Yay! Finally got to register! Hello triathletes!

Hello everyone!

I've been trying to register for a couple days but apparently that was blocked at work, so here I am at 6 am before work registering at home. Ha.

I guess I'll just cut to the chase. About a month ago, I somehow got it into my head that I wanted to do a triathlon. I really don't know where it came from, unless it was something I randomly saw in a Shape magazine or something, but I had this urge to test my limits in a triathlon. It's kind of weird because I neither run or swim on a regular basis, and I do not bike at all. But, I felt that this goal would be too difficult to reach without personal training, which I can't afford. So I banished it from my thoughts.

At the same time, me and my family have been dealing with my grandmother getting suddenly diagnosed with cancer in February. Watching the disease progress and take over my once vibrant grandmother has been heartbreaking. My grandmother refused chemo & radiation treatments, and for good reason--the disease had progressed so far and at her age it would have probably killed her or made her more sick before she died. As of this weekend, we realized we were witnessing truly the final days of her life. Right now, she is in the process of dying (according to our hospice manual) and there's nothing we can do about it. It is just time.

On Sunday afternoon, the day after I stayed all night with her taking care of her, I was back at my house cleaning up junk mail and I found an envelope about "Teams in Training" for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Organization. My grandmother's cancer is lymphoma, and I thought it was kind of eerily fateful, so I opened up the envelope and read what the program was about. Basically, the org. offers training for tri's, marathons, and cycling events in exchange for your fundraising efforts. 75% or more of money raised goes towards finding a cure for these cancers.

I knew I couldn't save my grandmother now...but if there had been a cure, she would have been able to survive...

So in her honor, and to help the people that are surviving now w/these cancers and those that will come, I would like to do this program. I actually haven't gone to the first informational meeting yet, but it just seems to fit...

So anyway, that's why I'm tri-ing. Because I feel like Someone Somewhere was trying to tell me something all along, and this is a way I can reach my fitness goals, but more importantly, help others.

This board really seems great! Can't wait to get started.

~Phoenix