Sad day

Today I had planned on going to the pool in the evening to practice what I learned from my last lesson.  But it was not meant to be.  As I was about to leave, I received a Facebook notification from a TNT Assistant Coach, Javier, posting about Lisa Kelly"s sudden passing.  I was paralyzed and could not do anything but reach out to other TNT people I know and share the grief I was experiencing. 

Met Lisa this season and we have exchanged stories about our triathlon experiences - she always have this positive energy about her, always so cheerful and enjoying whatever she was doing.  Lisa was recuperating from surgery that removed cancer from her foot.  Her surgery was nine months ago and she joined TNT to  train for her first half marathon and raise funds to help find a cure for cancer.  She was having problems and started aquajogging instead of running.  She was not about to give up and she was very excited to get to Orlando and cross the finish line of her very first half marathon.  She really wanted to complete this half marathon.  Unfortunately, today she passed away (cause still unknow at the time of this writing) and will not be able to realize that goal.  Someone has thought of wearing her bib and making sure it crosses the finish line at DisneyWorld - I agree with this.

This just affirms to me that life should be enjoyed every day - it is a gift - and one must live it to the fullest.

Getting Ready to Train for an Ironman

In 2009, I started to train for a marathon with the Westside Chapter of Team in Training to help me get over my grief.  Little did I know that it will be the start of a life of athletic pursuits.  I started with marathons.  Recently I completed the Nation's Triathlon in Washington, DC on September 11, 2011.  Due to bad weather, the swim portion of the event was cancelled.  It was very disappointing not to have done the swim portion after all the training I did.  Yes, I did focus on the swim portion as that is my weakest event.  Overall, I enjoyed training for the triathlon and I want to do more.

I have always wanted to test my limits.  The best way to find out what I am capable of doing is to sign up for an Ironman event.  I must say that the mere act of doing registering for Ironman Canada was nerve wracking.  It is a huge commitment and there will be a lot of hard work ahead.  Since I know that it will be better to train with a group, I have decided to sign up with the IronTeam.  I will have to do some fundraising again but that is a small price to pay for the training I will get in return.  Plus, I will be able to train with a lot of good, supportive people.  Some of them I know already.

The kick-off meeting for this upcoming season is coming up soon, actually in two weeks.  I am excited and apprehensive of all the training that I will be facing.  It will be a lot of hard work, but I have done the math, and if I just stay with it and focus, I will be an Ironman finisher in August 2012!

And so I venture into another endeavor - life goes on - not a momemt to waste!