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RACE WEEKEND: 3/27 - 3/30 (0 WEEKS TO GO!!!)

I DID IT!!! First off, many apologies that this is so incredibily late. I went out of town for two weeks right after the race and have been playing catch up since... not that's that any excuse. But without further ado... here's my RACE RECAP!:

A great quote from our Inspiration Dinner really sums up the first few days of the trip: "You know you're a triathlete when you travel to exotic locations like Hawaii to drink water, stay out of the sun, and go to bed early." It was still really exciting though and Rthe Race was there before I knew it. The night before, I made all the ribbons for the people I was running in honor and in memory of and pinned them to my jersey. Then I did my best to get some sleep. I woke up early, grabbed my tri bag, and met the team in the lobby. We rode over to the transition area, where I set my gear up all nice and neat. That's when mini disaster #1 struck. Despite meticulously packing my tri bag the night before using Coach Pete's handy raceday checklist, I somehow forgot my race numbers! As panic started to set in, Coach Tim took an extra number and had them body stamp my number on the back. I was still pretty bummed at my now ghetto looking number, so I took another extra number and pinned the makeshift one to it, so that at least it still have the Lavaman header and footer. I was starting to feel better as went to get my race belt. I put my tri bag in the middle of the aisle, took out the race belt and put it down, then turned to put my tri bag back in my area. When I turned back around, the race belt was GONE! Seriously, someone grabbed it right out from under me. Panic reemerged and Coach Pete came to rescue with an extra race belt. I was about to ready to cry, but Pete helped me calm down. The team did a light warm up jog then headed to the beach for a warm up swim.

As I lined up the beach, waiting for my wave to get in the water, I had coach Pete right "RELAX!" on my forearm. A few deep breaths later and I was standing waist high in the water next to my teammate Lacie waiting for the signal for our wave. The horn blew and we were off. The first few minutes was madness trying to find space to swim in without getting clobbered. Luckily the water was warm and clear. Unlike the open water swims we were used to, we could see straight to the bottom. I could also see Lacie's purple shirt swimming next me. I knew I could swim at least as fast as her, so when I started falling behind I realized I must not be swimming my best. With all the adreneline pumping and the people all around me, it was really had to guage how hard and fast I was swimming. I started to really push myself and attempt to pass her through whole swim. I was so focused, I didn't even notice any of the fish or sea turtles. I came close to the shore, still tailing Lacie the best I can, I get knocked in the face by another swimmer and my goggles leaked. I didn't want to stop, so I shut my eyes and just paddeled till my hands touched. As I stood up, took of my googles, and started running up the beach I looked over at Lacie.... except it wasn't her. It was my other teammate, Marina, who was a swimmer in college and also happened to wearing a purple shirt that day.. She smiles and tells me how awesome I did. I look at my watch find out that we killed the swim in 30 minutes! My goal was 45. That's what I get for pacing off the wrong person! To put in perspective a little, out of the 71 girls in my age group... I was the 9th one out of the water. Go me!

Following the swim, I jog into transition and gear up for the bike. As I head out of transition and turn onto the course, I go grab a drink from my bottle and drop it! Luckily it doesn't take out any of the bikers behind me, but now I'm down a bottle of gaterade in the heat. As I turn onto the main drag, the Queen K Parkway, I see Marina again. I figured I'd stuck with her on the swim, might as well try to stay with her on the bike. She tells me she's gunning for a 3:15 time. My goal was only 3:45. We kept together, taking turns passing each other. Every so often I picked it up and was convinced I pulled a good bit a head... but the then 2 second laters there was Marina saying "On your left!" and passing me. It really made the race fun and also really improved my time. Luckily at the turn around they had a bottle swap, so I was able to grab a bottle of water to replace my dropped one. Everything was going great until we get to the last quarter of the bike. All of a sudden the wind really picked up and made it super difficult. We were all relieved when someone shouted back that a downhill part was coming up... until we got there and noticed the wind was so bad we were only doing 8 mph DOWNHILL! It was nuts. Later we found out that this was the worse winds they've ever had during this race. I started getting tired and falling behind Marina. Just then I became aware something flapping behind me. It was the ribbons and it reminded again why I was doing this. So I decided that I'd followed Marina for 24 miles, and I wasn't going to lost her on the last two. I went at it full force and pulled into transition right behind her. I switch into my running gear and I was off...

