Anthem Half-Marathon...2014 (3.16.14)

Okay, so obviously my goal of trying to get up-to-date with documenting my events hasn't worked.  In honor of the upcoming annual Yuengling Shamrock Marathon and the Anthem Half-Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA, I am going to do a quick post about this event....from last year.

It's been a year now since Mandy ran her first half-marathon, and in a little less than a month, she will be running her first marathon!  She ran her first 5K in 2012, the Give Thanks for Lebanon 5K....she then ran her first 10K in October 2013 which was Levi's Run.  So....she ran her first 5K, 10K AND half-marathon all with me....and beat me in all of them!  (especially the Levi's Run...my first, and so far only, DNF)  I'm a little sad that I won't be joining her on her first marathon, but we've both moved on to different jobs and places in our lives (insert tear here)....BUT we have plans to run a half-marathon together this fall, we just need to determine which one.

Megan (who also worked with Mandy and I at the Dauphin County Conservation District, and who also has moved on to another job and lcoation) ran the 2014 Anthem Half-Marathon as well....the three of us and our "other halves" all made it to Virginia Beach at some point the day before the race.  Bryan and I had our travel plans slightly altered due to Zoda having his first episode of idiopatheic vestibuar disease that Friday night when we had originally planned to leave and drive halfway before finding a place to stay and then finishint the trek Saturday morning, but luckily by Saturday morning he came back around enough that we felt comfortable enough to be on our way to Virginia Beach.  We made it to the race expo towards the closing time, and I was a bit disappointed that although I had registered for an x-small race shirt, by the time we had gotten there all they had left was small shirts because they were allowing people to trade from the original size they registered for.  The small was pretty big on me, and so I did end up e-mailing the race organizers and they acknowledged the problem and did order extra shirts after the race and then mailed me an x-small, which definitely made me appreciate their effort to go out of their way to fix it.  At the expo I also picked up a cute car window decal of a girl and a dog running....but I vowed that I wouldn't put it on my car until I started to run consistently with Pippy or Timber....it still isn't on my car...

The obligatory "feet in the water pic" the day before - the water was freezing!
Atlantic Ocean, Virginia Beach 3.15.14

That Saturday evening the six of us found ourselves at an Italian restaurant in downtown Virginia Beach to carb load.  I don't recall specifics, but I remember the whole experience being a bit odd...

Bright and early Sunday morning Bryan stayed behind to find himself some breakfast (or something....he didn't even watch any of the race!), and the three of us girls and the other two guys loaded into Mandy's Jeep and headed to the start line.  We got as close to the start line as we could and the three of us jumped out and headed to the start line where we took shelter from the cold in an underground parking deck until the start of the race.  Somewhere around this point I panicked when I realized I didn't have my iPod (I had left it in Mandy's Jeep).

The three of us started together, but it wasn't long until the young'uns left me in their dust.  Running without  my iPod wasn't as bad as I thought it would be - the course was pretty flat and scenic.  After we got out of the town we ran through a nice wooded area (Shore Drive/Highway 60) for a bit until we turned onto Atlantic Avenue and soon entered Fort Story (an Army base) which was right about the half-way point and I was feeling pretty good and on track to PR.  The Cape Henry Lighthouse was a nice landmark to see, and as soon as we left the base we were running down the northern part of Atlantic Avenue; up until that point (except for the start), there were not a lot of spectators, but soon they lined the road, many offering beer to the runners, and some of them graciously partook (it was St. Patty's Day weekend, after all!).  Spectators (and the classic signs they hold) always help to boost the sprits and help with the final needed push.  Around 40th Street we turned onto the boardwalk, and there was a lot of wind to deal with coming off of the ocean.  At this point, I knew that as long as nothing completely broke me, I was set to PR.

Once I crossed the finish, all the runners were forced through a chute to collect their post-race goodies.  It was REALLY congested, and since I do have issues sometimes with my blood pressure plummeting once I stop running, I really just wanted to get out of the crowd and find somewhere where I could be closer to the ground (and without an audience) in case I passed out.  I remember getting REALLY grumpy because I was starting to feel sick, and then I saw medics run past me with a girl on the stretcher...sadly, the girl had an unknown cardiac condition and collapsed at the finish line and later passed away.  Once I found that out, I felt awful about my negative attitude about the crowding in the chute area which I'm sure was only exacerbated due to the emergency.

