FOUR WEEKS TO GO.....

St. A's is exactly FOUR WEEKS from TODAY!!! This is a view of the course map...ohmigosh! [BLUE=SWIM, ORANGE=BIKE and BROWN=RUN]

It's almost here...where did the weeks go? Tonight's swim training was tough...drills, drills and more drills! My "favorite"...swimming 50 yards freestyle...oh, yeah...but you can only breathe every FIVE strokes! I thought I was going to have a stroke! Your lungs burn like nothing you can imagine while you are doing it and then...it's over and you catch your breath during your 15 second "rest"...that's what our coach calls it!

Saturday is a huge bike clinic where they are going to teach us how to pick up something from the road while riding [if I drop it...it'll stay there], how to maneuver your bike in a straight line even when looking back [like I really want to see where I came from] or even better yet...how to put your hands on another rider’s shoulder while looking back [now WHY would I even think about doing that???]...oh well, I guess I have a lot to learn! Seriously, they will be teaching us some really useful skills that day...how to ride on open roads and in a paceline of 8-12 riders.

Some folks have been asking me if I am running anymore since all they hear about is the swimming and cycling! Well, duh...I love to run! But, since I know that I can easily run 6.2 miles...I'm not focused on the last leg of the triathlon. But, I ought to since my guesstimate is that I will be about 2-1/2 to 3 hours into the race by that time and starting to feel the strain of the day. At some point I know my brain will start to say, "Suck it up...FINISH...SURVIVE! You can do this!"

And, that is when I will think of Matt and his struggle just a little over a year ago when he was in the midst of his treatments and working hard to get to the next level. He will be my inspiration as I look down at the orange bracelet he gave me: STRENGTH - HOPE - FAITH - COURAGE! Time doesn't fly by when you have cancer...but now with every passing day he gets stronger...and those days retreat further into memory. "FINISH...SURVIVE! You WILL do this!"

100 METER DASH....He's back!

This time it's ALL about MATT! You see, while I have been training for this event to honor him, he has been training hard, too, practicing with his buddies again as a member of Collegiate's Track Team.

This is "MIRACLE" MATT...running the 100m dash for Collegiate School on Wednesday, March 19...racing towards the finish line!

A milestone in his recovery! A personal triumph for the brave young man who never gives up! This is what your donation to the LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY can do...make MIRACLES happen! GO MATT!!!

BRICK WORKOUT....hit me already!

This has been a contemplative week for me. First of all, it is the end of Lent and as a Christian I am in “Holy Week” mode...anticipating the joy of Easter...attending services and thinking about the sacrifice our Lord made for us. Second, I have a little over FIVE WEEKS to go until St. Anthony’s. The reality of what I am attempting to accomplish in honor of Matt is really setting in. OMIGOSH! Training has been going well...I’m at it SIX DAYS A WEEK...rain or shine, heat or cold...and to be honest, I am pleased with my progress. I can now swim 80 lengths [1.13 miles] without stopping, can manage to pump my way through nearly 30-mile cycling sessions and, of course, I can run 8 miles without any issues. These distances are more than I need to complete St. A’s.

There are, however, some looming concerns. I still haven’t done a “BRICK WORKOUT” where you put one or more of these elements together. I haven’t practiced doing “transitions” where you learn to move swiftly from one event to another...a crucial skill that can make or break your day. And, even though I have done them before...there is always the unknown element of the scary, open-water swim in deep water. Mine will be in Tampa Bay’s [shark-filled] waters, depicted here! Will the water be cold? Will it be choppy and rough with unrelenting currents that will sap my strength??? While I can train and do everything in my power to be ready, there is so much I can’t control.

I think of parallels to Matt and his family. When he was diagnosed with leukemia, he and his parents were told exactly what treatment regimen would be required to try to beat it. There were crises along the way...new things to learn, how to cope. And then, there was the UNKNOWN...things they encountered or couldn’t control. Today, as a result of LLS research, doctors have an arsenal of drugs and therapies that successfully fight back leukemia and other cancers.

I pray that Matt’s dangerous seas are behind him...that the course ahead will be smooth. I await the day when Matt can shout out for all to hear, “I won!” In my mind he already has...but to insure his survival...and for any other folks who might still be swimming in deep waters...struggling to move forward, I will continue to raise funds for cancer research...and push on, too.

STRENGTH - HOPE - FAITH - COURAGE

I had just gotten home from doing a 7-mile run down at Pony Pasture along the James River when Matt and his Mom called to ask if they could stop by..."Matt has something for you for when you are training and something for when you are not training." I didn't know what to think. When they arrived, he told me that he had been fighting the "creeping crud" that has been afflicting a lot of us and had to have a transfusion to "boost his immune system." He missed some school last week, too! He looked great, but a bit tired, nonetheless.

When Matt was diagnosed, his parents Dennis and Debbie had bracelets made that simply state: STRENGTH - HOPE - FAITH - COURAGE. Today, Matt presented me with one of those bracelets...and another one he had made especially for me...beautiful topaz, crystal and silver beads...with a heart toggle and a silver cancer ribbon...and in the center his name - MATT - in silver blocks.

And then...he told me something that made my heart leap..."I'm back training with the TRACK TEAM at school! I'm hoping to run the 100 meter dash and, maybe, the 4 X 100 relay for Collegiate this season!"

Now, hours later...I am looking at my wrist...with my two very precious bracelets...my new treasures...from a strong, hopeful, faithful and courageous young man. I am humbled beyond words...