Now the run was what worried me most. Anyone who knows me, knows running is my weakest leg. I'm super super slow. I also don't do the best in heat. I push through though and make my way slow and steady. I had a bottle of half water and gatorade on me, so at every aid station I dumped a glass of water on my head. As I'm chugging along, all of sudden I hear someone behind me say "Break's over!" It was my race buddy, Marina, trying to get me keep up with her and get a 3:15 time. I picked up but could only stay with her for a quarter of a mile. Everything was going pretty fine, then I hit the "fun part." We were directed off the nice, paved path onto this narrow, dirt path that precariously edged the bay. I had to take a few very careful steps over roots and stuff, but luckily didn't fall. Then it was on to the lava rocks. It was a bit difficult to run on them and my hip started hurting. It was also a bit hotter on the lava rocks and my bottle of gatorade eventually ran out. I was started overheating a little and finally hit the final stretch across sand. I really struggled to stay standing but happily crossed the finish line with a final time of 3:28:53. 15 minutes better than my goal time. However, after crossing the finish like I was about ready to pass out from over heating. Luckily, my teammate, Larry, was there to catch me and provide some much needed gatorade and a cookie. It took me a good, long while to feel human again... but after resting a bit (and free sports massage). I felt amazing.

This was one of the most amazing things I've ever done. I never would have guessed I'd ever do a triathlon, period... and there I was crossing the finish line with a decent time. I'm so proud of myself and so glad I joined Team in Training. Also, I need to thank my coaches, teammates, and, of course, my donors for all their support. I could never, ever have done this alone. I can't even begin to tell you how much TnT has changed my life...

Since this post was so overdue, here's an update on what I've been doing since the race. For kicks, Erin and I did the Venture Sprint Tri. I also started training for my very first half marathon. Crazy, right? At least I'm really improving on my running. As for Team in Training, I came back for the fall season, but this time as Social Captain! Since I'm staff, I'm not fundraising this season but am still participating in on of the races. I'll be competing in the Nation's Triathlon. It's an Olympic distance tri in Washington, D.C. Since most of my top donator's and family are on the east coast, I wanted to give them a chance to see me race. Thanks again for taking the time to read this and to support not just me, but this fantastic organization too! You rock!

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Week 20: 3/16 - 3/22 (1 WEEK TO GO!!!)

This is it, Ladies and Gents.... the final week. All the hard work is done and all that's left is RACE DAY! I can't help but look back on the last 20 weeks and how far I've come. Starting out on this crazy adventure... I could barely run for 20 minutes. Now I'm about to confindently run over 6 miles - after a almost a mile swim and 25 miles bike! How's that for progress? Coach Pete wrote that "The Race is a Celebration of our Journey," and what a journey it has been! Although I was told from the start that this would be a life changing experience, I would never have guessed to what extent. Mentally, physically, and emotionally I have grown so much stronger. I am totally ready for this race. To steal another quote from Coach Pete's email, "It's harder to reach the starting line than the finish line". My big goal for this race is to not walk at all during the run (except through aid stations if I need a drink). I'll be happy with finishing in under 4 hours and really happy if I finish in under 3:45. Check back for a race recap to see how well I did! (That update *may* be a little delayed due to traveling and multiple trips!) Time to go pack!!

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Week 19: 3/9 - 3/15 (2 weeks to go)

Because it was our last build week, we really pushed the distances. After swimming the straight mile in the pool, I'm feeling a bit better about the swim again. On Saturday we did the full distance bike ride followed by the full 10k run. It was awesome to know that I can do it. The biggest thing this week though has been appreciating the outpouring of love and support from all my friends and family. Everytime someone donates, asks me to run in honor of someone, or even convinces they're friends to donate... it's so touching. I feel like what I'm doing is so small, but it's amazing to hear how much it means to others. I'm proud that I've come so far and that I was able to raise so much money for such a good cause. I'm getting really sad it's almost over. Thank you so much, again, to everyone who donated and supported me. Special thanks this week go to Ferny for campaigning my cause on his blog which pushed me over my lofty fundraising goal. I couldn't have done it without you! 2 weeks till race day... holy crap!

