Times are Tough.

This is my training blog. And I want to keep it that way. But for one brief post, I must make a fundraising appeal to you, my dedicated reading audience. Joe and I have committed (and by committed, I mean we have given our credit card number and if we don't meet our goal, we will owe owe owe) to raising $5,400. That's a lot of money. We are very very very aware that times are difficult for just about everybody. Expendable income has become less expendable and we've all had to tighten our belts when it comes to the *extra* stuff that we get to do with our money.

DONATE NOW

That being said, I'd like to remind you all that though times are tough, though the future of your 401k is unsure, though you are entering into repayment on your $250,000 of law school loans, though your kid is starting college in the fall, though your wallet is looking a little thin, though your root canal is going to have to wait...chances are, you are not suffering from a blood cancer. But you probably know someone who has.

DONATE NOW

Please. Please. Please.
Take a moment to visit our fundraising page and make a contribution.

And
Please. Please. Please.
Do it now. We always have the good notion to go and donate - but we'll do it later. Because our debit card is in our purse which is in the other room. Because we want to know more about the organization that we're donating to. Because the world is going to end if dinner isn't on the table in 20 minutes.

Please. Get up. Get your credit card. Visit the LLS website. Dinner can wait an extra 4 minutes.

DONATE NOW.

Whether your contribution is $5 or $50. IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE AND WE APPRECIATE IT TREMENDOUSLY.

So broke law students, have one less beer and give us $5. Or skip the appetizer next week when you go out to dinner and give us $10.

Times are tough, but it's a lovely day to save a life.
Please. Please. Donate.
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/HyannisT9/TeamTriandStopUs

Biostats is Calling my Name.

But instead I am writing this blog post.
The post-op period has been rough. More so on my psyche than on my body. Cabin fever was getting the best of me. School's bringing me down, but being absent from school is (yikes) worse. I'm back in classes this week - I have my first one tonight. Very much looking forward to (the social interaction that goes along with attending) class.

But, more exciting than class (let's hope), is the fact that I biked 15 miles today!!! I went to the gym three times last week and biked at a low resistance for 20 or 30 minutes each time. Sunday I went to the gym and did the cross-trainer for 20 minutes - jogging, or maybe the idea of jogging, is still a bit painful. I'm hoping to be there by next week, though. Today I biked at my normal speed and at a pretty heavy resistance for an hour and I feel great! I have my last post-op appointment with my surgeon today so I'm hoping that he'll clear me for more activity.

I'm back to following my training schedule - minus swims and subbing out running for cross-training, at least through the weekend. It's my plan to head to the pool for swim practice on Saturday morning, even if I'm in the slow lane using the kickboard so that I'm not straining my upper body too much, I'd like to get back in the pool. Also, this coming Saturday is our first clinic on transitioning - the next step in our training. Going from Swimming to biking and biking to running. Starting in two weeks, 1-2 workouts a week will turn into "brick workouts", meaning that we'll go directly from one sport to the next. Eesh.

My fingers are also crossed that my doc gives me the thumbs up to resume bootcamp on the 6th of April. I had such a good experience in February and I'm really hoping that I can do the April camp. If any of you are in JP and looking for an amazing work-out with an amazing trainer, I HIGHLY recommend Jackie Pezzolesi. You can visit her website at www.jpfitnessfitcamp.com.

Sorry for the lameness of this post. I had to play a game of catch up, though, since I haven't posted in some time. More interesting posts are on the way, I promise.

Reasons for Racing.

Some visual inspiration...
More later.

What's the Greatest Nation in the world? DO-NATION!

What's the greatest city in the world? GENERO-CITY!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/HyannisT9/chaynes

That's all I'm going to say about that.
At least for now.

Surgery or Bust

I went to the gym twice yesterday. Doubled up. Run in the morning, bike in the evening. I'm feeling lots of different things today. My impending surgery has me all excited, but in the midst of that excitement there's also a lot of anxiety.

But not about the normal things that one feels anxious about when on the eve of invasive surgery. I think general anesthesia is fun, so no worries there. I've been known to fall asleep while getting tattooed - the pain is something that I have no doubt I can handle. And as this is technically an *elective* procedure, I'm actually really, really excited for the results.

No, no, it's none of these things that are bothering me. I'm anxious that over the next few weeks of recovery, I will lose most everything that I have worked so hard over the past few months to accomplish. I'm nervous that the 35lbs that I have worked so hard to lose will miraculously find their way back to my gut. I'm nervous that despite my brand new and improved (and pain free) rack, I'm going to have lost all of the endurance that I've worked so hard to build and I won't be able to run. I'm nervous that I'll lose my drive. My desire to do this. I'm scared that the next 5 weeks are going to be super long and I won't know where to begin when I am able to fully resume my training.

