Words of Inspiration from Gordie...

The training is building again, hence I've been so busy I haven't posted much recently. We've had two weekends in a row with 50+ bike rides, 10+ mile runs, and 2000+ yard swims. We conquered such hills as Latigo (I missed that workout but kudos to my teammates), Encinal, Mulholland/Los Virgines - training where Lance Armstrong has trained! I have to admit that this is the part of the season where my ADD kicks in and I look forward to the end and getting back to "normal" weekends. I can tell that this time, it's not going to be as easy to lose the habits of swimming, running and cycling - although I may ditch steep hills, rolling hills are ok.

I'm just an ordinary person trying to accomplish and extraordinary goal - to help find provide valuable funds to find a cure for blood cancers - and any advancements in the field of blood cancers can only mean a few steps forward in other cancer treatments - and to finish a half-ironman triathlon. I don't know why, i've been saying it all season, but suddenly, the size of the task is really starting to hit me!

Every Team has honored teammates, people from the community who are in remission from or going through treatment for blood cancers, but this season, having 2 honored teammates on our team - the IRONteam - is beyond inspirational. Kudos to Meghan and Gordie for being such Rock Stars! For the rest of this entry, I want to give the "stage" to one of the honored teammates, Gordie Lat. Here is just one of the many posts that he sends out to the team to keep us motivated and focused on the goal to find a cure! I chose a goofy shot because besides his inspirational words and his presence on the team, Gordie's best feature is his smile!

“The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them.”
— Stephen King

Many have heard me thank you and tell you what SUPERHEROES I think you are and how I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for people like you (countless of times). And I often feel that it sometimes diminishes theTRUE, DEEP feelings of gratitude I have for what you all do (just as the quote says) because to many of you, it may be just words. So I want to share with you a few things that you might already know. Now, I’m a bit STUPID-stitious about talking about my health condition, I think it’s bad luck to do so…much like coach Paul is superstitious about wearing his tri event shirt BEFORE the actual triathlon…lol. Anyway, it’s time for me to get rid of this STUPID-stition that I have so I’m changing it now.

In June 2005, I was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia that has no medical cure except for that of a perfect bone marrow match transplant. (What this means is that the only cure is a perfect match bone marrow transplant) And unfortunately, searches in the worldwide database have resulted in no usable match for me. (not even my 3 sisters who seemed sure to be a match) So, NO CURE FOR ME! My bone marrow continues to produce the DNA that produces cancer.

However, breakthroughs in medical research and technology have come up with a miracle drug named Gleevec that makes my disease “manageable” as opposed to fatal. And in fact, I reached the “manageable” state of the disease after only a year of treatment. So, I went ahead and told the world how happy I was that I was FINALLY in the “manageable” state and I was sure that I would follow in Virginia Garner’s footsteps and remain in the “manageable” state for as long as her (more than 10 years now). But soon after I sent the message out (like one month soon…) I became resistant to Gleevec, that very same drug that was saving my life. (which is what actually started the whole STUPID-stition of mine) So I was in a precarious position because I had no bone marrow match and the new drug I was taking wasn’t working. What is even worse is the Research Doctors couldn’t find a reason why I became resistant to Gleevec in the first place. And that could mean that there’s something about me that has the propensity to become resistant to the drugs that are saving my life.

But after many ups and downs, I am now taking a drug called Sprycel that seems to be working. But the fear of becoming resistant to this drug will always be present in the back of my mind. Despite this predicament, my family and friends continue to assist me in my fight for life as I strive to maintain my health and be there for my wife and 2 daughters. By looking at me, it’s difficult to see the struggles I go through. But the struggles are there and fear demands its presence in my daily life as I evaluate every pain, cough, and breath I take…but I continue to press on.

So all of the verbose rhetoric I write is an attempt to expound on the simple words you hear me so often say…THANK YOU, SUPERHEROES, WHAT YOU DO IS SAVING MY LIFE!!! I hope you never get sick of my thanks to you as this message is merely the tip of the overwhelming gratitude I feel for what you are doing.

Holy Sheet, I'm a Triathlete!

On a stormy and windy day in the small, quiet town of La Quinta, CA, I swam 3/4 of a mile (28min), biked 24 miles (1hr, 49 min) and ran 6 miles (1hr, 22 min) in one day to officially become an International-distance Triathlete! It was a challenge going through the day without knowing what to expect or if I'd even finish, but now that the anxiety of the day has subsided, and I didn't have nagging sore muscles, I'm excited at the possibility of doing more! The idea that I only have 6 weeks left til I do one twice as big freaks the padded tri pants off me, but I'm excited to do more of the same size on the other end of this Ironteam experience.

