Ok - so here I am at the end of this AWESOME adventure with Team in Training. This is going to be my last post, but I didn't want to leave without giving a rundown of race day/weekend.

The Mazeikas Family got to Moody Gardens around 9am on Saturday morning. I was so anxious I wanted to have some time to take the kiddos to the beach and just forget what I was really in Galveston for. It was sooo nice and the kids had such a nice time, but everytime I turned back towards the seawall I was reminded of the day that lay ahead of me. Tons of triathletes were out riding their bikes trying to adjust to the heat and the crazy crosswind coming off the Gulf. Yes, that's right, a CROSSWIND with 20mph gusts!

Next, I met my team to go to the Ironman 70.3 Race Director's meeting, sign in at Athlete Registration so we could get our number and timing chip, and then to rack my bike in transition. My bike would have to spend the night in transition without me - I secretly hoped it would get some tips and awesome bike powers to overcome the wind from some of the amazing looking bikes racked nearby. Now on to the inspiration dinner!

We walked into the dinner to the cheers and applause of TNT staff and coaches. I was a little stunned and embarrassed, but it was really fun - and a bit overwhelming with so many people saying 'thank you' to me and my other teammates. I was the one who felt grateful that day - all of these people thanking me were the ones who had gotten me so far...training wise and in the name of fighting cancer.

The Inspiration Dinner is lots of fun and full of great news regarding the team's progress. I also found out there that I was a TOP 10 FUNDRAISER for LLS with the Lonestar Triathlon Teams - what a surprise and HONOR!!! Again, I was the one who was grateful to all of the amazing people who supported me and believed in this cause and gave up some of their hard-earned money to help support the LLS mission against blood cancers. WOW!!! YOU GUYS ROCKED!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

To end the Inspiration Dinner we got to hear an amazing story from one of our honored teammates. The honored teammates are individuals who have been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer and then train and compete alongside all of us! Nicole Specht was our honored teammate for the Gulf Coast Chapter. She's a college student at Sam Houston who beat cancer just a few years ago and competed with us this weekend! Jeremy Boudreaux was a personal honored teammate of mine - he's only one year into remission and hopes to do one of these events really soon (I'm going to make him!) Talk about extraordinary people and incredible inspirations!! I walked away from dinner ready for anything the next day would bring. I was still nervous and anxious, but I had some serious motivation and the little voice in the back of my head that says "you can do this" was just a little bit louder after that amazing evening.

Here is a picture of my awesome team - amazing people doing amazing things!

Next up - race day:

I slept horribly the night before - there was SOOOO much going through my head. At 4:30am Kyle and I both got up and went downstairs to meet the team. We walked to transition together and got our tiny little spot ready with all of our gear. BTW - I learned this weekend that triathletes are some of the nicest people in the world. Several of the ladies with their much more advanced bikes racked near mine offered to pump up my tires, help me set up transition, offered sunscreen - just all around giving and helpful - I was again so thankful to be among such AWESOME people!

My amazing husband was my cheerleader, my calm, and my strength that morning. I'm sure he was nervous for me, but he was amazing as he just kept saying "You've got this, you're going to do great, I love you" over and over again - not to mention getting up so early with me!

We watched the pros take off for the swim at 7:00am - and then waited until 8:30am for my swim wave to start (I was a red cap 30-35 age group). Talk about nerve-racking. Finally it was time to put on my wet suit and make the walk down to the pier....I think I heard the music from 'Jaws' playing in my head. I was so scared! Just as I was about to reach the pier though one of our awesome team mentors, Shannon, grabbed me and a few other girls, circled us up and said a prayer - just what I needed. Thank you Shannon!

I walked down to the pier and started to calm down (amazing!) and get excited. The music was playing as we approached the edge where we have to jump in. I jumped in, swam to the starting buoys and 30 seconds later we were off!