...

You know what? I just thought about Reid kicking cancer in the face and it made me remember that this isn't so bad. If Reid can bring cancer to its knees begging for its mama, then I can totally get back on a bike in 4 weeks.

This is what I do.

Cassie Jellolegs

1 hour of strength training + 2.5 miles on the treadmill + A solid mile at Stop and Shop*(All before 9am)^Recovering from a stomach virus = Jello Legs

Psh. And I've always sucked at math.

The best part? Jello legs aside, I feel freaking awesome. Sun is shining. It's Friday. I have been wicked productive and it's only 11am!!

Today was the last day of February FitCamp. I'm a little sad that it's over, actually, but my surgeon said that I'll most likely be able to participate in April FitCamp, so I am looking forward to that. 13 days till my surgery! WHOOT!

Tomorrow is my first swim practice with the team. We'll see how that goes...

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Kick-off

Saturday morning was the big Team in Training Kick-off. Joe and I met the coaches, trainers, mentors and the dozens of athletes that we'll be training with for the next 5 months. Pretty awesome. It was a great meeting and both of us left feeling super jazzed to begin our official training - which we started yesterday! Drum roll please...I ran, for the very first time, of my own volition and not because my lame 6th grade P.E. teacher told me to, OUTSIDE. Like I went on a for real run! It wasn't a super long run - only 1.5 miles. BUT, I am super proud of myself and I felt great afterward. Now that the first run is over with, I can push myself a bit more next time. Who knows - maybe by August I'll be running and enjoying it.

Boot Camp this morning was a bit of a beating. My legs are a little jello-y. I'm sure they'll be worse tomorrow. 15 miles on the bike manana - that'll feel real nice. Wednesday morning after Boot Camp, I head to LA. It's supposed to be in the low 60s, not super warm, but down right tropical compared to Boston (though yesterday was lovely here). I'm gonna aim for an ocean swim on Friday or Saturday. We'll see if that actually happens. Back up swim will be in the hotel pool.

On a separate note: Joe and I are brainstorming creative ways to fundraise for our race. We each have committed to raising $2700 by the second weekend in June and we know we can do it. Check back in a week or so for a link to our fundraising pages. If you have any oh-so-brilliant ideas (we'll even take the not-so-brilliant ideas) as to how we can raise moolah, please leave a comment!!!! Ideas so far include a party at a local bar (The Midway), a variety show hosted at the same place and a Wii tennis tournament (also at The Midway) with a $20 buy in and the first prize winner splits the pot with us (unless we can find someone to donate a wicked cool first prize).

Please please please give us your suggestions!!!!

That's all for now. Overall, a great fitness week thus far and I'm even more psyched about the tri since our Kick-off on Saturday.

Recent Developments.

Joe represented both of us at the first Team in Training meeting on Thursday (I had class). He talked to the trainers afterwards about my three time conflicts with the training program. The first, and the least problematic is Wednesday evening group runs. I have class on Wednesday nights till 8:30 so participating in the group run is not something that I can do. But while the group training is important, missing one group training session/week is not going to do me in. The second issue is that I'll be leaving for L.A. in mid-May (and flying back to Boston for the sprint triathlon in June), so I'll miss the last few weeks of group training. The trainers said that this wasn't an issue either, as they can hook me up with the Team in Training chapter in L.A. and I can spend my last three weeks training with them. The third issue is the biggest, and that's the 6 week interruption in my training because of my breast reduction surgery that I have scheduled for March 5. The trainers have promised to help me work around this, and, as the first race in June is sprint (shorter distance), it shouldn't take too much to get me up to race level, but I'll have to work really hard.

A note about the races: Joe and I were planning on doing an Olympic tri with Team in Training in August. Well, the MA Team in Training does not train for an Olympic tri in August. They train for one in June. But because of my surgery, it would be very difficult for me to get to the point physically where I would need to be to race in an Olympic tri by the 2nd weekend in June. So, Joe and I have decided to race in a sprint tri (1/4 mile swim, 10 mile bike, 3.5 mile run) in June and an Olympic tri in late summer (1 mile swim, 26 mile bike, 6.2 mile run). We will be raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for the sprint in June, but not the Olympic. The sprint we are racing will be in Hyannis, MA (Cape Cod) and the location of the Olympic is yet to be determined but we will most likely be racing with Sarah. (Whoo hoo!)