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Week 18: 3/2 - 3/8 (3 weeks to go)

So, It's official... I'm a triathlete! This Sunday I competed in the Desert Triathlon in La Quinta, Ca. It was a sprint distance which means a 500 meter swim, 14 mile bike, and a 3 mile run. It was an incredibly awesome experience. After a nice 6 mile run in Santa Monica, I crammed all my stuff into Sanjit's car and made the 2 hour trek to La Quinta. After registering for the race and dropping our stuff in the room, we made our way with Coach Pete to the lake for a practice swim. It was really good to know what to expect, except my ear was bothering me a bit.. Afterwards we all hung around the hotel until dinner time. My brother and cousin drove out to join me and we headed over to Susie's pre-race dinner fundraiser. After some good food and company, we all turned in nice and early to sleep up for the race. In the room, we all sat around packing our bags using the race-day checklist and learned how to change my bike tire (Thanks, Marty!). We set 3 alarms and ordered a wake up call for 4:00 am (yikes!). Unfortunately, due to daylight savings, only one of those alarms went off at 4:15 and we had to scramble a bit. We still got the race site with plenty of time to spare and started setting up our transition areas and getting body tagged. The sun started coming up and before I knew it was race time! I got pretty nervous crowding around the swim start, especially when I realized I didn't really know where I was supposed to be swimming to. All of the sudden, the horn blew and we were off. While we did do a few open water swims, I still kind of freaked. In fact, most of my teammates that I talked to also freaked. It was so hard to spot and see the buoy that I panicked a little. I started swimming with my head up to figure out where I was and started choking on a mouthful of water. I took a few deep breaths and started swimming anyway. I didn't really relax till after I rounded the second buoy and had the end in sight. I put my head down and just started swimming until my hands touched. It was over before I knew it, but I was really glad to be out of the water. I ran up the beach to the cheers of my coaches and teammates and headed into transition. I headed to the mount line and was so relieved when I clipped in without falling. I took off and had an awesome ride. Soon into it, one of our fastest girls passed me and I just focused on keeping up to her. I tore through the first half of the bike feeling really strong and averaged about 20/mph. It was awesome. I lost a little steam for the second half but still managed an overall average speed of 17/mph. The end of the bike was a bit tricky, for some awesome reason the dismount line was at the bottom of hill. Lucky I saw it time and was able to stop and dismount without falling... yay! Then I heard my brother and cousin cheering from the sidelines as I ran awkwardly in bike shoes into the transition area. As I started to run I actually felt pretty good. As usual, lots of people passed me but I kept on trucking. About halfway through, one of my teammates caught up and ran the rest of the way with me. It helped make the time go by and also helped me pick up my pace to the finish line. Finishing was amazingly awesome! Everyone was cheering and I felt so pumped that I felt like I could run another one. I'm so glad I did it and am totally happy with my time (1:40). I'm still a bit nervous about Lavaman, especially the swim, but I know it's going to be just as awesome. Many thanks to my coaches and teammates for all their awesome support! 3 weeks till the big race!!!

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Week 17: 2/23 - 3/1 (4 weeks to go)

The big news of this week is.... I REACHED MY MINIMUM FUNDRAISING GOAL! Tons of thanks to everyone who helped me along the way, with big, fat, extra special thanks to my Mom and Evan for their generous help in the final stretch. Evan wins the title of "Person who donated the most times to this page." :) I couldn't ask for a better best friend! Training wise it was a pretty slow since it was a recovery week. I also had to take it easy from an ear infection and to focus on my martial arts test over the weekend. Socially though, it was a lot of fun. I spend the whole weekend hanging with my teammates and attending 3 seperate fundraisiers. Makes me kinda said that there's only 4 weeks left. Been giving serious thought to what I'm going to do after Lavaman... There's definitely another race in my future. They were all right... this stuff really does get addicting!! Coming up this weekend... DESERT TRI!!!