Mandy soon found me (she had  finished about 20 minutes earlier) and I caught up to Megan, too (who had also finished well ahead of me).  We found a place to sit dow next to a nice fire pit and tried to get warmed up.  Eventually we made our way to the tent on the beach for our finisher's beer and Irish stew.  Even though I typically don't prefer beef, I drank the majority of mine.  I was anxious to get on the road since I knew we had a long drive ahead of us and I had to teach the next day, so I soon said good-bye to everyone and started walking out to a location where Bryan picked me up.  I have no idea what he did the whole time, even he admits he can't remember much about the weekend and what he was doing during the race.

Mandy, Megan, and I right after the race.  It was so cold!
And the picture is taken from the worse angle ever, from my perspective!
But, alas, it is the only picture I have of the three of us...

Mandy and I trying to get warmed up.

Mandy and I (and some other random people) in front of the sand sculpture.

I ran the race in my running skirt, and at this point all I cared about was being warm, and not
the fashion statement of my pants under my running skirt...

My official finish time was 2:20:47.  My Garmin had some weird malfunction, and after I synced the data to my computer, it said I finished in 1:49:43 (that's an 8:20 min/mile pace) - I would love if that was how fast I really ran!  The very first half-marathon I ran, the 2011 Bucks County Half-Marathon that I did with my brother, Eric (who also finished WAY ahead of me), I finished somewhere around 2 hours and 22 or 23 minutes...somehow the results got messed up and my bib number had someone else's name attached to it, but my time on the final listing (which made me sad since it was such a big accomplishment for me at the time and I felt as if that mix up somehow negated the fact that I had just finished my first half-marathon!).  I ran the Hershey Half in 2012 in 2:23:19 and the 2013 Bird-in-Hand Marathon in 2:31:32 (with my brother-in-law, Eric, finishing WAY ahead of me!).

Finisher's Swag :-)

All the pictures I have were taken with my phone (since who knows where my official photographer was....even though he doesn't remember, I'm sure there was a breakfast in there somewhere that he was enjoying while I was out running), so they aren't the best quality.

Tri for Life

So, it has been awhile.  There has been little "free time" in my life lately, of which unfortunately is the only time I "allow" myself to blog (and even right now I have to force myself to sit down and write, as Saturdays are typically the day I "get things done around the house, etc.".  My main goal right now is to devote a new post for each event I have participated in between April 2013 and now, and then move forward with hopefully more consistent posts...

Okay, I have acknowledged my lack of keeping my blog updated, and I am moving on... :-)

With the urging of my TNT tri coaches, I signed up for the Hempfield Area Recreation Commission Tri for Life, a Sprint-distance triathlon on April 14, 2013, that consisted of a 300-meter swim (in a pool), a 16 mile bike, and a 5K run..  My main reason for participating in this prior to Black Bear was to see how transitions worked, since that was one thing I had no experience in.

Nothing really significant, funny, or memory-making happened during this tri (unlike Black Bear, which will be my next post), but it WAS my first triathlon, and for the sake of posterity, I feel like I should at least put it down on paper....er, screen....or whatever...

The tri was held on a Sunday morning, so the afternoon prior I drove to Landisville to pick up my packet, and then made the same trek the next morning.  Bryan didn't come with me, and aside from a few other TNT people, I didn't really know anyone, so it was a bit lonely.  It was also CHILLY!  The transition area was set up in a grassy area off of a parking lot, and beside the building where the pool was located.  I got there pretty early (it was still dark), and there were no assignments for transition spaces, so I randomly picked a spot to rack my bike somewhere towards the back.  I had read all of these tips on how to set up your equipment, how to mark your transition spot so you could quickly find it (some people use a balloon, which I considered but then dismissed in case I was the only crazy person who did it), etc., but I'm pretty sure I didn't follow anything on the "what you are supposed to do" list.  I mostly looked around at everyone else's set-up and kept re-arranging mine.