I'm in this picture somewhere I promise - It was hard to find my spot at first, not get kicked, or pulled under, but very soon I was swimming a pretty straight line out to each buoy. 100 meters between each one...I kept telling myself just swim to the next buoy. The swim was amazing for me. I even got near the end and said "I could totally do a full Ironman (which starts with a 2.4 mile swim)"...silly me! I got out of the water and felt GREAT!

I'm the one with my cap already off...trying to unzip my wetsuit. I heard my friends and family cheering for me as I made the exit, had my wetsuit stripped, and ran down to transition. On that short sprint my awesome coaches scared me to death by yelling louder than anyone out there - they totally ROCK! My husband chased after me all the way to transition and yelled for me the entire time I was getting my bike ready.

Again - I'm somewhere in there. Transition is where all the action takes place! A little sunscreen and I was off on the 56 mile bike ride! There was a little backroads ride before we got out onto the seawall and I was trying to get my 'land legs' so to speak. When we reached the sea wall the winds found us! OH MAN! Just as I turned out on the seawall I looked across the road and could see a few of the pros biking in. I JUST got to my bike and they were within minutes of finishing theirs - AWESOME!!

The bike was so tough...so, so tough. I knew I was in trouble when I reached mile 10 and thought "I've only gone 10 miles!!" Yeah it was bad. I was slow, couldn't get in a rhythm, and was really feeling the heat (Literally). I couldn't cool down and my stomach was turning. Finally I reached the turnaround (such a relief) and felt the tiniest tailwind for like 5 miles. I could speed up a bit and just kept telling myself get to mile marker 48 and you can take it slow from there. 48 was the last water stop - and where you could be swept from the race if you didn't make the cut off time. Again, triathletes are some amazing people. I cannot tell you how many people passed me (it seemed like THOUSANDS), but nearly every person who passed was so encouraging. One lady even yelled "You are amazing! Just find that happy thought in you and you can do this." That really made me smile!

Finally - after more than three and half hours I made it to mile 48. I stopped, refilled my water and gatorade, stepped into the port-o-potty and cried like a baby! Ha ha - I was so relieved, scared, and amazed that this was really happening. I prayed "God I need you to help me finish this - you have to show up now, please" I was hurting, hot, sunburned and tired, and my stomach would not stop doing back flips. Before I exited the bathroom, I wiped off the tears, and said "Thank you God for giving me the ability to do this - I know so many who can't. I WILL finish!"

I got on my bike, took it a little slower (not that you can get too much slower than I already was) and made the approach back to Moody Gardens. That was EXCITING! I'm a runner and could not wait to get on to the run - I LOVE it!!! I was so excited to see my family again too!

Of course, as I dismounted my bike my amazing husband (and beautiful son) were the first people I saw. They cheered so LOUD - it made me smile SO BIG! Despite the pain I was in, I was really having a blast.

I had a little trouble racking my bike - all the ladies around me had already come in and didn't leave me a lot of room to get my bike in. I made a little room, ducked under the rack to get to my running gear, changed and was off to my favorite part. Running!!!

I wish I could explain how much I love to run - but this smile will have to do. I was so excited to get to my speciality. I thought for sure I can PR on my half-marathon time, pass all those people who passed me on the bike, and finish before 4pm....(Are you laughing yet?? Because I am, knowing what I know now)

The run is 4 loops around Moody Gardens and I started strong, felt pretty good, but then just as I hit mile 2 my stomach started churning again and my skin was burning. I felt like I was on fire and I could not cool off. I started walking and dumping water and ice down my shirt, over my head, grabbing sponges of ice water, etc..

I walked most of Lap 1, then ran into another TNT buddy who was on his last lap. He was finishing - I had to keep up with him so I could get a taste of what the finish might be like. Lap 2 felt pretty good and I ran most of it (Thanks Jeff!), but just as I made the turn into Lap 3 I started listening to the voices telling me that 'It's so hot, You're so tired, Just rest, Just stop, etc...' I had to cool off, so I decided to walk Lap 3 so I could have enough energy and reserves to run the final lap. Lap 3 was a looooooong lap - but I approached my final turn and there were my coaches (Luke and Norma), my cheer squad (Kyle, Blake, Skylar, Cliff, Sarah, Adalyn, Leigh Ann, Michelle, Julie, Dad and Michele) and I found it in me to just 'GO!' I ran my best lap ever and told myelf "Just keep smiling - it helps with the pain" I came around on my fourth lap so fast that it took my family by surprise to see me near the finish.

