Hallelujah!

So many exciting things have happened over the past week-- I don't know where to start!!

*FUNDRAISING: Holy toledo-- we have made leaps and bounds! We've received some hefty donations and are now sitting at $1,235!!! That's over half way! I am absolutely thrilled with this progress and grateful beyond belief. It's crazy how many people have been affected by blood cancers in one way or another, and absolutely admirable that they turn that around and donate to LLS. It blows my mind how significantly people have been affected, and until their donation, I had no idea. My grandma, a teammate's family, and a roommate's sister are among the latest to contribute. Everyone who has donated or muttered a prayer for LLS is SO appreciated by not only me, but also everyone who is participating in the fight against blood cancers. WELL DONE!

*BIKE WOES: Great news! A friend of mine who competed in the Chicago Triathlon with Team in Training a couple years ago has offered to let me use her bike! (Cue the clouds opening and the heavenly choirs bellowing praises). Since I've been at home, I haven't been able to check it out yet, but I have no doubt that it will be exponentially better than the Iron Horse (...sorry, girl.) I can't even tell you how exciting this is, and I can't wait to start training on it! I am confident that the Iron Horse would have broken down before or during the race. She probably would have wheeled up to the transition area that morning and then keeled over in a "Hell, no!" fashion. This fine friend of mine also offered her helmet, bike pouch, and sunglasses!! My triathlon list is DWINDLING! I am so excited to get my hands on this equipment as it will help me to feel more prepared for race day. Mentally feeling prepared is half the battle after all.

*RUNNING: I dropped 27 bones to get a temporary membership to my home gym while I've been home. VERY WORTH IT. I love that place. The treadmills, however, perplex me. I am convinced that they are positioned so that the runner is going at a slight downhill. I say this because I noticed too rapid improvement this winter break while training for a half marathon, and I noticed it again when I went to run shortly after arriving home. Please remember that I was struggling to hit 5 miles consistently in Chicago. On my first running attempt here, I went 0.2mph faster and went 8 miles with no problem. The only thing that stopped me is that my legs weren't used to going that long without a stretch or anything and my quads started cramping crazy bad. Otherwise, I felt wonderful. While I know I've been working hard at training and everything, I don't think that a legitimate improvement like that one is possible. So, I have started putting it at a 1-1.5% incline and that is bringing back some of the challenge. I still go 0.2mph faster, though-- I don't want to give that up! =) It's been interesting, and it does feel good to be able to run farther and faster. It is unfortunately tainted by my suspicious-ness towards the treadmills though. I guess one may suggest that I just run outside which is what I need to be doing anyways... but I'm being a child and doing what I want.

*RANDOM: My family got a new dog while I've been home. He's a black lab and very cute. I like him and kinda wish I could take him back with me. But I doubt he'd appreciate being bound up in my apartment all day, and I doubt my roommates would be as in love with him as I am. It'll be fun to come home to him when/if I get to visit home again!! Also while I've been home I got to meet a friend of my mom's who is training for the Ironman-- the crazy crazy long triathlon-- 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run! That's a full marathon after two crazy hard races!! It was neat to hear about her training and preparation. Very humbling too! I asked what distance she was at in training for the running leg and she said 17 miles! That's daunting. Makes my 5 mile victory a little less triumphant. But I know it's apples to oranges.

I return to Chicago on Saturday. It's definitely bittersweet. I'm excited to continue training and eager to get to that bike, but home is home-- "the land of plenty" as my roommate appropriately put it. It's been exactly the 'vacation' I needed to rejuvenate and get the energy back I'll need to not only do this triathlon, but also to start my first real job!

In the meantime, keep telling everyone you know about this blog. I am so encouraged by our fundraising progress-- we have just $765 left to go before August 4th. I am confident that we can do it together! Donate today!