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Week 16: 2/16 - 2/22 (5 weeks to go)

Holy crap... only 5 weeks left! This is starting to get very real. Especially with the Desert Sprint Tri in only 2 weeks! This past Saturday they held a Mock Tri for us in Malibu, "Zumaman." Unfortunately, due to rough surf we weren't able to the swim portion. We got all wetsuited up and had to dunk ourselves under and start the race from the water. It went really well and was a lot of fun. They even had a fake finish line for us to cross (see picture). I definitely feel like I can handle Desert Tri. Still a little nervous about the full distances for Lavaman, but I got a bit more time. On Sunday, a bunch of us met up for an open swim with Coach Pete followed by a bike. Sadly, the water was so ridiculously dirty that you could see the trash floating on top. We still braved it, but didn't last long. Although it was super gross, it was good to get used to the open water. Afterwards some of us went on a awesome bike ride from Playa del Rey to Palos Verde (about 24 mile round trip). While I wouldn't say we did race pace and we did have to stop and walk our bikes by the Hermosa pier, it was really good time and I actually enjoyed biking for so long. I even experimented with gels and cubes and found that they do give you quite a nice energy boost. Going to try utilizing them more during practice. Looking forward to the upcoming recovery week!

On a sadder note, a friend lost her father to Leukemia this week. While I know we are training to help prevent this from happening to more families, it's still heartbreaking to be reminded how much further we still have to go.

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Weeks 14 -15: 2/2 - 2/15 (6 weeks to go)

My apologize for slacking on my training updates these past two weeks, especially since they've been so eventful! On Saturday, the 7th, I ran way longer than I ever thought I could. Since it was rainy, we had to forgo the bikes and they had us do an Indian Run instead. That's where we all run in a single file and the person in the back has to sprint up to the front. Since I'm on the slow side I was one of the first to go (up a hill no less!). However, I couldn't really stay up in the front and eventually fell out of the indian run line into the back of the pack. It's okay though, I just started running at my own slow speed. The run was to Will Rogers state park, which was very beautiful but also all uphill. I'd like to state now that I SUCK at hills. Unfortunately I had to walk a little bit up the steeper parts, but not much. I ended up running with Pai which was awesome because we kept pushing each other. When we finally got to the park we were given the option to turn around or go on an extra 1.2 mile trail loop. I figured I made it this far, why not? Unfortunately I didn't consider that the trail run was also steeply uphill. Pai and I conquered it though and managed to run the entire way home (even with the rain). At the end of the run was one last hill and had I been alone I never would have made it without walking... however, with Pai's help I didn't stop and it was awesome. Turns out I ran about 8 miles! It took me 2 hours, but I did it and it felt great. I've really come a long way. Later that day, however... I couldn't walk! :) No pain, no gain. As for last Saturday, it was our first open water swim and man was it freezing! The racing wetsuits are much more buoyant than I thought but swimming without being able to see is way different. It was also difficult to keep in my face in the icy water for the first loop, but I eventually acclimated to it. Afterwards we went for a 3 mile run.. Although it took 2 miles for my feet to stop being numb, the run was no problem. In fact, after I was done I was barely even tired. Felt like I walked the whole thing! I'm super happy with my running progress... now I just need to work on biking! Coming up this weekend.... out first mock tri. Stay tuned for details!

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Week 13: 1/26 - 2/1 (8 weeks to go)

Last week was pretty good. I got a little nervous because they changed our workouts to be distances instead of time. So instead of "run for 45 min," I had to "run 4 miles." I did it though and it felt great. I finally goy to do a long ride (12 miles) on my new bike. I love it. However, I still fall a good bit due not being able to clip out fast enough... need to work on that. Unfortunately I had to skip out on swimming due to an ear, sinus, and throat infection. Luckily I got better just in time for the TnT Camping trip! Saturday started off with a brick.. They gave us the choice of three distances 18, 22, or 28 miles. Since I've never ridden over 14, was getting over being sick, and was supposed to run at least 2 miles afterwards, I thought doing the 18 mile would be the best idea. Of course that means I did the 22 mile ride anyway... haha. Did really well and only fell when I tried clipping in up a hill. I have an awesome bruise on my hip as a souvenier. My legs felt like concrete when I started the run, but luckily I finally found someone who runs my slow speed and it made the second loop go much better. The rest of day was spent hanging out and getting to know my teammates. I'm really glad I went. In other news... I signed up for the Desert Sprint Tri on March 8, 2009. Our coaches recommended we do it as a practice for Lavaman. Since the distances are only half of what we'll be doing, we can focus on transitions and just the whole race day atmosphere. Wish me luck!