I will have a full Triathlon experience email (which may take you as long to read as it took me to do!) with TONS of photos coming soon!

We are now in the final stages of training where things are speeding up and stacking up! Every day except Friday, the day before our long workouts, we are working out with not one, but two sports a day! You're probably thinking "Hey, at least you get Friday to relax and party with friends!" Nope, Fridays are my day to stay up and worry about Saturday's workout - as if the worrying I already did since Wed or Thurs of the week wasn't quite enough. "Saturday night?!" Nope, I'm usually so exhausted that I fall into a sleep coma by 9pm.

Last week when I was working a Century bicycle ride, I did hear a tip that if you do one shot of Tequila Friday night then it takes the edge off enough so ou can sleep but not drain your energy the next day. Problem is... Who can stop at just 1?

So I'm a Triathlete! I never til last year even considered the possibility and now look what I've done! It feels amazing to have helped myself get to this point but even more amazing to be helping others with m fundraising! I'm still a ways away from my goal so for any of you with that Jog-a-thon mentality that will only donate after I do my "laps" - I did it!! Every single dollar helps, so please donate!

If you want me to do the triathlon in someone's honor I will put their name on my body for race day!! Thanks all!!

Calculating, Experimenting and Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Here's a fun Friday idea, when you go to work tomorrow, at 9am sharp, stand outside the office door and have someone fire a cap gun, start swimming through your emails, wading through the things in your inbox, and keeping your head above water in the sea of voicemails. At 10am, get up, see if you can find your favorite ritual morning person to head over to Starbucks, but if you can't find them, go yourself anyway, you'll need the fuel to get through the rest of the day.

After getting enough coffee for your team, transition onto that deadline-based project that you and your co-workers have been working long, hard hours while getting everything to this point. Balance between leading the group and following their decisions, pedal slowly and steadily on the uphill battles and fly downhill with the success of any breakthroughs. For the first hour until 11am, keep the coffee coming. As the hours wear on, make sure you provide substantial nutrients to keep everyone focused and nourished - work through lunch if necessary, eating smaller tidbits of food at regular intervals rather than stopping and losing momentum with a big meal. Success will reach you by 3pm and you will realize that you still have plenty of time to transition to what is left of your own job responsibilities.

Hit the ground running! While this is the most familiar of your jobs, doing it after facing such a large and daunting task could leave you drained. If you're lucky, you'll be able to fly through this part of your day because you've done it many times before, you can zone out and just do your work well. By 6pm, you will be exhausted, but successful - you finished! As you leave the office, have your friends put up a big ribbon at the exit door that you can run through with your hands in the air as you successfully complete your day! Then go hit up happy hour!

You know, this may sound like a wacky exercise, but I've suddenly done the math and figured out that this half Ironman triathlon is going to take me potentially 9 hours! The amount of time you'll spend at work tomorrow! Think about that as you travel through your day. Could you imagine swimming for 1 hour, biking for up to 5 hours and running for up to 3 hours?

Just for fun... Bordering this entry, you'll find the maps here of the bike portion [left] and

the run portion [right - which also, if you look closely, shows the course we'll swim at the start]:

Triathlons obviously require a great deal of training. We've been in training since October, and still have 2 1/2 months til our event. The obvious reason is the conditioning that we must do to get our body to the

level to complete an event which could take a full work day. The other part is to experiment with things so that we learn what works for us and what doesn't. You don't want to do anything new on race day, you want to know what works best for you!

Some of the lessons I've learned so far are:

a) Don't eat a burrito 15 min. before you jump in the pool no matter how hungry you are.

b) Perpetuem drink mix is to be mixed with Gatorade or something, not straight up water - blech!

c) Perhaps sleeping the night before my Saturday Training rides is a better, more efficient use of my resources than staying up all night worrying about the ride.

d) I really do like riding my bike, I just don't like uphill rides because if I go too slowly, I fall over. If I fall over, I have to start again on an incline. If I try to start again on an incline, I fall over. Uphills = fall over.

e) I have to focus more when Triathlon training.

For running, it's a great thing to get in the zone and forget about what you're doing.

