December 2007

Somewhere in the back of my head, I’ve always wanted to run a triathlon.

Only, it’s always been on that list of things that includes ‘write a book’ and ‘live in a treehouse’. Not that these are impossible things to do, just that the only way they’re ever actually going to happen is throw yourself into them with reckless abandon.

So now, thanks to an amazing program called Team in Training and a ridiculously energetic girlfriend, it’s on.

As it currently stands, I have an ankle that throbs with too much distance running, bad luck with bikes (stolen, twice), and I haven’t swam laps since the Meadowbrook Marlins 6-and-under team. I’ve also never raised more than $50 worth of door-to-door candy bar sales, and my dad has a severe weakness for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

But by May 25th, 2008, I will be in fighting shape to complete (and maybe even compete in) an Olympic distance triathlon. I’ll be able to swim 1.5km, bike 40km, and then run 10km (about .9, 26, and 6 miles respectively). And I’ll have raised $4,200 in support of the Leukemia Society and research against blood cancers, specifically leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.

Much more to follow, but for now it’s bed time because I need to ignore the snow and go swim in the morning.

You can check out my embarrassingly empty donation page complete with super-catchy URL at: http://www.active.com/donate/tntnca04/trimatthlon

And the triathlon I’m training for: CapTexTri in Austin, Texas.