Check This Out

Today is the date that marks 6 years since my friend Chad passed away after battling Hodgkin's.  He was a life long friend- the kind you know in first grade back when you are a kid and have have a great sense of judging character.  Many of you know that I turn to him for strength during competition as he was a great athlete.  I think of him when I cross the finish line of many races and thank him for watching over me.  He is one of my guardian angels (along with Mac)- they protect me in my athletic endeavors.    

When Chad started to battle cancer, I ran my first marathon with Team in Training/Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in his honor.  It was a very special marathon for me- more special than any PR or numerical achievement.  Sorry for the tiny picture and the bad 8th grade hair- that is a picture of me and Chad (brown hair on left) from 8th grade graduation.  

So, I have a special place in my heart for athletes that choose to run for a cause.  Please check out the following blog below and show your support.  

Dreaming Over The Ocean is preparing to do a half-marathon in support of Team in Training.  She is currently training and fundraising to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and she needs your help.  Check out her blog and see if you can lend a hand...no amount is too small and every donation really helps out.  If you get a chance, stop by her site and lend a word of encouragement.      

Saturday Love

As in, I LOVE Saturdays.  I am actually feeling a little sad that it is Saturday night, meaning Sunday is right around the corner, followed by all work and no fun on Monday.  Pitiful, I know.  

Today I woke up with three doggies snuggled on me.  Each dog seems to have an assigned sleeping position, as they end up in the same place every time I let them sleep with me in the bed.  Rooney looked at me with his big brown eyes this morning and you could just see the happiness alive in him.  I thought to myself- this is heaven.  This is God's gift to me.  No alarm clock, no early morning swim, no putting on scrubs for work- just sleep and snuggles.  

Joy and I met later in the morning for a bike ride.  We also argued about body fat (mine in particular) and tried on my bridesmaid dress.  I am sad to say that it is finally sinking in that she is getting ready to move away.  Denial seems to suit me a little bit better at this point.  Dern if she is not the best training partner, fat-tester, phone chatter, loyal friend around these parts.  

Saturday has ended with some cleaning (mimimal), church, dinner with Bek and Jon, and more Olympics.  Cayenne has already claimed her spot in the bed.  I will have to order Rooney to get up there (as he wants to stay by the front door to guard) and pick up Shelby Angel to get her on the bed (poor chunk can't jump up there!).  Night night!

  

 

The Value of Team

A few friends have asked me over the years if they should join a triathlon team.  Memphis has several:  Los Locos, Memphis Thunder Racing, and Terrapin Racing.  Each team has a different vision and fits the needs of different types of triathletes.  

But triathlon is not a team sport.  I don't get to set my teammates up to score a goal, run back to cover for them, or talk with them at halftime on game strategy.  We don't win or lose together.  We don't rely on each other for a good performance.  And we are not responsible for bringing out the best in each other...or are we?

Yesterday, I had plans to do a training ride and then spend some time with my husband.  As usual, I have been over-committed, over-stressed, and really tired, so it was important to me to get stuff done and then spend some down time at home.  

And plans changed mid-morning.  My husband, sister, and co-workers have all decided that I have to get something done about my intense gray hair.  This intervention was scheduled last minute, and it fell right in the middle of my Saturday.  I was frustrated- and hair is never a priority to me.  I knew I had to keep the appointment or remain gray forever.  

3 hours later (I have a lot of gray) and the day was gone.  I had a little over an hour of sunlight to ride, but I had made plans to spend the afternoon with my husband.  I didn't know what to do, and riding in the cold afternoon was not appealing to me anymore.  I pulled into the parking lot and called Dave.  

Dave told me to go ride- that it was important for me to ride and we would go out later.  I thanked him and got out of the car.  It was cold, and I was unmotivated.  I got back in the car to drive home and started to pull out of the parking lot when....

I saw a Los Locos teammate in the distance- riding his bike.  If it had been any other cyclist, I would have kept driving.  But it was a teammate.  If my teammates are out training, I am out training.  I re-parked my care and got on my bike.  My teammate gave me the motivation I needed to train.  

Two miles into my ride, another Los Locos teammate passed me in his car and honked his horn while yelling "Hey Damie! :)"   More motivation.  

One mile later, I see another Los Locos teammate riding his bike on the other side of the road, and he yells for me to wait up.  It turned out to be Steve Franklin, and he joined me for the remainder of my ride.  We went to an area with some hills and tested out the knee.  I was slow, sucking wind, and dying.  Steve stayed with me the whole time, even though he was probably cursing silently because I was going to slow.  (I think he was at least impressed that I was willing to put a helmet on my head directly after paying to have my "hair did". )

Triathlon is not a team sport.  No one can  help me on the race course- cover for me, double down, create space, force a turnover, give me a chance to breath, or save me from a mistake.  But, there is value in being on the team- and it comes in the form of support and motivation when you need that extra push to stay the course.  Teammates are friends and mentors that help you get out of the car when you are turning around to go home, convince you to ride an extra lap of hills, and help you train harder/smarter/better.  Thank you to my 3 x teammates yesterday who directly and indirectly helped me to get  back on my bike.