Once it became time to shed all of my clothing except for my tri shorts and tri top (I had gone round and round about what to wear for the swim - at first I thought about my swimsuit, but then I wasn't too keen on throwing clothes over that and wearing it for the bike and run as I was afraid of it being quite uncomfortable in a certain area, and for awhile I considered tri shorts and a sports bra, but I finally settled on getting a tri top as well as tri shorts), including shoes, I was freezing.  Right before the tri officially started, we all gathered in the parking lot around the person announcing how things would go throughout the event, and my feet were in pain from being so cold.  However, once we moved into the building with the pool, I quickly warmed up.

Since the swim was six laps in a pool (up one lane, down the next, and so on the width of the pool), part of the registration form was to indicate your estimated time to complete the swim so they could seed you from fastest to slowest to minimize congestion, people passing slower swimmers, etc.  If I remember correctly, I estimated 7 minutes and 30 seconds based on the time it took me to swim laps during our weekly swims at Cedar Crest High School.  Needless to say, I was close to the back of the line, but was happy to see that right around my same spot in line was Beth, another TNT participant that I had met at the Kickoff a few months prior.  Beth (who is also a teacher and around my age) was part of the Harrisburg team and participating in the Mt. Gretna Tri, so we didn't train together other than a combined swim practice at Messiah College, but it was nice to have a familiar face to talk to in line.

For me, the swim was the worst part...I enjoyed swimming in the pool at Cedar Crest for the most part because I could go my own consistent, slow pace.  Here, I felt rushed because the person behind me was only starting something like 10 seconds behind me...so I started out fast, and quickly got tired...and people soon started to pass me in the lane, or asked to pass me once I got to the wall and had to slip under the rope to go up the next lane.  At one of the walls Beth came up behind me, and I indicated to her that it was more than okay to pass me, and she must have seen the panic/fear/embarrassment in my face, because she simply said "It's okay", and that made me feel a little bit better.  Once I finally reached the other end of the pool and started to exit the water, I wanted to cry with relief.

I quickly made my way out of the pool, exited the building, and ran down a narrow macadam path to the transition area.  Surprisingly, I found my bike without too much trouble, and began to get dressed for the bike.  Of course, there were "hard-core" athletes who were rushing to get through the transition as quick as possible, but that just isn't me as I am a very non-competitive person for the most part.  I also don't like wet feet, so I took some extra time to thoroughly dry them before putting on my socks and shoes....I didn't have fancy bike shoes with clips, there was just a "cage" on my bike's pedals, so I wore my running sneakers.  I threw on  a long-sleeved running shirt, and since it was still chilly out and I knew that the wind was going to be no fun, I also put on my running gloves and a jacket...but silly me didn't zip it up.  And, of course, my helmet, which they make you have buckled before you can mount your bike.  I exited the transition area, and jogged beside my bike to the point where we were allowed to mount our bike and begin pedaling.  Once I began to pedal, I quickly realized my mistake in not zipping up my jacket, because it was if I was wearing a cape, flapping in the breeze.  The first little bit of the bike course was through a development/residential area, so I pulled off to the side of the road (maybe in someone's driveway?) and zipped my jacket and tightened my shoe laces.

There wasn't anything really significant about the bike course that I recall...once we got out of the residential area and through a bit of an industrial area, we were in the gently rolling hills of Lancaster County farm country.  It did get quite windy at times, to the point where I thought the wind might tip me over.  The course went out, and into what I refer to as a "lollipop", and then back the same way we started, so once I got back to the residential area, I knew that I was soon finished the bike.  Here is a picture the professional photographers took of me as I was almost back to the start:


And here is the bike data from my Garmin.

Once I dismounted my bike, entered the transition area, and re-racked my bike, I was definitely glad to have the swim and bike behind me, because, after all, I started out this whole crazy thing of completing endurance events as a "runner".  On a run, I know what to expect...I feel like so much more could go wrong during the swim and bike that I may not always be able to "fix" by myself.  So, I got rid of my helmet, gloves, jacket, and threw on running shorts over top of my tri shorts...hey, I realize it may look funny, but I just can't bear the thought of running for all of the world to see my bum in just tight tri shorts...and headed out for a nice run.  The run was an out and back course (which really isn't my favorite), and I wasn't displeased with my time considering I had just finished a 16-mile bike ride.  Here is the run data from my Garmin, and below are some pictures from my run...the first you can see me heading out, and in the second I am on my way back (and yes, the "view" wasn't all that bad, I suppose...).  In the second picture, you may not be able to see them all that well (I had quite the time trying to hack these pictures off of the photographer's web-site and get them inserted into this blog...), but my thigh muscles sort of creep me out...





