Not Dead
I’m not dead, I promise! School is finishing up with finals next week so I’m sure I will be back to blogging regularly in lieu of actual studying 
In the meantime, here is a little preview of what I will be doing to my final next week!
Where Eagles Dare
I am in a bit of a nostalgic mood tonight (as I often get when I’m procrastinating), and I came across this video from 2007. This was when I lived in Jordan and this was my ode to the seniors that I taught. Enjoy!
Cancer Sucks
Is it enough to say that?
Is it enough to feel physically ill when I see someone suffering from cancer, to admire the strength that keeps them fighting a sometime losing battle?
Is it enough to be angry and feel every protective urge I have fire when I see or hear about someone fighting?
Almost three years ago I lost arguably the most important person in my life to cancer. In just over a month it will be three years exactly. I am still dealing with the pain of that loss, and I still have many days where I wish he were here for me to talk to. That loss was so personal, so devastating, and it changed me. My grandpa was one of the greatest men I have ever known, and losing him to cancer made personal that which I already knew: cancer sucks. That’s a mild epithet which doesn’t convey the degree of anger I feel toward cancer. Not solely because it took my grandpa, but because I absolutely hate seeing others suffer.
When I took my first steps as a triathlon rookie (just a year and a half ago) I did so with Team in Training. The fighter in me, the optimist, knew that there was a way to combine passion with purpose, to let my health endeavors be a fuel to advance worthy causes. It’s that same optimism that refuses to admit impotency. I’m not angry because I couldn’t save grandpa. I’m not angry at God for taking grandpa. I don’t have blame in my heart, only a firm belief that the strongest part of who we are is who we are together.
In the cloud of the past year, I lost a little of that focus. Fortunately, I am surrounded by men and women for whom giving is the fundamental aspect of their character. My “cloud” is filled with people who are raising money for various causes, TNT included, and I can’t go 30 minutes without seeing someone somewhere tweet or update facebook about what they are doing to help. Team Trakkers and the Rev3 races are partnered with The Ulman Cancer Fund, which is dedicated to helping young adults with cancer. I wish I could share with you the conversations that have gone around the team, but suffice it to say that I am humbled every time I think about being counted among the men and women on this team.
With that spirit, with the loss of grandpa, and the knowledge that we are strong enough to make a difference, I have decided it is time to step back in the ring. This year I have joined Swim Across America. I am raising money to support cancer research by swimming. A group of us here in Dallas will be swimming at White Rock Lake on June 11. I have committed to raising $500 dollars. If you can give, I would certainly appreciate it. $500 is my minimum, but I would love to raise more. If you would like to give, you can do so here.
Cancer sucks, but I believe and will continue to believe that it’s not as strong as us.
“These are the ABCs of me, baby!”
B~ Bed Size: Queen size mattress and box springs, but no frame as yet
C~Chore you hate: Traditionally? Cleaning up dog poop! Without dogs, cleaning up the mail.
D~Dogs: Had two, one Newfoundland (Leila) and one Tibetan Mastiff (Aslan). Now sort of do, but not really.
E~Essential Start your Day Item: Music
G~Gold or Silver: Got to be Silver unless we’re talking about me competing in the Olympics (for either triathlon or curling), then it’s Gold all the way!
H~Height: 6′ even
I~Instruments you play: Play the guitar and sing. Played the viola for 5 years during my mis-spent youth
J~Job Title: Director of Awesome . . . or law student and Educator at lululemon athletica
K~Kids: None, but someday
L~Live: Don’t mess with Texas!
M~Mom’s Name: Patricia
O~Overnight Hospital Stays: I was born premature so I spent some time in the NICU. Had a bilateral femur rotation when I was 9 and spent a few weeks in the hospital then too
P~Pet Peeve: Grammar/spelling mistakes (they’re/their/there, your/you’re, etc.).
Q~Quote from a Movie: “Whoa! Big gulps, huh? . . . Well, see ya later!”
S~Siblings: One sister who is 2.5 years younger than me
T~Time you wake up: 5:00 am on swim days, 6:30-7 on non-swim days
U~Underwear: Boxer Briefs
V~Vegetable you Dislike: Olives! Have tried to like them, but just can’t do it!
W~What Makes You Late: Death! I am chronically early and always have been. If I’m not five minutes early, start worrying. If I’m late, you better send out the search party.
Bike Naming Time!
Wow, it’s been a couple weeks since I’ve posted anything. School is entering the crazy time and training is starting to amp up (not to mention that I’m 2/3 of the way through the Crossfit/Paleo Challenge), but that’s no excuse A lot has happened, including a race, so there will be a few post coming over the next few days, but for now, I have some exciting (for me) news!