For swimming, if I get in the zone - or even think about the great form I see on the swimmer in the next lane, I forget what lap I'm on, and I'm too paranoid to guess so when in doubt, I add an extra lap. That adds up quickly!

For biking, if I get too caught up in the amazing view, or fantastic architecture on the homes in the neighborhoods we've been riding through, I may miss a car door opening in my path or a rock under my tire.

f) It's crazy to me that after a bike ride, my arms hurt more than my legs!

g) The body is an amazing thing and usually the obstacle isn't your physical ability, but your mind and its objections.

I find that the physical changes come easier than the mental ones. I'd always heard that to be in the best shape, do a tri. They hit all the problem spots - the saddle bags, the jiggly arms when you wave. I've been reunited with muscles that I thought I'd lost touch with forever and as a bonus they've brought along a few friends to join the party! I don't know why, but I still allow the mental tricks to have a voice in my head - I let them muddle up my focus. Things such as suddenly changing from "Carbs are bad" to "Make sure you eat enough carbs" =or= the fact that clothes are fitting a lot loser although the number on the scale hasn't dropped.

This has been a tough few weeks for me because I'm coming off a week and a half of not training a lot due to work, and having the kids off school for a week. I know too that me not having a road mid-week ride makes a huge difference in how far I've come compared to the rest. I know that missing a few crucial rides too, has me behind the pack on my weakest sport. I'm really looking forward to trying our first tri in a few weeks in Palm Springs which will be a flatter, shorter International distance, but I'm really getting freaked about the Wildflower weekend and "Beach Hill" - a deceptively tough 1 mile climb; "Nasty Grade" which tops out at "Heart Rate Hill" - complete with people to actually take your heart rate at the top.

This is the point where the end starts approaching at a much faster pace. Training is ramping up, my time is becoming scarce, how will I successfully fundraise the $ so that I can actually do the event, I'm trying to not spend all of my $ on babysitting, not to mention the guilt of missing their first baseball games is a huge thing. I start to wonder what the hell I was thinking.

On the Team, when we're down and people are struggling we take a moment to and reflect on why we're really here - the blood cancer patients and their families. Reminding ourselves of the bigger picture helps bring us back to reality and regain focus of why our training is so important.

Here are some lessons learned from our amazing honored teammates.

a) I chose this for myself, it didn't choose me - as cancer would.

b) My pain is temporary, and much easier than chemotheraphy

c) My first goal is not just to cross the finish line, but to fundraise $4,000 to provide valuable research to find a cure by 2015, to provide patient aid to current patients and their families in the form of education, support groups and financial aid. Plus, as a fundraiser, I'm also an advocate, helping spread the word on LLS and all that it's trying to achieve.

d) Yes, the economy sucks, people are losing jobs, houses. Let me tell you, it could always be worse - someone could tell you that on top of all of those challenges, you have cancer. In this lowered economy, donating $5 to blood cancer is money much better spent investment than treating ourselves to Starbucks, or movie rentals, or the drive-thru. Plus, the good feeling from a $5 donation lasts a lot longer than a 45 min. coffee, 2 hour movie, or 1 hour lunch out.

e) While I do have challenges to overcome in my training, I am training alongside honored teammates who not only have battled "Nasty Grade" but CANCER! Who am I to give up with such great role models beside me?

SO, in the spirit of calculating, experimenting and changing, I'm going to work on the mental battles for the next week and see if calming down, focusing and pressing on will work me through this rut. I truly try to learn something from everything that I do so there are lessons hidden in this when I just slow down enough to take the time to see them.

Please share my blog with anyone that you know who is considering doing a triathlon or joining Team In Training so that they can hear from someone firsthand. Share my blog with anyone battling blood cancers so that they know that there is an army fighting blood cancers on their behalf and that there are resources available to them. Share my blog with anyone looking to challenge themselves, better themselves, or give back.

To make a donation, no matter how big or small, please visit

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/wildtri10/sharris

I'm trying to raise $4,000 by April 1st.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Think training for a Triathlon is tough? Try Chemotherapy!

Every 4 minutes, someone new is diagnosed with a blood cancer.

Every 10 minutes, an adult or child loses their battle with blood cancer.

Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.

Believe it or not, these statistics are much improved from the death sentence that blood cancers would have given you earlier in my lifetime. But, I believe we can do better.

Leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes are diseases that can affect the bone marrow, the blood cells, the lymph nodes and other parts of the lymphatic system. An estimated 912,938 people in the United States alone are living with, or are in remission from, leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, NHL or myeloma.