I do enjoy looking at my data/results, so here are my "official" results for the 2013 Tri For Life:

Overall Place - 115/145
Overall Time - 1:53:31
Overall Female Place - 36/54
Overall Female Ages 20-29 (Division) Place - 7/12

Swim Time - 7:37
Swim Pace - 2:32
Swim Overall Place - 123/145
Swim Female Place - 42/54
Swim Division Place - 10/12

Transition 1 Time - 3:13
T1 Overall Place - 116/145
T1 Female Place - 38/54
T1 Division Place - 10/12

Bike Time - 1:10:00
Bike Pace - 13.7
Bike Overall Place - 122/145
Bike Female Place - 38/54
Bike Division Place - 7/12

Transition 2 Time - 2:09
T2 Overall Place - 123/145
T2 Female Place - 49/54
T2 Division Place - 11/12

Run Time - 30:32
Run Pace - 10:11
Run Overall Place - 112/145
Run Female Place - 34/54
Run Division Place 9/12

So...my first triathlon - DONE!  Next up, the Triathlon that I began training for because, for some reason, I decided to "Dare the Bear"...

Runners are different...but we aren't immune.

The euphoria of completing my first Triathlon on Sunday (albeit a Sprint distance, and even shorter than a normal Sprint on the Swim portion - 300m vs. the usual 750m - but good practice for how transitions go, etc.) has been darkened by the tragic events at the Boston Marathon yesterday.  As I posted on Facebook yesterday, it just makes me so upset, sad, confused, scared...the list of emotions goes on.  My heart is heavy, my mind is whirling, and my prayers are lifted.

Also posted on Facebook by Proverbs 31 Ministries was the following verse that brings some comfort:

From the end of the earth I will cry unto you, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Psalm 61:2

A popular running blogger also has some good words to share about yesterday's heartbreaking finish line chaos.  The point that hit me the most was that we cannot allow what happens to us (good or bad) define or describe us.  Imagine what it would be like if our lowest experiences is what defined our lives...or, even if our mountaintop experiences were all that described us.

What defines you?

Biking Mt. Gretna

On Saturday, Matt, Brian, Mary, Brandy and I biked 10 miles around Mt. Gretna.  Last week was the All-Team Training at Colebrook, and so many members of the team had already done some biking in Mt. Gretna. I was unable to go to the All-Team Training because Bryan and I went away for the weekend to The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park to celebrate the one year anniversary of this:

 Don't I have a handsome groom?  

Okay, okay, I guess I'll post some pictures that show my face...

A few days before our wedding, Bryan took a log to the face, right on the bridge of his nose (which you can clearly see in some of our wedding photos)!  Comes with the territory, I suppose...it could be worse, two months ago a branch took out one of his front teeth, so I guess I should be thankful THAT didn't happen right before our wedding.  In any case, I thank God every day that He protects my husband because in all reality, his job is very dangerous on a daily basis, which I try not to dwell on.

Although it was very nice the days leading up to our March 24, 2012 wedding (an early spring, unlike this year is turning out to be - although this past Saturday's weather was beautiful!), our wedding dawned cold, damp, and rainy...which supposedly is a marriage blessing.

  

 Without getting too sappy, I am so glad that Bryan and I get to walk down the path of life together.

(These pictures were taken in Cornwall along the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail, and I have run this area many times throughout the last year since moving to Lebanon.)

Bryan's cousin, Anita, along with her mom, Linda, did an awesome job on our wedding photography!

