Prologue

Sometimes in life we do something for one reason but it turns out to be something that brings us exactly where we need to be.  Sometimes it’s extremely profound.  To this I offer Exhibit A:

In November 2008 I decided to quit smoking.  What I quickly learned is that until I found something to replace the habit of smoking I would keep failing at my quit.  Plus I didn’t want to gain too much weight!  I’m a vain woman and was quitting so that I could keep my looks as long as possible.  I also wanted to show other smokers that stopping smoking doesn’t mean gaining 50 pounds.  Being me, I went to the extreme and started training for triathlons.  Side note: I’ve been smoke free for 22+months.  Quitting and stopping are 2 different animals.

My training was fairly loose and consisted of going running sometimes for a bit, riding my bike when I could and swimming with a coach once a week.  It was a tiny little triathlon named the Mini Mighty Man; pool swim of ¼ mile, bike 6 miles and then run 2 miles through a fairly flat park.  Not very intense at all and it was no surprise at all when I finished dead last in my first race.  My sister, Irish twin and BFF actually rolled her butt out of bed at 6am to come cheer me on and it was so amazing crossing that finish line with her chasing me with her camera.  I wouldn’t change a thing.  I also thought it would be my first and last race.

Later that night while knitting with the crew at our local overpriced coffee shop that shall remain unnamed I was telling them about the race.  A woman came over to me and asked if I had done the Eisenhower Park triathlon that morning.  I said why, yes, I did, to which she replied, “So did my friend Rich.”  Rich then came over to me and said, “That’s a respectable swim time” since he had the results open on his laptop.  As it turns out, we live a mere mile from each other.  That’s how we became friends and occasional training partners.

I decided to sign up for the Tobay Sprint Distance Triathlon in August 2011.  This would be a bigger race than the last.  ½ mile outside swim in Oyster Bay, 15k hilly bike ride and then finish up with a 5k run.  It was a shock to the system for me that when I started swim training outside I had trouble in open water considering the fact that I’ve been a scuba diver for so many years and always felt totally comfortable in the water.  Rich would swim with me out in the ocean and then one day something clicked.  I was able to swim in the bay easily but still struggled in the ocean.  Then I found out the Point Lookout Triathlon was an ocean swim and knew I had to do it.

Then somewhere between the Mini Mighty Man and the Point Lookout/Tobay Triathlons my family got devastating news.  My 3 year old niece Aubri had been diagnosed with leukemia.  It was a difficult pill to swallow and still is today, 4 months and countless chemo sessions later.  I stopped by the beach to see Rich for a swim and told him the news.  He immediately said, “Now you have to join Team in Training.”  Team in Training is part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  We raise money for leukemia research and at the end do a race.  I joined the team and chose the St. Anthony’s Olympic Distance Triathlon in April 2012 that I will run in Aubri’s honor.  I figured after doing a Sprint distance race training for the Olympic wouldn’t be too much tougher. 

Hurricane Irene came blowing into town the weekend of the Tobay Triathlon and they had to cancel the race.  I was pretty disappointed since I had gotten a shiny new bike and wetsuit and was ready to test myself at a farther distance.  At the time I would be hitting the water trees were blowing sideways and the ocean met the bay on the island where I live.  I was in a Red Cross Shelter hoping my first floor apartment wasn’t destroyed.  The Point Lookout Triathlon went on as planned and I rocked the ocean swim.  Now I’m more comfortable as a swimmer than a runner, which is not normal but, then again, neither am I.

I started triathlons so that I wouldn’t gain weight and smoke and now I’m part of a triathlon team to raise money for leukemia research.  It’s as though I was brought to the world of racing to do this for my niece.  I have 2 goals.  One is to raise $4,000 for leukemia research by January 1, 2012.  So far I’m at 25%.  The other is to train as hard as I can so that I can have a shot at placing in the top 3 in my age group.  The way I see it, if I’m gonna do something in the name of a 3 year old fighting cancer, I just can’t do it halfway.  I have to work as hard as she fights every day.

Aubri is now doing very well.  She is responding to the chemo and her numbers are good.  She has her bad days of course but on good days she’s a ball of energy.  I can’t wait for the day we find out she’s cancer free.  I have total faith that she’ll beat this and I’m happy to do my part to help find a cure.  Thank you for sharing my journey with me.