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Week 12: 1/19 - 1/25 (9 weeks to go)

So I got all excited for my first new bike ride on Saturday... and it got rained out. BUMMER. Instead we ended up running laps up a huge hill. Afterwards I was freezing and hungry, but I'm glad I went. The pic above is a group pic of those of us who were crazy enough to still train in the rain. I decided to go out on my own on Sunday and practice a bit clipping in and out of the bike. I totally fell the first time, but I'm improving. The biggest thing this week was been hunger. I'm hungry all the damn time. I guess my body is finally realizing how much I'm abusing and wants some love in return. I really need to focus on eating more and sleeping more too. It's suprisingly hard to eat healthy AND eat as many calories as I need to train and do martial arts. Am planning on talking to a nutrionist soon... till then, I guess I just need to eat like a pig... Yay, triathlon!

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Week 11: 1/12 - 1/18 (10 weeks to go)

Big news this week... I BOUGHT A BIKE! :) I got a super good deal on it. I'm very excited and will post a picture of it soon. I have lots of practice clipping in and clipping out to do. Hopefully by the time practice comes around, I won't fall on my face at too many stoplights. Overall, training went really well this week. Saturday was my first brick...wee! It was really interesting learning all about the transitions and stuff. It was especially fun watching all the mentors demonstrate it at the same time. They even donned their wetsuits and got in the water for authenticity. After that, we practiced it a few times then went out for our bike and run. Biking along the coast was awesome... biking up the big hill at the start was not. I did realize during this practice just how far I have to go to be ready. After the hour bike ride, I had the thought "almost there" and then noticed people on the side running and suddenly remembered I wasn't done yet. I ran slow, but did the full half hour. Still, I know I'm going to have eventually do that with much longer distances AND after swimming a mile. So much work ahead of me.... hopefully my spiffy new bike and flashy tri shoes will help. This week marks the halfway point in my training and was also recommitment. I'm officially in it for the long haul!

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Week 10: 1/5 - 1/11 (11 weeks to go)

So this week totally rocked. My cold finally got better and I worked out every day I supposed to... and then some. Since it was such a busy week... I broke it down by days:

Monday - Rest Day (and continue getting over cold day)

Tuesday - Had a good 35 min run with 15 sec pickups... even threw in two hills

Wednesday - 40 minute bike ride. I finally got my heart rate monitor all figured out and it definitely makes me train harder! Usually I'd ride at a pretty leisurely pace, but the heart rate monitor made me really work to stay in the right zones. I could barely do the 10 minute period in Zone 3. It definately felt more like training then just plain, old biking. It also made me hurt a good deal more afterwards. :) Oh well... no pain, no gain!!

Thursday - Swim practice. It felt really good to be back in the pool, but it was super crowded. It was kind of hard to keep track of the different drills and we kept getting cut short during them.

Friday - Went to the mentor led swim at Playa Vista. It was really fun and the pool was really warm and pretty much empty. Will definately try to keep going to them. Also, I finally received my toasty TnT swim parka. Yay!

Saturday - Me and Erin packed our bikes into the car and excitedly went up to Zuma for what would have been our first brick. Unfortunately, when we got there they told us to forget the bikes because it was too windy. We were super bummed. Instead, we went for a long run along the coast and I beat my personal record for running. I ran for a whole 65 minutes with only 30 seconds of walking. I was uber proud. The first 15 minutes were the worst and I totally didn't think I'd be able to make it. The last 15 minutes were the easiest and I wasn't even dying at the end (see picture!). I ran approx 5 miles-ish. Go me! Of course after that, I had to go straight to Martial arts for a 2 hour New Year's boot camp! Despite being so tired walking in, I pulled through awesomely and really enjoyed it. I feel so much stronger and healthier this year.

