We’ve learned a load of things in our first month of training, and have already put in some good miles on the bike and in the pool. One of our first sessions was at Sports Basement in Sunnyvale where we had a bike clinic.  Apparently flats are inevitable, so first thing to learn was how to change a tire!

Sports basement has a great variety of sports gear, and we ended the day learning about what kind of ‘gear’ we should get (triathlons of course require way more gear than running!) – I’m starting slow and just picked up a couple of bathing suits.

In June we started our swim/bikes at Burgess Park in Menlo Park.  What a great facility that is – Menlo Park residents are very lucky to have it!

Typically we start in the pool for about an hour of drills and swimming, followed by a bike ride around Menlo Park/Atherton/Portola Valley.  It’s literally been years since I’ve ridden a bike, and I was nervous about riding in traffic, but TNT manage the training schedule very well and we started with a very easy ride around Atherton.  Every week we add a few miles and some hills, and by June 30th we were up to a 14 mile ride that went up past 280 and into Portola Valley.

I’m getting way more comfortable on the bike, and I’m looking forward to going even further over the next couple of months.  Swimming and Cycling has been a great way to start my Saturdays!

It’s been almost 2 years since I completed the Nike Women’s Marathon, and I’m thrilled to have signed up for yet another season with Team in Training. This year I’m trying something different – my first ever Triathlon! I’m going to be swimming/cycling/running in the ‘Mighty Mermaid’ triathlon on October 6th in Capitola. Over the season I’ll be posting updates on this blog www.motivatedtotri.com.

I am participating in honor of my co-worker John, who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in November 2010. He has kept an amazing positive outlook and sense of humor as he has gone through his treatment, and even kept a blog – jg will kick its ass. John was also featured in this fortune article.

He has been a huge supporter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and helped raised over 13,000 dollars for LLS. John had a stem-cell-marrow transplant in March 2011 and is recovering well. While he is dealing with some chronic graft vs host disease, there is currently no sign of leukemia. You can read all about his status (and see pictures of his beautiful family) on the aforementioned blog. We are very happy to have him back with us in the office!

I am also participating in memory of Larry. Larry was a fellow TNT participant in the Summer 2010 season – here is a photo of us just before we were about to run the Nike Marathon in October 2010. Larry is on the left.

In December 2010 Larry was diagnosed with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia, and sadly passed away in February 2011. Larry ran 25 marathons to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Countless lives have been saved thanks to research funded by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, but still more needs to be done to fine a cure for ALL forms of leukemia, lymphoma and other blood-related illnesses. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line – a cure!

Please consider making a tax deductible donation to support my participation in Team and Training and help advance LLS’s mission. My TNT page is here.