I approached the finish line - FINALLY! - and the announcer called out my name just as I crossed the line - SO COOL! Fist pumps - check, a medal - check, and a hat- check...quick picture and I was DONE! Oh mannnnnn...I did it! Kyle ran over and said "Holy cow babe - can you believe you just did that!" No, I really couldn't...I still can't But those are the amazing moments in life - the ones that it is hard to believe it even happened. I LOVE IT! What an absolutely amazing experience!!!

Here's the link to the actual race photos - including a video of my finish.

http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event_video.asp?EVENTID=75592&BIB=1751&S=230&PWD=

Again - I'm so grateful to be able to do this. I want to be doing it when I'm 80 and I hope I can raise MILLIONS of dollars to fight cancer. I'm really passionate about these sports, and most of all, I'm passionate about finding a cure to this disease. Thank you to all of you for your prayers, support, donations and anything else you did to make this possible. You've made a difference - a big, huge, amazing difference for so many people you may never ever meet. I hope my experience just gives you a taste of what your thoughtfulness has done for someone (me!...and our honored teammate, Nicole Specht, and my personal honored teammate Jeremy Boudreaux - who both beat cancer due to donations and funding from LLS) Congratulations to you too!!!

10 days out from race day and my fundraising is complete!! I am above and beyond my fundraising goal all thanks to my wonderful friends, family, neighbors and friends of friends and family!! What an amazing couple of months it has been with you all by my side. Thank you so much!

If I was smart enough to find a cure for cancer I would, but I'm committed to using the passion God gave me for running and endurance events to raise money to help those incredibly smart researchers find a cure for this disease. My promise to cancer patients and their families everywhere is that I won't stop here -- I don't want to stop until there is a cure -- that's my mission.

Thank you so much to everyone who has seen the good in my efforts and supported me along the way to this goal. Please keep my athletic efforts in your thoughts and prayers for next Sunday, April 10. Words cannot express how excited, nervous, and anxious I am. Please come out and cheer all the athletes along...and maybe find some inspiration to take on some challenges in your life as well...maybe find a passion for finding a cure for cancer, too...maybe, just maybe, find the inspiration to be a part of the change you hope to see in the world. We can all make a difference somewhere, to someone, in something. I hope I've done that here, or at least by the end of the day on April 10 I hope I've done at least that - :-)

Thanks so much and here we go!

3 weeks to go!!!

On April 10, 2011 I will be completing my first ever Half Ironman Triathlon with Team in Training. That means I am currently training to complete a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run - all in one day (that's 70.3 miles total)! But, more importantly to me, is the fact that I am also running for a reason. I am on a mission to raise money to fight blood cancers.

My event, being held at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX will all be in an effort to raise money for the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Before I joined with Team in Training, I knew of only one person who had personally been effected by a form of blood cancer. Since joining the team in November 2010, I have met 2 more direct survivors and countless families and friends who have been indirectly effected by leukemia, hodgkins and non-hodgkins lymphoma and/or myeloma. All of their stories are so inspirational to me! They are all also reminders that we never know what tomorrow may bring.

I have pledged to complete this triathlon in honor of Nicole Specht and Jeremy Boudreaux. Nicole is our honorary teammate and a non-hodgkins lymphoma survivor. Jeremy Boudreaux is a personal friend of mine who is nearly one year into remission from stage III hodgkins lymphoma. He was first diagnosed just a few months after standing as a groomsman in my sister's wedding. You can see his story by clicking on the link below my signature.

I'm also doing this triathlon for those who can't because they are STILL fighting their form of blood cancer today. The money raised by Team in Training goes directly to research and patient services. Several researchers in the Texas Medical Center directly benefit from our donations!! This means that patients fighting for their lives right now see the results of our efforts. Please stand by their side and make a donation today. I'm fighting and training and fundraising for them, and for Nicole and Jeremy, too, so they can STAY cancer-free for the rest of their lives!! I need your help.

