Avia Wildflower Triathlon
I'm a new member of Veloist and I have to admit that the way I stumbled across the site is I was looking through the internet for information about the Wildflower triathlon. I have been a long time cyclist but I wouldn't have considered myself to be avid until a year ago this time. I dated a woman who works for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) in Cleveland and had mentioned to her that I thought it would be neat to do an endurance event on my bicycle. Something that I never thought or expected that I could actually accompish. She told me about the Team In Training program which is a fundraising body for LLS. She and I joined and set out to do the Sea Gull Century ride in Salisbury MD. We both were able to complete to ride and in so doing I discovered a new found passion for riding my bicycle.
The trainng process and event were life altering experiences. I met so many wonderful people on my team and was able to raise money for a worthy cause. During the ride I was impressed with the number of riders that were looking out for me and other riders. It was truly a special fraternity that I found myself a part of. I managed to complete the ride in 5:24:00 and averaged 18.5 MPH. When I finished the 100 miles I felt great. But the ride didn't end for me at that point. One of my teammates has chronic leukemia and had recenty discovered an inoperable tumor on her brain stem. She had been unable to train with the rest of the group because of chemo and other cancer treatments but she stubbornly insisted on doing the ride. Our coaches thought about riding with her until she couldn't ride anymore then driving her to the finish. Then they came up with a better idea. She rode to the first rest stop (21 miles) then they SAG'd her to the last rest stop at mile 84. The rest of the team met her there and we all planned to ride in together. The only hitch to that plan was that I and another teammate had a time goal to finish the ride. So we agreed that after we finished we would turn around and meet the team at the final rest stop and all ride in together. I ended up riding 130 miles that day. and I felt i could ride another 100 by the time I finished. Just to see the look on my firend's face when we finished I tell you the second time I crossed the finish line with the team was even more gratifying than the first. My experience was such an incredible one that I decided to try something even more challenging and signed up for the Avia Wildflower Triathlon. My fundraising goal is $5250. If you can find it in your heart to make a small (or large) donation please visit my website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/noh/wildtri10/whaddix
The triathlon is something that is completely out of my comfort zone. I've begun training working mostly on the swimming and running. I have to say that I hurt every day in trying to improve my athleticism to be able to complete this task. As a cycling friend told me "If it doesn't hurt, you should turn pro." I'm doing the triathlon in honor of my friend and teammate Tammy who has been given 12 months to live (and that was in October). Hopefully we'll find a cure soon so we don't hear more stories like Tammy's.
The trainng process and event were life altering experiences. I met so many wonderful people on my team and was able to raise money for a worthy cause. During the ride I was impressed with the number of riders that were looking out for me and other riders. It was truly a special fraternity that I found myself a part of. I managed to complete the ride in 5:24:00 and averaged 18.5 MPH. When I finished the 100 miles I felt great. But the ride didn't end for me at that point. One of my teammates has chronic leukemia and had recenty discovered an inoperable tumor on her brain stem. She had been unable to train with the rest of the group because of chemo and other cancer treatments but she stubbornly insisted on doing the ride. Our coaches thought about riding with her until she couldn't ride anymore then driving her to the finish. Then they came up with a better idea. She rode to the first rest stop (21 miles) then they SAG'd her to the last rest stop at mile 84. The rest of the team met her there and we all planned to ride in together. The only hitch to that plan was that I and another teammate had a time goal to finish the ride. So we agreed that after we finished we would turn around and meet the team at the final rest stop and all ride in together. I ended up riding 130 miles that day. and I felt i could ride another 100 by the time I finished. Just to see the look on my firend's face when we finished I tell you the second time I crossed the finish line with the team was even more gratifying than the first. My experience was such an incredible one that I decided to try something even more challenging and signed up for the Avia Wildflower Triathlon. My fundraising goal is $5250. If you can find it in your heart to make a small (or large) donation please visit my website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/noh/wildtri10/whaddix
The triathlon is something that is completely out of my comfort zone. I've begun training working mostly on the swimming and running. I have to say that I hurt every day in trying to improve my athleticism to be able to complete this task. As a cycling friend told me "If it doesn't hurt, you should turn pro." I'm doing the triathlon in honor of my friend and teammate Tammy who has been given 12 months to live (and that was in October). Hopefully we'll find a cure soon so we don't hear more stories like Tammy's.
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