I start Fit Camp tomorrow. It's intense strength training at 6am three times/week. This, on top of my regular work outs, should whip me into a strong (albeit tired) puppy. I'll certainly let you know how that goes... I'm a little nervous. The instructor is this really energetic, super kind and INSANELY ripped woman named Jackie. She could probably tear my face off with her bare hands. I think that if the gym allowed her to bring a whip into her classes, she probably would. I'm really looking forward to working with her, in the same way that you look forward to riding a huge rollercoaster. I definitely have some serious butterflies, but I know it's going to be a great experience.

One last development:
Joe and I are getting married!!!! And I'm really pretty stoked about that. :)

The Beginning.

So I started a blog.
This blog, in fact.
Why? For a couple of reasons. First is accountability. I am not ashamed of that totally lame reason for starting a blog. I need to be held accountable. I need to remember why I decided to embark on this journey, and I need to tell my friends and family about it so as to be held accountable. I need people to ask me, "Cass, how's the training coming?" I've got to have something to say to people when they ask, yes? Accountability. "Well, I rode my bike 15 miles this morning, that's how training is coming". No bike ride = nothing to say.

Another reason for starting the blog is to provide a means of supporting myself. When the last thing I want to do is get out of bed at 5am and bike 15 miles or haul to the pool to swim 30 laps, I need to be reminded that I am doing this for a reason. That I am doing this because I was inspired to do so, because I am (albeit indirectly) helping people that I care a great deal about, and because I want to. How do I remind myself? By going back and reading my posts. Reading your comments. And writing new posts.

So to begin. A bit about my decision to race. Wait, before that. It should be noted that it was not just my decision. It was our decision, as Joe and I are doing this together. We certainly have some overlapping reasons for deciding to race, but as I cannot speak or think for Joe (even though sometimes I try real hard), I will not attempt to present or represent Joe's process or progress as we commence this adventure.

Inspiration number one is Sarah. My Best Lady. My Golden Girl. The jam on my toast and the jelly between my toes. She participated in her first triathlon last summer. She also raced with Team in Training, raising $2k for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She called me a few hours after finishing her race, bringing me to tears with her own sobs as she dubbed that Sunday the greatest day of her life. She raced for her dad. The man that left Sarah's world before she entered into mine. I did not know him, but he helped bring the most beautiful girl I know into being and I am eternally, irrevocably and unambiguously grateful for that. So I swim for Sarah.

Inspiration number two is a birthday cake. This sounds a bit strange. But. One of the first times I experienced the death of one of my peers, I was in 9th grade. KI lost a 14 year battle with Leukemia during the second semester of our freshman year of high school. We met in 6th grade. She moved to my neighborhood and my mom encouraged me to befriend her. I thought it was weird that she still played with Barbies. 11 year olds were NOT supposed to play with Barbies. I don't remember when I found out that she had cancer. I think I knew from the get go. After a few 'playdates', I got the courage to ask her about her thinning hair. She told me that she'd been sick since she was born. She explained to me about her bad blood. She told me about chemo. She showed me all of the scars from surgeries and needle pokes. And she did all of this with a big, gigantic smile on her face. I asked her if it hurt. She said yes. I asked her if she felt tired. She said sometimes. I asked her how she managed to get through it. She said birthday cake. When she was little, her parents started a tradition that, for each year of her life, they'd add another layer to the birthday cake. When she was old enough to understand just why her parents celebrated (extra-special celebrated) each of her birthdays, she began to also look forward to the birthday cake. Not just because cake is delicious, but because she recognized what it meant to her parents. She began to see another layer of birthday cake as a symbol of her perseverance. She just barely saw 14 layers. Over the past 11 years, I have grown more and more awe-inspired by the life of KI and her profoundly sunny outlook as she fought with an opponent that could not be beat. And so I bike for birthday cake.

Inspiration number three is Reid. Talk about putting up a fight. Reid is the reigning champion. He looked cancer in the face and said "Not me and not now". He stays in the ring. Puts up his dukes. And gives leukemia the old one-two. Through the fight, Reid smiles. So from Boston I stand in admiration of this most amazing fight, and with a smile, I run for Reid.

So those are my three reasons. My three inspirations. When mornings suck. When my legs hurt. When I am tired. When I really just do not feel like it. I can look back at what I have written and remember why I made this decision. I can remember the photo of Sarah and her dad in a doonbuggy and I can remember playing Barbies with KI and I can remember Reid rocking out in a fake heavy metal band and that's what will get me through the rough morning or the long week or the last mile.

Hold me accountable. I want to do this.