SWEET....!!!

Are one of these yours?  I have been collecting them for the last few weeks....and have yet to open one!  So, I think over the weekend I am going to have my own little "Christmas" (see - one even has a Christmas stamp on it!) and open all of them and get my first batch of donations submitted.  I am SO EXCITED to see how close I will be to my goal after opening them, and including on-line donations.  As always, you can view my progress here (and donate on-line as well), but keep in mind there is a little bit of a lag time for the checks I receive to be included in the count (since I need to send them in batches for them to be processed).

So, in between some chilly runs, I've been "swimming, swimming, in a swimming pool" (does anyone else sing that in their head, or is it just a 4-H Camp Shehaqua thing?...and points to the first person to "sing" the next line in the comments section).  And, like clockwork, about a day after swimming, I would get a splitting headache on the "knob" of my lower head right behind my left ear that would get much worse when laying down, and waking up was the worst!  In about two-three days it would go away, but then I would hit the pool again and the cycle continued.  I've never had an ear infection, but after Googling, I was convinced that was my issue, but I couldn't figure out why I didn't have a fever or any discharge from my ear.  This Monday, the pain was so intense I couldn't even hold my head straight (I felt like a rabbit with wry neck, and if you don't know what that is, then Google it!).  I had off of work for President's Day, but the day was filled with business appointments with a lawyer and the tax accountant.  In between appointments, on a whim I asked Bryan if we could swing by the doctor's office to see they could fit me in, and if not, I was going to the Med Express that night (that should tell you how bad the pain was).  Luckily, they were able to get me in...and it turns out, no ear infection.  The doctor wasn't positive what was going on, but she decided that perhaps it was muscular (from turning my head to breath while swimming), and gave me an anti-inflammatory and a muscle relaxer - - yes, I felt extremely stupid, and I will definitely think twice the next time I "think" I should go to the doctor. I swam Tuesday night, and have been taking the meds as prescribed since Monday, and so far, no pain!  Tonight's swim, however, will be the real test, as Matt, Brian, Dave and I swam at Cedar Crest...and we swam HARD (well, for me at least it was hard) for an hour.  I have to really thank Matt and Brian for pushing me, even when at one point I didn't think I could go another lap in a row.  Brian also noticed that I still have a tendency to pick my head up out of the water when I breath, so that odd movement may have also been contributing to my pain!  Another thing I need to work on is pointing my toes when I kick (I seem to go somewhere between horizontal and vertical while swimming, and pointing my toes will help to keep my butt up, and therefore become more horizontal...and more aerodynamic)...and also trying to breath on my right side.  On Saturday, all of Central PA TNT's Tri teammates and coaches will get together at Messiah for a Swim Clinic - I'm a little apprehensive about that, as I hear Coach Bob is going to "rip our arms off".

So....I guess now I can release my SWEET announcement!  Doesn't the below picture look absolutely delectable?  Well, on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, you can get your own frozen yogurt creation at the Sweet Frog in Mechanicsburg (on the Carlisle Pike in with Petco, Target, Panera, etc.) and support THE LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA SOCIETY!  From 5:00pm-9:00pm on March 12th, all you need to do is mention "Team in Training" or "The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society" and 10% of your receipt will go towards my fundraising!  There will also be a box available for additional donations.  Isn't that AWESOME?!  So, mark that on your calendars, tell all your friends, and bring your entire family in for dinner (yes, I said dinner...because I've been known to have frozen yogurt as meals...and besides, I tend to go with the tart yogurt, fresh fruit, and granola as my favorite creation, which, if you ask me, is quite a healthy meal).