ReCap of the Past Few Weeks!

"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there." ~Unknown

I know it has been awhile since I have updated, so here ya go!

Team in Training has gotten much more intense over the past few weeks. Saturday practices are now 2 hours or more, and we are still swimming as a group on Wednesdays. I am trying my hardest to make it to every practice, but with the hectic work schedule, it proves to be quite difficult at times. Hopefully for the next 6 weeks, I will be able to make every single one!

A couple Wednesdays ago we had a 30 min continuous swim, without touching the bottom of the pool or holding onto any sides. It was extremely challenging for me, however, I know it's not nearly as hard as chemo must be! After the first few laps, it actually got a little bit easier because I was able to get "in the groove" and finally felt like I had the strokes and breathing down. This is awesome! Then, when we were done, I learned that there was one girl on our team that swam 3 times the distance that I did! Granted, she was on swim team in college, but it is absolutely amazing how much effort and focus and training it takes to truly become good at something I thought I could do all along!

We also have been doing "bricks" on Saturday mornings. We have been practicing out at Bear Creek and have been biking for 4 miles, than running for 1 mile, then biking, the running, etc. Try doing this for 2 solid hours! It has been very exhausting, but I know it will all be worth it! I have also been running at Memorial Park almost every day. If you ever want to join me, I'm always up for workout buddies! :)

We had our first open water swim this past Saturday. It was an entirely different experience than what I ever expected. We have been swimming in a 50 meter pool before, and when you jump into the lake, it is very different! Not only did we have our wetsuits on, but you literally could not see 2 feet in front of you. How the heck am I supposed to swim when you can't see? I also learned this week that "sighting" is something I am really going to have to practice. The hardest part for me so far was trying to get in the groove and get my swim on, then breaking it after just a few strokes because it felt like I was swimming with my eyes shut! Every time I popped my head up, my legs dropped down and it slowed me down too much and it takes more energy than it should to get going again, only to pop my head back up to see where I am going! And if you think you can swim straight in a lake, I challenge you to jump in a pool and try to swim to the other side in a straight line with your eyes shut. Eeeek! They say that if you get off course, you could end up swimming hundreds of meters farther than you should, just by veering off to far to the left and to the right. This is going to take a lot more practice on my part!

Here is a photo from this past Saturday of me right after our swim in the lake. That is my awesome mentor, Mark, and Luca, with his mom and older sister. Luca is our team's inspiration. He has been fighting his battle with cancer, and on Sunday he was admitted back into the hospital. His battle is now with the effects of the treatments after his fight with cancer. There is a cure out there waiting to be discovered that would have prevented him and his family from the emotional and physical pain that comes from cancer and the related effects. When I am discouraged, overwhelmed, or frustrated, Coach Jay reminds us to take a few minutes and to reflect on what we are doing as a team to raise money for a cure and for the families of all those fighting this battle. It's like the saying on the back of our shirts, "If you think a triathlon is hard, try chemotherapy." Please keep Luca and his family in your thoughts and prayers! It was really inspiring to finally meet him this past week.

Also, I am SO proud of all those that have donated to this great cause and helped me out thus far. I have raised almost $2,000 and have another $3,000 to go. I NEED YOUR HELP!