I believe I mentioned it before, that when I first found Team In Training years ago, I had no personal tie to blood cancers. Back then, my only experience with big scary cancer was losing my amazing god-mother after her valiant fight with breast cancer, my beloved grandmother who battled several cancers before succumbing to lung cancer, and a young second cousin who endured a lot in his short life. But at that time, my naivety lumped all cancer together, just that it happened to land on a different body part. So when I found Team In Training, the signature fundraiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), I believed that any progress made in relation to any cancer would help in the long scheme of things.

To learn more about Team In Training's 21-year or LLS' 60-year histories, click on www.teamintraining.org/firsttimehere/themissionandhistory/

We just kicked off another season for Team In Training, and as usual, the high-energy event was inspirational, motivational, and just nothing that I can describe. You just have to go to one, even if you aren't there to sign up. It's an amazing, humbling experience. This one in particular was especially moving because we had an honored teammate reception before the kickoff. Honored teammates are people from our communities that are either in treatment for or remission from blood cancers. Their stories will break your heart, give you hope, and amaze and inspire you all at the same time. Having so many honored teammates in one room was a beautiful occasion. However, we also recalled that for every honored teammate that was present, there were others that were in the hospital, too sick to attend, or who were absent since they had recently lost their battles.

Now as I mentioned, the statistics have improved in the recent past thanks to LLS's efforts to cure blood cancers and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

LEUKEMIA: The relative five-year survival rate for leukemia patients has nearly quadrupled since 1960.

LYMPHOMA: The relative five-year survival rate for Hodgkin Lymphoma patients more than doubled since 1960 to just over 86%. During that time the relative five-year survival rate for NHL patients rose as well from 31% to nearly 69%.

MYELOMA: Overall five-year survival has increased from 12% to 37% in the last 50 years.

While reading that there are 912,938 people in the US are living with a blood cancer, it's a bittersweet statistic. While the number of cases still keep going up, part of the high number means that people are surviving the disease so more people are living in remission, not dying because of blood cancers.

Since LLS was founded in 1949 they have invested more than $680 million in research for blood cancer, much of which takes place at local hospitals like USC, UCLA, City of Hope and Children's Hospitals. One amazing result of such research was the development of Gleevec which has changed some forms of blood cancer from a death sentence to a very manageable, livable disease. They also put money into patient services to provide free patient aid in the form of support groups, mentors for newly diagnosed patients, financial aid.

I believe in the Society's mission, in their vision to find a cure by 2015, and see the results of everything that they do in our community. I run, bike, and swim because I can. Please help find a cure, every $1 helps!

Different Strokes

Three months ago, when I first cannonballed into the pool after 21 years, I felt like I'd come home! I love the feeling of splitting through the water, floating on top, existing underwater. I love how energizing the fresh air feels after you've spent the last hour fighting to not breathe in the water. My old strokes were coming back easily, the muscles were waking up, all I had to do is build up my endurance, oh and change everything about my stroke! Honestly, it may have been easier for those people who started from scratch, than to have to reprogram everything.

I won't go into every detail because it's hard to picture if you don't have the awesome coaches showing you how it should be done - and you certainly won't see such elegant strokes out of me. In a nutshell, we're trying to reach farther with each stroke, glide more, and use less of our legs to save them for the 2 sports that follow our 1.2 mile (or 2112 yard) swim.

I still remember the first time I got in the pool and just how bad doing 100 yards (4 lengths or 2 laps) felt. My arms screamed, my lungs burned, it was terrible! Well tonight (3 months later), I did my first non-stop 1,500 yard swim (60 lengths/30 laps) and I actually liked the last 500 best! Then, I rested for about 30 seconds and decided to do a 100 yard cool down before getting out. About 40 yards into the lap, I started feeling yucky. So I walked the last part! Yes, I was walking the last part of the lap in the pool - my kids thought this was too funny! Hey, you know, 1,500 yards non-stop, I don't feel bad about stopping afterwards. As with any of my mishaps, I learn from it - I didn't fuel or drink as much as I should.

We've been instructed to have water bottles poolside so we can consume 1 bottle an hour. Now in my defense a) the workout that used to take me an hour only took 45 min. tonight since it was non-stop so I felt I'd steered clear of that time chunk (I know Coaches, the goal is not to drink it all in the end of the hour); b) if I'm swimming 1,500 for time, I'm not going to waste valuable seconds to drink more fuel or water. I had nobody on the team swimming with me tonight, yet I was still being competitive. I had no other time to beat, besides Tuesday's "warm-up" when I swam 1,000 straight, so if anything you think I'd slow down this one to show a big improvement next time... but NO!