Anyway, like I said, I had a good reason not to have biked the week before in Mt. Gretna.  We met some pretty nice hills along the ride, although when I asked if there would be "worse" ones during Black Bear, Brian said "I'm not gonna lie..." and proceeded to tell me that yes, I would see more challenging hills than what we had just ridden during the Black Bear Triathlon.  You can check out our ride here, including the pretty cool elevation chart!  My biking is just about like my running - slow and steady.  I was able to ride up all the hills and I didn't have to get off the bike and walk, which is a good thing...however for some reason I cannot get out of the saddle when pedaling up hill - it feels as if my knees just can't hold up my body and will collapse from underneath me.  When I told Brian this, he pointed out that I "am a marathoner" (I have one marathon and two halfs to my name, and at a tortoise pace...I must have him fooled) and therefore my knees have proven to hold up my body.  I do have to work on "getting my gears" back while approaching a hill so that I can change gears while going uphill, so perhaps if I concentrate on that and try to get out of the saddle while not pushing such hard gears, my knees will be able to handle things a little better.  In any case, I need to get out on the bike more.

So...I am 81% towards reaching my minimum fundraising goal!  In celebration of that, and in an effort to reach my minimum by the end of the week, I have a "special" going on.  For anyone that donates $31.13 (the number of total miles I will be swimming, biking and running on May 19) on-line via my fundraising page between now and midnight Friday, April 5, I will send you a half-dozen cake pops from The Red Star Bakery!  Who is going to help me not only reach my minimum, but also help me beat blood cancers?

The Red Star Bakery

Don't those cake pops look scrumptious?  I can tell you from personal experience that they are every bit as good as they look - moist, rich and delicious are just a few adjectives to describe them!  The Red Star Bakery is generously supporting my efforts for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and is offering the goodness that is their cake pops (and soft drop cookies) as a fundraising opportunity.  From now until April 17 I will be taking orders, with delivery around April 23.  If you are not within delivery distance, I will gladly ship them to you for an additional $2.00 S/H.

Available for order:
     Soft Drop Cookies at $6.50/dozen
               Chocolate Chip
               Peanut Butter
               Soft Sugar Cookies

     Cake Pops at 3/$5.00
              Chocolate Peanut Butter
              Red Velvet
              Vanilla
              Death By Chocolate
              Chocolate Banana Nut

Payment (cash or a check made out to me) is due prior to 4/17/13.

The cake pops and cookies can be frozen, so plan ahead if you have a bridal shower, summer picnic, party, or any get together coming up.  Or you can always order a bunch to keep for yourself :-)

You can contact me via phone, e-mail, Facebook, etc. to order.  Don't miss out!

Make sure to check out The Red Star Bakery's Facebook page and web-site for custom cakes, cupcakes (including cupcakes in a jar!), cookies, etc. for all of your special events.  And, even if you don't have anything planned in the near future, it's always fun to drool over the pictures, and to wonder in the creativity of the creations!

Sweet Thank You's

Last Tuesday, March 12, was my fundraiser at Sweet Frog Mechanicsburg.  I cannot thank Sweet Frog and Mr. Gagliardo enough for hosting this event.  I wasn't really sure what to expect in the way of amounts to shoot for for fundraising, as initially I was under the impression that each guest had to mention "The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society/Team in Training" at checkout in order for 10% of their order total to be counted, but when Bryan, Mandy and I arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to see this set-up:

To the left of the cash register is a cute tin Sweet Frog lunchbox with "The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society" on the lid.  Therefore, ANYONE (not just those I and my friends reached out to and who were aware they needed to mention it when paying) who went to Sweet Frog that night were aware of the fundraiser and had the opportunity to put their receipt in the box to be counted.  Additionally, there was a jar, also labeled, for additional cash donations.

And so, I give you, the total raised at Sweet Frog that evening!
Drum roll, please     .............................................
                                             .................................................
                                                                  ........................................

$58.64 !!!

I think that is amazing!!  $37.43 of that was from the 10% of all receipts added to the lunch box, and $21.21 was collected in the jar!  With my rough math calculations and past experience of purchasing frozen yogurt at Sweet Frog, an "average" cup of yogurt runs about $5-$6 (at least for me, although I *may* be known to eat more than that at times).  That means about 62 +/- people supported the fundraiser!  If you were one of them, comment as such in the comment section so I can thank you!  And, if you'd like to remain anonymous, then THANK YOU!!!

