So it has been awhile since I last updated everyone on training! Life has gotten busy, that is for sure!

It has been a whirl wind, and I can't believe it will all be over in about 2 months! A group of us were reminiscing today about our first run, about 2.5 miles, and how we could barely do it! And I am now sitting at home, just finished icing my knees, after a 55-mile bike ride followed by a 9 mile run! We have come SO FAR!

So much has happened in the past few months and I will fill this post with pictures to prove it! We have been hailed on or rained on at almost every track work out, we have battle Larch Mountain twice (the first time I, Morgan, took a ride home because it was pooring rain and I couldn't feel my hand at all so therefor couldn't break while going back down the mountain, second time though I had revenge on the 9 mile mountain climb), we have learned that no we accidently didn't leave a sock in our shoes when we go from the bike to the run I just actually can't feel my feet, AND we have learned that peeing in your wetsuit when you get in the water at 9 am in the morning is really the best way to keep you warm (yes gross but so worth it in 60ish degree waters)!

The biggest thing though that has changed through this season is our honored teammate, 6 year old Alex. At the beginning of the season him and his mom actually ran with us for the beginning of one of our runs, he was playing with his sister and is the most energetic little boy ever! He had just taken his last pills for treatment and was now in full remission. Now, he is going back through treatment. We got an email last weekend saying that he was back in the hospital for a whole different form of blood cancer, poor guy. We went up to the hospital this week to take him and his family some dinner so they weren't only eating hospital food, they are in great spirits for the position that they are in, it is incredible! This new form of Leukemia that he has formed can't be cured with the same treatment he went through last time, but this time he has to have a full bone marrow transplant. This is the same transplant my father went through and it just breaks my heart to have to see someone else I know go through this! Really brings everything into perspective why we keep training! While I battled Bald Peak today (1800 feet elevation, it was brutal) I thought about how much it sucked at first, then I thought about the hill that Alex and his family have to battle! They got to go home and now they are going to be in an uphill battle as well to make sure that their little boy is healthy! I know this uphill battle way to well, and it doesn't compare AT ALL to Bald Peak!

I could go on and on about what training we have done, what we have learned, and about the true reason that I am doing this training but I will save you the time! I have attached some pictures for you all to see the proof that we are actually doing this!

Thank you to all of you that have already donated, and those who have not REMEMBER it is not to late to donate! We have to have all of our money raised by June 8th! Donate today in honor of Alex, my dad, and whomever else you would like us to have in our minds while going through the tough training days!

Wonderful group of TNT ladies the night before the Cherry of a Ride at Captain Michelles house in While Salmon! (THANK YOU AGAIN!)

The group before the Cherry of a Ride! Some of us stock with the 48 miler while others did the 60! I did the 48 Schuyler kicked some butt on the 60!

Our biking crew on the metric century ride!

After the metric century ride!

Schuyler and I carbo loading after our long ride!

The team celebrating a great 55/9 brick with burgers and beer. Always so delicious and so well desirved! (kinda blurry sorry!)

Thank you to everyone who has donated thus far, we greatly appreciate it! We have already raise $1000 towards blood cancer research and patient services!! That is awesome! Hearing everyone's stories that we are training with really keeps us pushing though our hilly bike rides and long runs because the true heros are the ones who are battling blood cancers every day!

So, we are done with our base phase, no more easy bike rides L1 or L2 runs (which means our low excertion) now we are onto hilly bike rides, hilly runs, harder swims and of course adding on the miles every week. This was our first weekend and on Saturday we biked 34 miles with 1700 feet of elevation changes throughout with a 10 minute run afterwards. Then today, Sunday, we ran 7 miles uphill through Forest Park. I have learned thoughout this that I am not made to run and I really hope that I learn to like it soon otherwise it is going to be a LONG season! Schuyler on the other hand for some reason kicks my butt at everything BUT swimming, at least I am faster at one sport right?! I am looking forward to catching up to him soon enough and hopefully him not catching up to me on the swim, the competitve side of us has come out. It is going to be a fierce one on one battle between us soon!

Thank you again for everyone's support! We will have more posts and pictures to come soon!

On June 25 in Sunriver, Oregon, Schuyler and I will be participating in our first ever half Iron-Man. We will be swimming 1.2 miles, biking 58 miles, and running 13.1; so for the next 5 ½ months we will be training to reach our final goal, which is finishing this race! So, for the next 5 ½ months our lives will be training; no more sleeping in on the weekends, no more staying out late, and a lot of sore muscles.

So, many of you are probably thinking that we are insane and can’t do this, but this is your time to shine and support us through this endeavor! We are not only training for ourselves but for we are training with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. If you haven’t heard of Team in Training before, it is a group that trains for various endurance events in honor of blood cancer patients. We will be raising money throughout our training to help support research and patient services for blood cancer patients. The sore muscles and the early mornings will be nothing close to what blood cancer patients deal with on a daily basis and for a lot longer then 5 ½ months. My dad has been fighting myelodysplastic syndrome, MDS, for over three years now, and I know that what he has gone through is nothing close to what I will go through in the next 5 ½ months and that is what will keep me pushing forward every mile.

Now for how you can support us!! We will be asking you to sponsor our training days, 149 days to be exact! To be a sponsor for a specific day just write a note at the bottom of your donation! If you, a family member, or a friend has been touched by blood cancer and you would like us to honor them at one of our group trainings please let us know! AND you will recieve really good pictures of Schuyler and I ready for the day that you sponsor! What is better then that, right?! Do not forget any donation is never too small, every dollar counts! REMEMBER all donations are tax deductible!

* $20 a day - 25 group training days means that Schuyler and I we will carbo load afterwards, on beer of course – and 1 will not be enough

* $30 a day - 42 swim trainings

* $50 a day - 25 group training days

* $75 a day - 22 recovery days (these are worth a lot to us! And we will take full advantage of being lazy one day a week)

* $500 - RACE DAY – What all of our hard work is going towards

* $600 - Day after race day – We will be in pain and enjoying every sip of beer we want

We appreciate everyone’s support! We will be keeping everyone posted throughout our season through this webpage so make sure you keep checking in and seeing how we are doing!

Thank you!!!