TRI HARD...

Well... i write to you today as... a TRIATHLETE! I DID IT, can you believe it? i hardly can. With all the hard work that went into the last 5 months -- not just the training, but the schleping to practices, the expensive purchases of clothing and gear, the difficult fundraising (sometimes harder than the workouts!) and especially climbing the 5 flights of stairs to my apartment with a heavy bike on my shoulder! - i did it all. It was quite a feat... but the ends have justified the means - the whole journey was so rewarding.

We left for St. Petersburg on a chilly Friday morning- spring in New York- and arrived in Tampa, shedding our layers! The first day was jam packed - checking in, getting our bikes, grocery shopping for water, gatorade and healthy snacks, and attending our first swim practice in the OCEAN. The pool is one thing - lane lines, blue lines on the bottom, no waves - the OCEAN is an endless GREEN MONSTER - murky, salty, with no boundaries. A little surprised i would have liked to have been warned about before hand! The day ended with dinner with a group of TNT friends, and straight to bed.

7:30AM wakeup on Saturday for another swim practice wasn't so bad - but the wind and the waves were a different story. Now things were starting to get scary - if this wind didn't die down, we'd be swimming in 5 feet waves!... I spent the day in the "freaking out" group - learning relaxation techniques to help you in the middle of the open water. Mom, Dad and Alissa arrived mid-day, excited to see the race site, the thousands of bike stands in the transition area, and to meet all my TNT friends. The evening Pasta Party was also fun - it was so surreal to be with my parents AND the TNT people - i was happy, excited, nervous, and antsy. Went to bed at 9:30, but hardly slept. Fell out of bed at 3am or so, due to tossing and turning.

Sunday - RACE DAY!! - 5AM wakeup didn't phase me a bit -- i was up and ready to go. We left the hotel at 5:30 to get body marked - my age, number 3733 and TNT were written in black permanent marker all over my body!.. hot... We had a chance to watch the Pro racers leave the swim start - 5-10 minutes later, they were there at the swim finish. WOW!

As 9:00 came around (i'm SO NERVOUS to the point of tears) the music is blasting, the horn sounds and we're off - running into the water in our wetsuits, swim caps and goggles. At this point the waves WERE 4-5 feet high. Reports in the St. Petersburg Times the next day said that they should have cancelled the swim portion of the race because of the danger. The swim was tough, but i got through -- and actually really enjoyed it - i tried to swim with the waves, feeling when they weren't over my head so i could take a breath. I swallowed A LOT of water, and kept singing "I Will Survive!!" - I finished in 47 minutes.

Out of the water, and over to my bike, i changed as quickly as i could with my parents and sister watching and cheering (talk about pressure!) and i was off on my bike. It felt nice to sit down for a change! The bike was fun - but again the winds were tough. I just took my time, and pushed hard, but kept in mind i also had to get off and run. So i tried to refuel - having GU and water at points along the route. I saw my parents near the end, which gave me a great boost - and i finished the bike with an audible "UGH" as my feet touched ground, at 1 hour and 55 minutes.

I docked my bike, and got ready to run. IT WAS TOUGH. My legs and body were hurting - my lungs were constricted, so i walked a little at first, and tried to fall into a slow jog. The run, by far, was the hardest (and least exciting) part. The sun was hot, the community was quiet, and it was hard to run without music in my ear. The TNT comraderie out there- "GO TEAM!" -was great, though, and kept us all moving. As i neared mile 5.5, Ann Chris, a TNT mentor, helped me run along towards the 6 mile mark. Then our head coach Scott (3-time Ironman!) picked me up, and helped me run to mile 6 - where i was met by our entire team cheering me on! I wish i was more excited, but by that point, i just really hurt!! That extra .2 was tough - but i turned the corner and there were my parents -- i SPRINTED through the finish line, and was met by wet towels and cheers and my name being announced. IT WAS AMAZING. 4 hours and 21 minutes later, i had the much deserved BEER from the beer truck. Ahhhhh.

SO... that was my story. I hope you enjoyed being with me for it - from the first swim practice with the "basic beginners" to the difficult, but triumphant finish. Thank you everyone for your donations to the cause - helping to fight Leukemia and Lymphoma - and for your well wishes and support-- I REALLY COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!

“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.”

(other quote runner ups, thanks to JD:
- its not the motion of the ocean, but the ability to find your bike once u get out
- sobreity is not relative to the number of drinks u consume, but the distance u swim, bike, and run)

AND OF COURSE..... JUST KEEP SWIMMING!