My friend and co-worker, Mandy, and I met Bryan after work to head over to Mechanicsburg.  Of course we also needed to hit up one of my favorite "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants, Rancho Grande, while we were in my old stomping grounds.  That place sure looks odd on the outside (Bryan always made fun of it, until he tried it!), but is it ever good food at a very decent price!  You can't beat their chips and salsa, and I always follow that up with Enchilada Supremas and a chile relleno.  After dinner, we weren't exactly hungry, so we headed over to Dick's Sporting Goods to look at bikes, biking shorts, shoes, and anything else shiny and pretty that caught our (okay, mostly Mandy and mine) eyes until our food settled a bit.

As always, I enjoyed my yogurt, and I think Mandy enjoyed hers as well, especially since this was her first time ever experiencing the goodness that is Sweet Frog!

A few more donations have rolled in via the mail, and also on-line.  As soon as I finish up this blog post, I will get the next batch of checks together and sent out.  All told, so far $1,168.54 has been raised for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!  Although my goal is to raise $1,800, my base-commitment is $1,550...so, with that I am 75% towards reaching my base-commitment, and 65% towards my goal (assuming my math is correct, but, like I always said, I was a science teacher, and  NOT a math teacher for a reason!).  If you haven't donated, it isn't too late!  Simply visit my fundraising page to donate easily on-line. And, stay tuned in the very near future for another opportunity to support my fundraising efforts!

And here comes the best part of this post - the thank you's to those who have donated in addition to those I mentioned earlier.

Much THANKS to: 

Jon and Cheryl Noll (Dad and Mom)

Clair and Betsy Weaver (Dad and Mom W.)

Tom and Linda Wingard

Mandy Stoltzfus

Mark Noll

Wayne and Lois Slothower

Ruby Bellis 

Glenn and Kay Weaver

Larry and Brenda Emig

Again, I really can't express my appreciation for your generosity enough!

Riding on the Road and Frozen Yogurt

So....I really need to blog more often because so much is going on with my training and fundraising!  I'll try to hit the highlights for this post, so it doesn't turn into a novel - which, we all know can quickly be the case when I write and talk :-).

Saturday trainings with the team always have the potential to be interesting.  Last Saturday, March 2, we met  in Cornwall for a run, however instead of running on the rail-trail, we decided to add some elevation into our training and run around Cornwall.  Little did we know, as we started out, hills weren't going to be the only "obstacle" and we would also be adding some "agility" work to our run!  Our fearless leader, Brian, took us down a road with surprisingly very little traffic coming towards us, and we quickly realized why - there was a bridge out along the road ("out" as in there was absolutely nothing left of the bridge).  So, we went down the stream a little and saw a log had fallen across the creek, making an effective bridge for foot traffic ... even though we had to climb down the bank and pick our way through some briers  we decided to try our luck at staying dry as we crossed the log.  Brian was the first to go, and I have to say he took an odd approach at crossing that log, as he chose to sit down with his legs straddling the log and propelled himself across the log by swinging his legs and pushing off with hands.  I sure wish we had a camera, but alas, no one was running with their phone that chilly morning (I definitely need to make a conscious effort to bring a camera more often, if for no other reason than adding some color to this blog!).  Rose was the next to go, and she followed Brian's lead, but not before exclaiming she was afraid she was going to tear her pants!  I was also wearing my favorite Under Armor running pants, which my loving husband bought me as a "no reason gift" and I sure didn't want to chance ripping my pants, so I attempted my luck at crossing the log by walking tight-rope style...and, I stayed completely dry with all clothes intact, so it was a success!  Matt then followed my strategy for crossing the log, also successfully.  After we scrambled back up the bank to resume our run, Matt made a comment to the affect of "four Team in Training members get caught for Trespassing", as it may have been argued that we were on the property of the Cornwall Furnace at that point.  Here is my Garmin detail of that run, and although my time is certainly not where I'd like it to be, I do get a kick out of the "blip" along Rexmont Road which is where we participated in that morning's "agility training"! (plus it shows the elevation of two of the hills we ran)

This past Saturday we had our first outdoor bike ride.  When I woke up that morning, I asked my husband, Bryan, what the weather was like, and he said it was nice, and after sticking my head out the window, I decided that it was fit for shorts and a long-sleeved shirt to bike and run in.  As I walked to my car, I revelled in what awesome biking/running weather it was going to be!  We met at Cedar Crest High School to start out becoming familiar with our bikes in the parking lot.  As soon as I got out of my car, one of the Bucher brothers said "You are going to need more clothes than that!" simultaneously with a huge gust of wind! I have no idea where that wind came from, but it sure made things chilly.  I quickly called Bryan and was able to catch him before he left the house to work on a tree (owning your business requires evening and weekend work - ha!) to have him bring me more clothes.  As I was explaining to him which clothing I wanted and where it could be found in my drawers, I described a long-sleeved compression shirt I wear as a base layer as "pink"...and he said "Do you mean the fuchsia one?".  I had no idea that word existed in a male's vocabulary to describe a color!