This arrived on Friday!
Words can’t really express how stoked I was to get my new bike! I’ve been seeing all these posts from teammates with pictures of their bikes and was excited for them but absolutely jealous. Now I get to be in the club. She’s a Kestrel 4000 and gorgeous Thanks to Kestrel and Steven Harad for supplying Team Trakkers with these awesome rides!
I immediately took her to Richardson Bike Mart, one of my favorite bike shops here in the area, to see if they could get her put together. They were great and even though they were crazy busy yesterday, I had an email this morning stating that she was built and ready to go! So in I went at lunch to get her initial fit.
As you can see, I already have the speedfil and a rear cage on her. I can’t wait to take her for a few loops around White Rock tomorrow!
So I’m going to take a cue from Andree here. I want to give her a name, but I need some help! For the next 48 hours I would like y’all to leave suggestions for names. She is a she, so that will narrow the names down some. I also think that names should have meaning, so bear that in mind.
So there you go! I will narrow the suggestions down to my favorite 3 or so and then create a poll and we will vote on the one. I want her named before my first tri of the season, which is a week from Sunday. And maybe, just maybe, there might be some EFS Liquid Shots from First Endurance for the winner!
This week I will be reviewing Foggle, one of the new products to which I was introduced, Ultragen from First Endurance, and write up a race recap of the Cowtown Half which I ran yesterday!
Hope everyone is having a great week!
L is for . . .
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I’m an incurable optimist, an unabashed romantic. It’s a push back, I think, from the fact that my dad was such a cynic and pessimist. This is true despite, or maybe because, of the experiences of the past couple years. But more on that in a minute.
So here we are on the one day of the year where we celebrate love, celebrate the “us-ness” of life. While I am certainly sad to no longer be a part of an “us,” I refuse to let that sadness turn in to bitterness at the happiness of others. I find it a bit infantile when people push against Valentines and use their singleness as a reason to attack others’ happiness. Why not be happy for them? I get that it’s hard to see others happy when you aren’t, or that they have something you don’t. Trust me, I am acutely aware of that, especially this year. I just refuse to let my own pain become a reason that I can’t celebrate for others.
On the other hand, I get a little sad when I hear coupled people say that Valentine’s is just another day and we should show love all year ’round. While I absolutely agree with that statement (and the same is true for what other major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas stand for), why can’t we take a day to be particularly romantic and celebrate each other? We do that on birthdays. We say that this is a special day for them when the argument could be made that we should celebrate their existence every day of the year (which, again, is true). I say take the day and go overboard!
I am, unfortunately, a cautionary tale. I let that part of me that is romantic and wants to go overboard die, or at least atrophy. I stopped doing those things that, in my heart, I love to do. I was afraid. I was afraid that I would be rejected or laughed at, when the truth was even a few more little gestures could have changed the course of my life. While I can’t go back, I can and have learned from that. I won’t ever be perfect, but I will love robustly. I will love earnestly and passionately. I will make the big and small gestures that shows that woman I love (when I find her) that she is the most important person in my life.
So I guess the caution to all you couples out there is to go big! Be jackasses (to quote Serendipity)! Even though you hopefully show him/her that you love them every day, celebrate today! Celebrate being together! Celebrate the life you live and share with one another!
To the rest of you singles out there, relax Don’t be bitter. Be happy for where you are and what you have. Don’t hate on those who have someone. All that is going to do is increase the bitterness and become a cancer inside of you.
In other news, I am 14 days through the challenge and have kept it updated here. I also bit the bullet and signed up for both the Cowtown Half Marathon and the Rock and Roll Dallas Half Marathon. I will already be doing long runs those days, so I thought why not get a medal and a shirt for it And finally, I had a slip from UPS on my door when I got home from Crossfit tonight so I think my shoes might finally be here! I sure hope so. I’m patient, but man it’s been hard staying that way
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
Beauty/Grace Part 2
I generally avoid blogging about things other than training and what’s going on in my life, but I saw this picture and couldn’t help but post about it. Some things are too beautiful not to share.
If you haven’t seen this picture floating around the web, it shows Egyptian Christians forming a human shield around Muslims while they are praying to protect them from violence. I can’t help but tear up looking at this picture. While I absolutely understand that the world isn’t perfect, this picture and this act gives me hope. I am an unabashed optimist and never quite lost that youthful idealism despite various circumstances in my life. I believe in love and grace and prayer and I believe that the world can be changed for the better. And it’s men and women like these who spur on that hope. I hope to be found among their company if ever in a similar situation.
Having lived in the Middle East, the situation in Egypt has a very personal significance to me. My heart is breaking for the people there and every day I hope for a peaceful, positive resolution.