Sunday - I biked, but took it a bit easy considering how hard I worked out the day before

Also, thanks to everyone who's so generously donated. I've reached my halfway fundraising mark... weee!! I also got my first fundraiser planned with Erin: Murder at the Juice Joint!

Next week... recommitment and bike shopping!

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Week 9: 12/29 - 1/4 (12 weeks to go)

Happy New Year! So far this year hasn't exactly start off as I planned... but such as life. I booked an early flight of NJ on Tuesday for the sole reason of making it to last swim practice of 2008. While I was lucky enough to have my flights be on time, I woke up sick that morning. So after taking two flights with a cold, I knew it was a bad idea to get in the pool. I went to practice anyway to watch and had to bum a ride there because my car battery had died! It was slightly heartbreaking that I couldn't go swimming. The rest of the week was spent being sick and resting, so not much training got done. I did go to the group run on Saturday though, and even brought my friend, Bobby, who was visiting. I was a bit scared when they announced we were running for an hour, but I actually suprised myself. I only ended up walking for a total of 5 min or so and ran (albeit very slowly) the rest of the time... and most of the walking was to blow my nose! We did all the 30 second pickups and it felt great. That was longest I've ever run for. Not too shabby for being sick and not training all week! I'm feeling much better and looking forward to pushing myself even more. To help with that, Bobby bought me an awesome heart rate monitor for Christmas... Thanks, Bobby! :) Still need to get it all calibrated, but I'm pretty pysched. They're even doing a heart rate clinic after the group practice this weekend... weee!

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Week 8: 12/22 - 12/28 (13 weeks to go)

Happy Holidays!! I'd really like to thank everyone who helped me reach my last fundraising benchmark of $2,200 by Jan 13th and helped me in the running for the fundraising challenge! I really can't tell you how much your support means to me. And I'd like to give a special thanks to Evan, not just for giving me an extra $10 just to push me over the benchmark... but for letting me know someone actually checks these posts. :) As for training... this week was a bit lazy since I was home in NJ for most of it. I did go biking and running before I left, but unfortunately not much swimming. I'm really itching to get back in the pool. While home, I managed a nice Christmas morning run (see pic above... and no, I didn't go running in the hat). Training starts really picking up this week... wish me luck! I have a good feeling this is going to be an awesome new year.

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Week 7: 12/15 - 12/21 (14 weeks to go)

Super busy week! On Monday, I went with some other TNT peeps to visit cancer patients at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. It was a great experience and I'm really glad I went. One of the teens was really excited that we did visual effects and said it was cooler meeting us then the movie stars. :) It was to nice to see the people we're helping and to see how much they appreciate it. As for training... The drug is starting to kick in. I woke up early Monday morning to go swimming and was so bummed it was raining! I even called the pool in hopes it might open, but sadly it wasn't. I was really itching to work out... guess I'm getting used to this lifestyle.

Running: Went to a podiatrist and I think I got my ankle all sorted out. Lots of Ice and 2 weeks of taking Aleve. He also said my shoes were fine with the inserts, so I returned the other ones. I'm not sure if this is considered dedication or insanity, but I actually went out running in the rain this morning. (After which I took the above pic). It was cold at the start, but had to ditch my jacket 10 minutes in. Went really well and even did that hill again. Word.

Swimming: Sadly, I didn't get to swim on my own this week due to the rain (and working way too much). I did, however, make it to swim practice. I put myself in the intermediate lanes because my technique needs lots of improvement, but I kept running into the person in front of me. As a result, Coach Pete told me to go the advanced lanes next practice. Guess all that preseason swimming paid off. Of course now I'll probably be the one getting swam into! Oh well... Still loving it.

Biking: Ok, so they were right. I'm really starting to enjoy it, even with my crappy bike. Had a nice ride along the beach on Tuesday and did 14 miles at the group practice on Saturday. That's the longest I've ever ridden for. My front brake started rubbing halfway through, so we had to disconnect it. Just another reminder that I need a new bike. Looks like the new year with include bike shopping. It's bittersweet, because I'm psyched to get a new, kick ass bike... but not as psyched to pay for it. :)

Next week is the last week of base training, but will still be challenging.... I'll be training in the cold in NJ!

