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Hey Y'all,

In writing this page, I've been looking back at the past 3 seasons and realizing I how far I've come as a triathlete. (Learned to ride a bike, improved my race time by nearly 30 minutes, learned to decend a hill faster than 3 mph, etc.). And I see how much good progress the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has made in its fight to cure cancer.

But here I am again -- because blood cancers aren't cured yet and because I LOVE to punish myself -- at the start of a season, excited and still a bit intimidated by the fundraising, training, and the amount of time all of this takes. But I've learned that you've gotta set some goals and stick with the program. So here it goes for 2009:

1. Raise $5000 to cure blood cancers.

2. Train and complete the Olympic Distance Wildflower Triathlon on May 2nd without dying.

3. Limit my number of bike falls and days of panic to being counted on one hand.

4. Keep a smile on my face even if the water in the pool or Bay is really, really cold.

5. And talk less about my butt. (See blog)

Thanks so much for helping me reach goals #1 and #2. Any words of encouragement will help me with #3 and #4. And just tell me to shut up when it comes to #5.

To help you make that critical deicison of how much to donate, here are some entertaining and useful suggestions:

• $32 - $1 for every mile I will race during the triathlon.
• $190 - $10 for every week of training during this season.
• $60 - $10 for every month I have not exercised after my tailbone injury (I know, I know. Stop taking about it.)
• $180 - $1 for each day I've missed being on my bike due to above injury (I know, I know. Stop talking about it.)
• $70 - $10 for every comment I received last year about the rash on my neck from my wetsuit. (No, it's not a hickey)
• $22 - $1 for everytime I forget which lap I am on while swimming during a half hour workout.
• $110 - $1 for every perecent I will give to reach my fundraising and training goals!

A million thanks for your support!

Much love and gratitude,

Melissa

PS. Check for updates here on my blog: http://melathalon.blogspot.com