Okay, can I just take a moment to digress upon how much I hate the word “Triathlon”? Honestly, we all say “triaTHAlon” so why isn’t there an extra A? It’s like the “e” missing in “judgement” because “judgment” has too many consonants in a row to make it a viable word. The same goes with triathlon. At least, in judgment, I can see where you’re getting the missing “e” from. It’s like dropping the “e” before adding an -ing. I should know, I teach my 3rd graders this. But the missing “a” from the word triathlon bugs me. We all clearly say “triathalon,” so why not include the darn “a”?
(Interesting side note: my computer’s spellcheck recognizes both “judgement” and “judgment” but does NOT recognize “triathalon.”)
My name’s Rachel. I’m 26 years old and I’m trying my hardest to complete in a triathlon. (Also note: I keep wanting to type “triathlong” because my fingers are apparently programed to type “g” after “n” at the end of a word. I have to keep deleting the extra “g.”) There are several things keeping me back from this which are, in bulleted point format (I love bullets):
- I am inherently lazy. So exercising everyday is like torture.
- I am not a runner. I think I “ran” the mile in high school in like, 15 minutes my senior year. I honestly think they stopped timing by the time I crossed the finish line. I think the only reason I was actually not forced to redo it, like my slacker friends who came in after me, was because I actually tried putting in a little effort at the end… and then collapsed and nearly had an asthma attack.
- Oh, yeah, I have asthma.
- And allergies. And if you DON’T think allergies are an inhibitor for competing in a triathlon… you try breathing when your nose is full of snot then.
- I am a habitual complainer.
- I don’t have a bajillion dollars, and apparently, you need to be a bajillionaire to afford the amount of crap that goes into training for and competing in a triathlon.
Okay, so that’s my bullet point list as to why I cannot, and maybe should not, do a triathlon. But then again, there are reasons why I want to do a triathlon.
- I’m 6.4 pounds from my gatdang Weight Watchers goal and have been going for two years and have been as close as one pound away from my goal and did not make it so this is a way to get me out of my comfort zone and into some exercising!
- I wanna lose a few pounds and finally be at my Weight Watchers goal. (I’ve been 5 lbs away for about 2 years… *sigh*)
- I also want to be able to wear a bikini and not be embarrassed.
- I’m a ridiculously good swimmer! …Okay, that’s a lie. I’m a regularly-good swimmer. I started out as the worst swimmer on my high school swim team, but I persevered, and four years later was one of the best breast strokers on the team. My swim team was über-competitive, and won suburban championships twice when I was on the team. Apparently, being a not-so-good swimmer on the best team in the county makes you a good swimmer, when compared to people who are normally runners and bikers (most of the other triathletes on my team are those).
- I like biking. I used to bike to work when I worked close by (I now work slightly farther away). I used to bike all around the neighborhood like a crazy child when I was younger. Sure, it makes your butt sore, but you get used to that after a while.
Until now, those reasons for “should not do” have outweighed the reasons for “should do.” Especially the “bajillionaire” part. That is, until I found Team In Training.
Team In Training (or TNT for short… obviously, you don’t want the “I” from “in” to be the middle letter for the unfortunate, yet hilarious, consequences) is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) biggest fundraiser. They get teams together from all around the United States & Canada to compete in not only triathlons, but marathons, and century rides (100 mile bikes) as well as iron mans (like a triathlon, only crazier) to raise money for LLS so they can do research and patient care and all of the other awesome things they do.
The LLS has a special place in my heart. See, my mother had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in late 2001 – early 2002. (Digression: Hodgkin’s? Another word with too many consonants in a row.) She’s been in remission ever since, but it was a scary time in our life. My Aunt Betsy, my dad’s sister, has chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This is a disease that has NO cure, just maintenance. She’ll live a regularly-sized life that will require her to be on medication forever. How crazy is it that these two blood cancers strike my family, and the two people they strike are not related? (Scary thought: they’re BOTH related to ME. Yikes.)
After years of TNT sending me post cards to tell me to sign up for one of these deals, I finally went to an info session for the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon because A) it’s in Philly and B) it is not a marathon, which is what else they were offering. I find out that TNT does all the training and gets you goods for free, except a bike — anyone know where I can find a good road bike? All I have is a mountain bike.
I think, “Sweet, now all I need is $2800 in funds raised and I’m ready to go for a fun times triathlon!”
Care to donate? I’m sure I know 56 people, and if 56 people each donated $50, or if 140 just donated $20, I would be there in no time! Actually, at this point since I already have $800ish, if only 100 people donated $20 each, I would be a rock star and reach my goal!
Not that I’m not already a rock star for doing this. But you know, I don’t like to glorify my rock-staritute. Okay, that’s a total lie. I’m a total narcissist and love to let people know how awesome I am.
Alas, I digress… this isn’t about me in the end, it’s about the millions of people who have these horrid diseases. So please, make a donation to my cause… even if I SHOULD be competing in a triathAlon. 
