Team Livestrong 2009!

SO EXCITED!!!

I have been accepted to be part of Team Livestrong 2009 for the Austin Triathlon! This means a lot to me because waaaay back at the beginning of last year I said that I wanted to get fit and do races to raise money for cancer research and now I finally get to realize that dream! 

Why cancer? Well, everyone knows that cancer sucks, but it strikes really close to home for me. In college, I was entertainment chair for UT's chapter of Colleges Against Cancer, which put on a Relay for Life event at the tower. It was all-night fun and insanity and we loved every minute of it. During a CAC meeting, the president of the organization asked us each to get up and say why we wanted to be a part of this. I was caught off-guard and am usually scared stiff at moments like this, but then I started listing off the people I knew who had had cancer:

My mom - thyroid, when I was born. My dad - skin cancer from spending countless summers in the Texas sun. My paternal grandmother - did not get the care she needed for colon and lung cancer because she was in a Eastern religious cult in California. My maternal grandfather - I watched as the ravages of pancreatic cancer took him away. My friends Chris and Joanna who got the cancer diagnosis the very same summer.

My sister and her husband do bike rides supporting AIDS research, and while I've always been interested in the thought of racing for a cause, nothing resonated so deeply with me as the fight against cancer. Just this morning during my run I thought of my grandmother cheering me on as I am finally overcoming my hatred of running so I can do things like this because seriously folks, as much as I have a deep joy when it comes to swimming and biking, I HATE running. I have to work very, very hard at it to not hate every second of life while doing it. However, when I start slowing my pace and thinking that I can't go on I know it sounds cheesy but I think about everything that the people who've dealt with cancer have been through and it keeps my feet hitting the ground.

So anyway, in thinking about the races I want to do this year, I wanted to do the Danskin again and then do another one. Friends had done the Austin Triathlon last year, so when perusing the site, I found this link, and was totally inspired so I applied and was accepted!!! Hooray!  I am excited because this is the first year they have added triathlons to their list of supported races! I have to turn in my acceptance and I have to raise about $1000, so there will be updates soon regarding all that business. I hope you'll keep reading as I start this great adventure!

Love!

Christina