!' 'Keep Going! You're doing Great!' Especially because my brain was thinking 'maybe we shouldn't keep going' and my legs certainly agreed with my brain. Not only is TNT a great way to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and honor those with blood cancers, it is also an excellent training program. I would recommend it to any of you considering an endurance event.