My goal is to raise $2900 by March 26th, but every dollar above and beyond that amount goes directly to patient care and the research so desperately needed for a cure. Can you please help me today? No amount is too small - check this out:

Donate $5: to cover a patient's co-pay during treatment for antibiotics, antidepressants, antiviral, and antifungal drugs.

Donate $12: to pay a patient's parking cost for one day at the Houston Medical Center.

Donate $13: to cover the 20% co-pay on a month's supply of Gleevec, an oral molecularly- targeted chemotherapy drug funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Donate $25: to provide patients and their loved ones with free booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.

Donate $50: to make a Family Support group possible with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.

Maybe you can't donate monetarily, but there are still some things that you can do to help:

1. Forward and share this message on to as many people as you can. Help me spread the word, because you never know who you know that has a direct or indirect connection to these diseases.

2. Come out to Moody Gardens on race weekend and volunteer for a few hours through this website: (http://www.doitsports.com/volunteer/join-protected-group.tcl?event_id=201771) You can choose either Saturday or Sunday - just choose Team in Training from the drop down box and type the password: "goteam" P.S. The Half-Ironman race I am competing in is on Sunday. For every person that signs up through this link I can get $20 donated to my fundraising efforts, so be sure to let me know if you decided to volunteer for these awesome events!

3. Pray for me and this mission. It is incredibly important to me that I make a difference in the fight against cancer for someone out there. Through Team in Training I know the money raised will do something amazing!

Thank you so much to everyone who has already given so generously to my cause! You are amazing and your love and support keep me going...I can't wait to cross that finish line with all of you in mind!!

There is less than 1 month to go until race day and the training is really picking up. The entire month of March will be spent running through all three disciplines at one time. The trainings, called 'bassackwards' will have us running for more than 2 hours, biking for 3 hours and swimming for 30 minutes. Simulating the race, but backwards - fun!

I'm almost there in my fundraising too!! If you have ever considered donating to my efforts to fight blood cancers, now is the time. Help give me that last push to get me across the finish line - no amount is too small!!

Also, keep April 10 marked on your calendars. Come out to Moody Gardens for what should be an awesome day!! We'll be out there and racing for a long time, so we need your support!! Seeing familiar faces along the course and having a large group of spectators is SOOO amazing and exciting for ALL of the athletes participating. If you decide to come, consider volunteering for a few hours and get even closer to the action. If you sign up through this link.

http://www.doitsports.com/volunteer/join-protected-group.tcl?event_id=201771,

then your volunteering efforts count towards my fundraising efforts, too - how cool is that!

Thanks again for all of your prayers, kind words, and ACTION in donating and supporting me. I feel so blessed. Continue to keep my efforts, both athletic and fundraising, in your thoughts so I can make this happen and be a part of the race to find a cure for cancer!

Thank you,

Lauri Mazeikas

Dean Karanzes ran the Honolulu Marathon with Team in Training in the mid '90s. He runs a lot of his races (many 100+ mile races) in the name of doing something for those who cannot, giving back to the community, and donating his time, energy and efforts to a cause greater than himself.

"Team in Training has raised more than seven hundred million dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, as it's now called. More than three hundred thousand walkers, runners, cyclists, and triathletes have participated in the program. In fact, Team In Training has become so huge that it has helped fuel the tremendous growth in marathon and triathlon participation over the past decade.

Team In Training succeeded for a reason. It's early participants became involved because they wanted to run a marathon for those who couldn't. Committing to months of dedicated training in the hope of completing a grueling physical endeavor was their way of showing support and compassion for those in need. From the outside, it might not seem entirely logical, but it's the way the human heart functions."

(Dean Karnazes '50/50')

http://www.ultramarathonman.com/flash/

This is why I do this. Please help me reach my goal today and support my effort to help those in need.

Lauri