Brian and the rest of the team headed out around the parking lot while Matt waited behind with me, and once I was better prepared for the weather, we all practiced for a bit more in the parking lot.  That practice included how to avoid a drafting situation during a triathlon in which we would be penalized (of which Matt has personal experience), hand signals for turns and stops, going up and down gears, drinking while riding, etc.  We then embarked on an almost-5 mile bike ride along South Lincoln Ave/419/State Drive.  Surprisingly, I felt more comfortable on the road than I thought I would, but for the most part we had wide shoulders to ride on.  At one point coming up State Drive, I could have made my father-in-law's life interesting, as a Jubilee Ministries truck passed us - he is the Executive Director of Jubilee, and I just chuckled at the irony it would have been if I would have tried to take a sip of water and accidentally steered off course and to the left at that moment (for the record, I am very unstable when I have only one hand on the handlebars, so signaling for turns, drinking, etc. is very nerve-racking for me).  All told, I probably biked about 8 miles that morning.  Once we returned to the parking lot, we "transitioned" before starting out on an approximately 1.8 mile run - and boy, your legs really do feel like bricks which is definitely going to take some getting used to!  I've heard, however, that your legs eventually get used to it after you push through a mile or two...well, on May 19th my legs will have 6.2 miles to "feel better" after a 24 mile bike ride!

Another thing I really need to practice is switching my gears without looking down at them.  On Sunday, it was really nice out, and later in the evening while working on the business books, I needed a break and decided to head out on the bike on my own for a bit.  This time, the roads I was on near our house didn't have nice, wide shoulders, and so I was a bit anxious. Every time I looked down at my gears, I could clearly hear Brian say "Julie, you've got to stop looking down!", as I heard that from him (more than once) the day prior in the parking lot at Cedar Crest - I think I will forever hear his voice telling me that for the rest of my life every time I look down while on a bike.  I do need to get used to doing things while on the bike such as drinking, signaling, changing gears, etc....and the only way to do that is to put miles in on the bike while practicing.  After my 10.5 mile bike, I again practiced the run transition and ran for a mile (probably should have run more, as I don't think my legs got to the "feeling better" point).

Although we had a BEAUTIFUL weekend, today is pretty dreary and overcast.  HOWEVER, I have a GREAT way to brighten your day, as today is The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Day at Sweet Frog Mechanicsburg!  I am so excited!  After work, Bryan is able to join me in my "old stopping grounds" (since it is rainy and yucky out he isn't working on trees, and is instead doing office work), and also some friends from work are going to go as well.  We may even get some Mexican food at my favorite Mexican place in Mechanicsburg, although I am all for having Sweet Frog for dinner and dessert (besides, the more yogurt I eat, the more is donated to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society).  If you go, make sure you mention The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at checkout between 5pm and 9pm.  There will also be a donation box at the checkout for additional donations. I hope to see some friends from "home" there tonight!!!

I have received some additional donations from my letter-writing campaign, however those thank yous deserve their own post, so stay tuned to see who else has joined with me in the fight against blood cancers!  As always, you can follow my fundraising progress at my fundraising page, as well as donate securely on-line.  I do have to submit another batch of checks, so if you are one of those who donated more recently by check, don't panic, yours will be included on my web-site soon.  As you can see, I am not quite yet at 50% of my fundraising goal.  Don't forget about the Hearts Design fundraiser I mentioned previously (so far no one has asked for a copy of the card, so I hope to get that into a form I can post here on my blog so you can print it out on your own - I think it is an awesome opportunity and would love if someone would take advantage of getting some really neat things at their store while also supporting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society).  I have a few more fundraising ideas running around in my head that keep me up at night, so, as always, put my blog on your reading list so you don't miss anything!