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I DID IT... IN 3:19.38 !!!

Despite the 4:30 a.m. wakeup call, the sunrise on the Potomac inspired a great day! Beautiful weather, lots of friends and family, and a great course (the Potomac isn't as bad as one might think...). The triathlon was a lot of fun and I am super happy with my time and the fact that I completed it. The swim was good, the bike was great, and well, let's be honest, the running was not!

I don't know what's next for me but I'm still swimming, biking and running to keep in shape. I would love the opportunity to do The Nation's Triathlon again and be a part of TNT.

And thanks to all of you I was the 4th highest fundraiser in my chapter. Over 600 Team In Training participants from around the country raised $2.4 million for The LLS. It's for or a great cause and I was so happy to have Robyn, my personal honored teammate, there with me on race day.

Email me at bonniealcid@gmail.com if you would like more information about TNT and The LLS. And I have more pics to share if you'd like to see them!

Thank you again for all of your support.

Much love,

-b

UPDATE 09/12/09

By this time tomorrow I will have finished my first triathlon! YEAH! I'm so excited. Thank you for your donations and a huge shout out to my family and friends who are here to support me.... see you at the finish line! GO TEAM!

UPDATE 08/30/09

It's 8 a.m. Sunday morning... what were you doing? How about a 1.25 mile swim at beautiful Cunningham Falls, Thurmont MD? Great day for an "easy" swim; that's what the coaches are calling it now that we only have two weeks to go... Yup, two weeks from now I'll be racing in the Nation's Triathlon. Yeah, I'm so excited!!!

It's not too late to be a part of the team, donate now to LLS!

UPDATE 08/09/09

I wasn't joking... I really AM training for The Nations's Triathlon! I did a mini triathlon this morning in Manassas, VA; my first one ever! The sprint event included a 400 yard swim, 8 mile bike and a 1.8 mile run, and it took me less than an hour....super happy! This event is 1/3 of the distance in comparison to the Olympic distance that I will do in September...more training to do! Check back again soon, thank you for your support! :)

UPDATE 07/24/09

Thank you to everyone who has so generously donated to the LLS mission and for your words of encouragement. Our TEAM has raised over $550,000 so far but we still have strides to make...in our fundraising and in our training!!! It's not too late to donate and every bit counts. The training has been great and I've met some wonderful people. I quit smoking and am training every day...feeling awesome! The swimming is the easy part but the running has been a little tough at times. I really enjoy the biking and rode 20 miles the other day for the first time!

p.s. Robyn is doing great and touring Europe this summer and she'll be joining me on race weekend. Contact me if you'ld like to visit too and come support "TEAM ROBYN". -b

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Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

I'm training to participate in an endurance event as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training (TNT). It is The Nation's Triathlon in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, Sept. 13th.

All of us on TNT are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkins lymphoma, and myeloma from taking more lives. More than 823,000 Americans have leukemia, Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma or myeloma. Every five minutes, someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer. Every 10 minutes, someone dies. Leukemia is one of the leading causes of death in children between the ages of 1-15. The good news is that the survival rate has risen from 4% in 1960 to 81% in the last decade. This is in part due to the money that The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has raised to aid researchers in their fight to find cures for this disease. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers; these people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

I've elected Robyn Belcher as my Honored Teammate, a dear friend from college that I met in 1991. In 2003 she was diagnosed with a blood cancer called MDS (Myelodysplastic Syndrome) and which led to an aggressive treatment and protocol of chemotherapy. In 2004 she had an allergenic (donor- unrelated) peripheral blood stem cell transplant. These last five years have been trying for her with many ups and downs. Her experience made me aware of LLS and motivated me to do what I can to raise more awareness, so I am participating in her honor. Today she is doing well and is an ESL teacher in Norwalk, CT and is very optimistic of what may lie ahead in her life.

Furthermore, I have been working on improving myself and my lifestyle since leaving a stressful, fulltime job last fall after 13 years. I have never been so happy, and signed up with TNT to challenge myself. This has become a great way to manage and maintain a healthy lifestyle and be competitive. This will be my first triathlon and it includes a swim (0.9m), bike (24.8) and a run (6.2m).

LLS and I need your help and donations to reach the fundraising goal that will help advance LLS's mission and support my participation in TNT. A minimum of 75 cents of every dollar raised goes to helping find a cure. (Don't forget to print your receipt, as your generosity is tax deductible.)

Be sure to visit my site again to see my progress. I want to thank you in advance for your love and support! This is an exciting time and I hope you will choose to support me in my efforts to make a difference. I will be thinking of each and every one of you as I cross the finish line in September!

Anyone is welcome to email me questions or their words of encouragement to bonniealcid@gmail.com.

Thanks for your support!