It's a real mind-flip that in this society all of a sudden I'm being told - make sure you get enough carbs! We're supposed to take what we weigh, divide it by 2.2 and take in that many carbs per hour when we're training. Not calories, carbs! Like in the Ironteam world, Wonder Bread is a good thing! We no longer eat Gu (which goes in and out looking just as the name implies - things that make you go Hmmm!), we are now hardcore and should try stuff called Hammer (or were they telling us to get hammered?)!

I still am not consistantly graceful in the water, I have to work very hard to put my head down lower so the water goes over my neck and back, and then turn far enough to breathe well. I sometimes feel very fluid with my strokes, and other times feel very floppy. Still, any frustration that I had over my strokes was washed away when I finished the 1,500 feeling great!

P.S.

I never did find out who the mystery photographer was who shot me in action flying down the hill, but I did get one happy photograph from the ride (after my first 20 mile loop) and I didn't look dazed or confused! Next to me is my awesome mentor, Carlos (in the red) who is training for his second full Ironman, the MDot Louisville! W*O*W*!

Torment Trifecta: Tears, Terror, Turning point

This was the first time I was considering quitting Ironteam. The idea of going out and riding in the blustery rain, on the beautiful CLIFFS of Malaga Cove, for 40 miles was just about enough to send me over the edge. I was so scared of what could happen, anytime I told friends the rest of my weekend plans, I finished with the line "It's worth trying to survive Saturday for." If it weren't for the fact that I promised the babysitter that I wouldn't cancel (after wimping out on another Rainy Saturday), and knowing that biking is my worst sport in this Triathlon, I'd have called it a day. But when I got to the cove and they said, "The hills you'll encounter on this ride are very similar to the ones 2 weeks ago [You've got to be kidding me!] only longer [instantly burst into tears]!" Because I'm an irongirl now, I didn't actually burst into tears, but my eyes definitely became wet and threatened to spill over. Dang, why didn't I put on my sunglasses before the big talk?!

I looked across the sunny parking lot looking for an escape - maybe if I was lucky my bike would get stolen and I could quit right on the spot - but then looked back at the group I was standing in and when I realized that many of them were in the same emotional puddle that I was. My emotional humiliation would hurt worse than these hills would.

We started out on the familiar route which felt great - only backwards from the direction I was used to. It was fantastic seeing people from my Marathon team days along the route and we exchanged "Go Teams!" which gave me a boost! The rolling hills are beautiful along this route, and being in a large group, the cars were steering clear of us. We started our first small ascent near the golf course, passing through some random freezing cold patches (ghosts of previous Ironteam cyclists?!) and at the top, entered horse country. I had no idea how we were going to cover 20+ miles for our first loop and stay on Palos Verdes Dr. the whole time (just the East, South, whatever routes of the same street) because this was waaaay farther than we ever ran on that road. I was also in denial that we'd see such crazy hills because I had never encountered such hills while running. Perhaps (my denial preached to me), the coaches were lying and the hills weren't that bad.

A lot of the next 15+ miles were a blur, just riding along, trying to obey traffic laws, and enjoy the scenery. Then we got into a neighborhood and the ascent started. I put my bike into granny gear, which I believe one person said is not the best idea, but at this point, I'd do whatever it took to get to the top of this hill without stopping, crying, or falling, and work on fixing it later once I conquer one hill!

I settled in on a pace that was steady, comfortable, and only focused on the 10 feet right in front of me. Once I got to the horizon, I glanced at the next horizon, and the next, and the next, but returned my focus to just 10 feet in front of me. During the tough parts I kept chanting "Auntie Carole, Auntie Carole" who was a loved one to a friend of mine, who was recently lost to cancer. Her memorial was on this beautiful day, and I know she helped get me up those hills.

I'm fortunate, too, that fellow Irongirl Tracy and I have a comparable pace, so we encouraged each other up the never-ending hill. At one point, she took a little break and I told her I'd stop at the top of the hill. After that hill turned into the next, and the next, and still the next (really it was THAT big), I felt bad that I wasn't stopping, but I was on a roll, and stuck on making it to the top without stopping, surprised that I wasn't feeling bad, so I didn't want to interrupt that groove.

