Rev3 Triathlon, how do I love thee? Let me count the days...

Or not. I swear, I feel that nervous race start energy every morning when I get out of bed. And let me be clear, I'm not racing. I'm finishing-- like a champ (cue the chorus of Destiny's Child: Survivor).

Last weekend the team rode the Rev3 bike course. I got my fall out of the way first thing, got back up and started pedaling again. Clipless pedals and gear changes are still a struggle, but I'm learning and growing and having delusions of grandeur of my future athletic prowess.

My struggles are insignificant to those brave individuals battling blood cancers. It's a battle I pray I never have to face. It's a battle the LLS mission is helping others to win. I'm testing my limits while raising awareness of blood cancers. I'm helping fund the research that will save lives and even find the elusive cure.

I hope you'll join my team in beating cancer. Make a donation, volunteer at the Team in Training booths for the race (at miles 2 and 10.5 of the run course, put TNT in group), or get for information about ways you can run, walk, bike, hike, or tri to help find a cure!

It's already April! I have no idea where the days have gone! It feels like I just signed up for this adventure yesterday. The countdown is on and I feel the pressure to do well. It's just 32 miles.

Thirty-two.

Miles.

My goal is to finish in not-last-place, but my bigger goal is to help fund the fight against blood cancers. I am over my minimum fund raising goal, so all donations I take in now support the LLS mission 100%. You could sponsor me $1/mi: $32. ($32.10 as the actually distace is 32.1 miles~ but after the first 32 what's an extra tenth of a mile!) Or $0.50/mi: $16. Or $1,000/mi: $32,000 (you could've won the lottery).

Heck, donate $0.32 because 100% of what I raise this month goes to the LLS mission. No donation is too small, no donation is too large. Every donation makes the miles I travel easier. Every donation makes me want to workout harder and longer. Every donation makes me think I'm Chrissie Wellington training for Kona. (Don't know Chrissie? Google her-- Some delusions are healthy!)

Together, we can beat cancer!

Last night I signed my recommitment paperwork. I am committed. There is no backing out now. I can swim a mile. I can bike 25 miles. I can run 6.2 miles. I can do this. Can I do all 3 back to back? You'll have to wait to May 6th to find out!

I can also raise over my $2500 goal to fund research that will beat cancer thanks to donations from wonderful supporters like you. LLS's mission works. Research funded in part by these donations is saving lives. Every dollar is significant: $5, $10, $32 (one for every mile of my race), $51.50 (a dollar for every kilometer, if you're feeling European), $100, $1,000. But what if times are hard and every dollar you have is goin to pay your bills? You can still help fight cancer: Join the bone marrow registery!

Be the match! Join the National Bone Marrow Donor Progam !

You might be the match that will save a life!

Last Saturday, I got up very early to drive 2 hours so I could go running around Cades Cove for what us Team in Training peeps call a GTS (Group Training Session.) It was a great morning. The team had a birthday party for Anna Martin, my team's honored teammate. She's a beautiful, shy (around strangers) 11 year old with a love of miniature pigs. Last year, Anna went through some really difficult times. Her leukemia is rare and she had the added complication of a mutation making her battle even more difficult.

Having just recently been allowed out of isolation, I'm sure 40-some runners, triathletes and cyclists was a bit overwhelming. Anna handled the attention with grace and quiet enthusiasm. I am honored to have met her. She's proof that LLS's mission is working.

But the mission is critical. On April 1, the LLS will not have funds to provide patient services. Patient services is the other branch of the LLS mission. While research is still funded (and making life saving discoveries), patient services are those little things that make life easier on patients and families. We've all felt the pinch of the economy and the pain at the pump, but things will get better. Take a moment today and help in the battle against cancer. Your donation will be making a difference.

January was a great month for training. The weather was strangely spring-like which made for great training conditions! I did a lot of running and biking outdoors. I don't see myself ever becoming a speedy runner, but I'm beginning to develop a desire to be a fast biker.

I made several milestones on the bike in January. I drank from my water bottle, I moved up to cage pedals, I made huge improvements in changing gears, and I pedaled standing up! I didn't fall one single time! (Just a minute while I find some wood to knock on.) Have I mentioned what a bike newbie I am?

I've spent a couple of weeks battling all the colds and viruses being passed around, but today I'm back at it. Training resumes! The bitter cold and ice, the lack of a pool for another month are tiny stones on my path. They are nothing compared to the fierce battle those battling blood cancers fight everyday. I'm looking forward to concentrating on my biking and running this month. I'm looking forward to core and strength training. I'm especially looking forward to meeting our honored teammate in a couple of weeks.

I hope you'll take a moment to help me in this challenge by making a donation. And don't forget to mark your calendars for May 6. You won't want to miss me crossing the finish line!