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Week 6: 12/8 - 12/14 (15 weeks to go)

This was a pretty good training week. I tried running again in the new shoes, but just don't like them. I'm going to return them after I visit the podiatrist this week. I've reverted back to running with me previous shoes but with the inserts. My ankle hasn't been to bad. Here's this weeks progress in each sport:

Running: Had a really good run with Brooke this week and even managed a pretty big hill. Yay! The group run went really well for the first 2 mile loop, before my ankle starting bugging me. I ended up walkng the second one. The free sports massages afterwards were awesome though! :)

Swimming: Practice was a bit crazy. It was much faster paced and I kept running into the person in front of me. With all different drills and things they told us to think, sometimes I'd be so distracted I'd forget to breathe. It was fun though and I look forward to eventually getting it all together.

Biking: I'm doing suprisingly better... Had a really nice long bike ride on Sunday, although with slight technical difficulty. Luckily some nice cyclists stopped and helped fix my back brake. I really need a new bike. After going to bike night I realized it's going to be a more expensive then I planned. Oh well. At least I'm liking it better now.

Next week I'll be visiting kids with cancer... stay tuned!

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Week 5: 12/1 - 12/7 (16 weeks to go)

In the best interest of my ankle, I decided to get my shoes checked out at The Starting Line. The guy determined my feet really over pronate and my current shoes aren't supportive enough for longer runs, even with inserts. I ended up having to buy new shoes... joy. I'm not in love with them, and so far when I tried running in them my feet really hurt. Will give them a few more chances to "break in." The guys also told me to stop wearing flip flops all the time and to wear my (now ) old shoes with inserts. We'll see if things improve. In other gear purchases, I got my tri shorts and sports bra that I'll be racing in. TnT had a "ladies night" at a women specific sports shop which really helped in getting the right stuff. Biking went okay this week. Headed out on the beach bike path which was really nice. althouh my ankle bothered me a little bit. Swim practice was fun, got to learn the propulsion drills and socialize with the team afterwards. Unfortunately I didn't get any of my workouts in over the weekend. I brought my stuff and planned on running and cycling in the hotel's workout room... until I got there and found out there was no work out room. Foiled! Oh well, back to it this week! I also really need to start focusing on nutrition... I ate horribly in Vegas!

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Week 4: 11/24 - 11/30 (17 weeks to go)

This week was slow but good. I spent Monday through Friday in South Carolina for Turkey Day. Luckily there was a local YMCA with an indoor pool and track. I did the drills and swam for a good bit on Monday, although I'm really not used to a short course pool and almost slammed myself into a wall a few times... oops. As for the running, I took it a bit slow to see how my ankle would be. It hadn't been bothering me in a few days, but it started getting sore after only 10 minutes of running. After that i started alternating running and walking and made sure to ice it when i got home. It wasn't bad, but I'm more concerned over what might be causing it. Gonna get it checked out this week. Saturday was another coacked bike session. I realize that I'm going to have bite the bullet and buy a decent bike at some point. Also, they taught us how to change a flat. I was pretty horrible at it, so I'll just keep my fingers crossed that i don't get one. :) I'm looking forward to being home and getting back on track with training. Am slightly frustrated because I fell a little behind in everything from being out of town and my ankle. Hopefully this week will be better.

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This was a very eventful week. I finally made it to my first coached swim and we also had our first group bike session. On top of that, I've been dealing with last week's ankle injury. I was super excited for swim practice. While they were concerned we'd all be really anxious to get right to swimming I was actually pretty psyched to learn the drills. I can swim the distance no problem, but I know I'm probably not doing it the most effecient way. I even practiced the drills on my own during my Friday morning swim. The biking session was interesting. I have a ton to learn about road bikes and need to get way more comfortable cycling in general. They say cycling is the part people tend to fall in love and it becomes their favorite... at the moment it's my least favorite. Guess we'll see what happens. As for my ankle, I layed off running this week (swapped it out for an extra swim day) but martial arts didn't really help it. It's been feelng better this weekend though, so hopefully I can test it out with a light run on tuesday... Been really bummed to not be running this past week, hope I didn't lose any of my progress!