When I got to Crest Drive I prayed that this was the top of the hill and celebrated for a second before the challenge switched gears as we started

f

l

y

i

n

g

down the back side of the hill! I am a bit scared of heights, and at the drop off point it was confirmed - I was at the crest of a very big mountain. I caught a glimpse of about 3 switchbacks below me, took in the view of the Harbor and knew that if I didn't pay attention, I'd be flying on the bike off the cliffs straight toward Catalina! I alternated between free-falling terror braking, seriously thinking I was going to slide off my bike towards my handle bars, and sheer exhilaration of the blue sky downhill thinking I'd better not smile any wider because my lips will dry out and bugs will crack my teeth upon impact. A Tracy blur flew past me at one point, and I did try to smile for the random photographer out on the hill because I'm determined to get one good picture of me on the bike not looking dazed or confused.

After that the terrain went back to primarily rolling hills. As my mind and body settled into a new groove, a few random thoughts flew in one ear and out the other: I didn't know THAT part of my body would hurt more than my legs; I need to learn to train with my mouth shut - although the coaches said if we're lucky we might catch a fish during our swim which is great fuel; I don't know if I can make it around the whole course for a 2nd round - ironically due to how tired my arms got on the downhill, not my legs; I can't believe there are so many dang Bruins riding out here at Malaga - note to self, get a USC riding jersey; what a beautiful day; I'm wearing funky thigh-high leg warmers; I've never been happier than this moment to see the lighthouse!

As I entered the driveway (victorious!) to meet the group, the sharp turn/ascent stopped me dead in my tracks and I almost didn't unclip in time, but I did! I walked the bike up and my celebration ended as we were again practicing changing tires. The goal here is to change the tire quickly and get back out on the course. I won't lie, I took some time with this, the bike helped, then peeled off my leg warmers, hit the girls' room. I was telling myself that I'd better hurry myself up because I had like four people in four places counting on me that day to be home on time, but I wasn't that eager to do the full 2nd loop. I asked the support (awesome volunteers) staff if there was a shorter route but the answer I got was "I got lost last time I did that and wound up hitting major hills!" Ack!

When I finally got to the mental realization where I settled on the fact that I'd be riding 40 miles, the coaches said "Y'all are doing a different course for the 2nd loop..." and a big sigh of relief was heard (or was it my deflating tire?).

We did another 10 miles on the bike to get us to 31+ miles and called it a day, on time, and in a GREAT MOOD! I had a great bike ride! I didn't fall, I didn't die going up or down the hills, I survived, I was still walking well, I had feeling back in all the numb parts (they happen anywhere!), and now I had a beautiful sunny day to enjoy after a week of relentless rain!

I packed a lot into Saturday, covered many more miles in my car, got to catch up with a bunch of friends, and got home and ordered pizza with the kids to celebrate a full but fruitful day. At 9:30pm, my switch flipped and I was going downhill so fast that I actually turned out the lights before my kids did because they weren't brushing their teeth fast enough.

What a difference 11.5 hours of sleep makes! The next day, as the fun of the Pinewood Derby wound down, I was trying to convince the kids to go for a bike ride. I shared my own cycling psychosis with my daughter who is going through her own struggles learning how to ride her bike! I told her how scared I was on Saturday but that I did it anyway and I felt so happy afterwards that I did! She said "Well you're bigger!" and I said yes, but that means I have farther to fall, and my feel are locked to the bike, I can't fly off and try to land standing. Myself and Menchie's (frozen yogurt) convinced her to give it a try. The goal was to have them ride while I run a steady 90 min. or more.

The run turned into fartleks - Run trying to keep up with the kids, slow down to push them through the sand-choked bikepath, stop and pick up Lauren, brush her off, kiss boo boos and REPEAT! Lauren fell way more than I ever did in one run and she kept getting back on, with a little persuasion.

As I tucked the tuckered out kids into bed, Carson told me that one reason he liked me for his mom was that I didn't used to be a runner, but then I became one and ran 2 marathons, and now I'm trying a Half-Ironman Triathlon! I said why is that, and he said because it makes him want to try big things! I told him it's true, no matter how crazy your dream is, you can accomplish it! His goal is to be the first man on Jupiter, but that because it's a gaseous planet he'll have to invent special shoes first so he doesn't just fall through the planet and back into space. Then he said that perhaps next thing you know, I may be trying a full Ironman! My response was, not til I can do one on Jupiter!