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Week 2: 11/10 - 11/16 (19 weeks to go)

It's been an interesting week. Because I was in Savannah till Friday, I didn't get any running or swimming in. I did make it for another 20 minute of run on Tuesday though. Didn't want to push myself too hard since I'd be running more this week than I normally do. Still got a blister though. I layed off running on Thursday because I didn't want to risk having a blister and not being in the my best state for my first group run on Saturday. My flight back was horribly delayed, but luckily I made it back for practice. It was a lot of fun and the energy and excitement of the whole team was awesome. I made it for the first 25 min of run and then I had to walk since the pace of the run was a little faster than I'm used to. I really think I need to get my shoes looked at again. After the run I noticed my ankle feeling a bit off... unfortunately this was immediately before Martial Arts class and whole lot of jumping on it. Today it's not in great shape... my first running injury! I've been icing it (not enough) and am gonna procure an ACE bandage. Hopefully it'll feel better fast. At least tomorrow is a swimming day!

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Week 1: 11/3 - 11/9 (20 weeks to go)

So traveling interfered with some of my workouts this week, but I did at least the minimum they set in the training schedule. Swam a mile on Monday and ran for 20 minutes on Tuesday. I didn't end up going swimming Wednesday morning, so I figured I'd ride my bike to work to compensate. Not my best idea ever, but it totally reconfirmed biking as my weakest area. I totally love swimming and, now, even the running... not too crazy on the biking. I'm sure it'll come in time when they start training us for it. Friday and Saturday were a bust b/c I was in Atlanta, but this morning in Savannah as AWESOME! I pushed myself to run for 30 minutes like the training schedule recommended. This is the first time I broke 25 straight minutes, so I was really happy. My feet were killing me though and I got a blister. I think i need to work on my technique... can't wait till I can make the group practices. Was really awesome running around Savannah though. Hopefully I can keep running throughout the week while I'm here.

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The Season has Officially Started!

On Saturday, we had our official Kick-off meeting. It was definitely exciting and really good to finally meet all the coaches, mentors, and other teammates. The team is pretty big and I think there's around 16 Rhythm & Hues people on it. At least now I won't be able to use the excuse of work getting in the way of training! Unfortunately because of my business trip next week, I'll be missing the first few team practices... I'll keep training on my own though. Since we have 21 weeks till the Triathlon, we have a longer "base" period and the workout schedule for week 1 is actually lighter than what I've been doing on my own for preseason. I think I might stay on my schedule (except adding some biking) until it picks up a bit more. Either way... the official journey now begins!

Preseason Week Totals:

- Swimming : 1 mile in a pool, 3 times a week

- Running: 20-25 run, 2 times a week (1.5-2 miles)

- Biking: 0! This is currently my weakest area.

I definitely feel better in both swimming and running and am really proud that I've been so consistent. In the past month or so, I've only missed 3 swims (one for a Dr's appt) and none of the runs. I think I was better at running than I gave myself credit for, it was just a matter of getting out and pushing myself. I'm currently feeling super good and really heathly. That awesome feeling right after a workout is also a good reminder of what TnT is all about. I am really, really lucky to be so healthy and able when there are many who aren't. Thanks again for all your support and keep checking back for more upates!

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Racing to Save Lives

I'm training for a triathlon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training! I'll be competing in the Lavaman Triathlon on March 29, 2009.

Considering I hate running and am horrible at it, you might be wondering what compelled me to sign up an event that will have me running 10k... after swimming 1.5K and biking 40k. Because I can. And because my participation in this will also help those who can't. As much as I hate running and the pain that goes with it... there are those suffering through much worse who don't get the choice to quit.

Signing up and buying running shoes was the easy part... actually going running was much harder. I only made it .75 miles and was questioning my decision the whole way. Did I really commit to doing this for 6 miles??? Yes... yes, I did. However, I can't do this alone. All your love, support, and generous donations are so very much appreciated and needed. Not only will you be helping me to cross the finish line, you'll be helping The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society towards crossing the ultimate finish line - a cure! (And it's tax deductable too!)

Thank you so much for supporting me on this awesome and terrifying adventure. My official team training starts Nov 1 and I will do my very best to keep this site updated with my progress, so check back often!