Emily has lost her mind...but help her anyway!!
Racing to Save Lives
Thanks for Visiting my Team in Training Fundraising Page!
Why do I need Help?
I am training to particpate in the Breezy Point Triathlon on June 1, 2008 at the Norfolk Naval Base. Click on the event name to see why I am soooo nervous! With a 1K swim, a 20K bike and a 5k run back-to-back!! With Sharks all over the place, there's no doubt I'm nervous! Also, to top it all off, I have to raise $2100.00 and the deadline is fast approaching and I am not there yet!
Why am I doing that?
I am doing this to better myself, but also to raise money for a great cause. Many peoples lives are affected by Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin Lymphoma and Myeloma. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society raises money for research to prevent these diseases from taking more lives and to offer services and support to familes and victims of these cancers! Please join me in this journey! I have the honor of raising a minimum of $2100 for this amazing cause...and I get to make great friends and test my endurance!
MY HONOREES
I am completing this triathlon in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers and in memory of Kenneth Ray Via, father of my brother-in-law Justin C. Via, who passed away on January 13, 2008 of Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather that will be greatly missed.
I also wanted to give my generous donors an opportunity to give in honor of a loved one. If you would like to donate in honor of someone in particular Contact Me and I will write the name of your loved one on my racing jersey as space allows!
Leslie A Courtney
Betty Ann Brolia
MY TRAINING
I wanted to give a little update on my training...its going well. I am swimming twice a week, at RMC and the Tuckahoe YMCA, and trying very hard to work my way up to the 40 pool lengths that I will need to be prepared for the swim. A generous patron has just loaned me a bike trainer, which holds a bike in one place and turns your road bike into a stationary bike. This will allow me to train more easily in this cold weather! Brrrrrrrrrrrr!! And finally, the running is going great. I have been working with some great runners (aka Dee, Shannon, Maggie and Pam) weekly at the Lee Davis track to improve my speed. And with their support and patience, and the police turning a blind eye to our climbing the fence to use the track, it seems to be working! 
And with Seal Team PT a couple of days a week...boy, am I exhausted!! But it will all be worth it in the end.
So, I am well on my way!
We did a fundraiser this weekend, somehow (as usual) I got to be the crazy one in front drawing in the crowds. Ukrops was nice enough to let us set up our bike trainers outside and ride for donations. I thought I would show off our swim attire and work on cutting down my transition time by riding in my swim gear!! 
Sunday, March 16th, I ran in the Shamrock Half Marathon. And thanks to the tough training and all of the wonderful help and encouragement I have received, I was able to pull in a new personal record! I took 38 minutes off of my Sharock time last year! There were some great Team in Training groups along the course cheering us along! It was great!!
April 3rd- Training has been very good this week. I am working through a knee injury, but the swimming is feeling better and better! I had a spectacular run yesterday and a great swim the night before. Cycling is still the toughest for me, but I am working on it! I bought clipless shoes for my bike this past weekend from 3Sports and am anticipating maybe a few more injuries...I am sure a few falls will follow. I am also preparing for the Monument Ave 10k this weekend. I have a large group of people from work who I have harrassed into participating. What good sports!! But Spring is here in full force and with it, better weather. It will make training outside all the more pleasant!
4/11/08- Okay, okay...trying not to let a knee injury get me down! I ran the Monument Ave 10k this weekend and took 16 minutes off of last year and PR'ed...I was pleased. (Thanks to Dee who ran with me and paced me the whole way!) And we did time trials at swim practice last night and I took about 20 second off of my 100 meter consistantly...so I was pleased with that too! If only I can hold my knee together, I think I will be very happy with my race! (Unless the shark gets me) Anyway, I got my wetsuit this week...me and neoprene...it should be a Lifetime movie. Oh, it took more than one person to help me figure out how to put that thing on and I am going to have to do it all by myself this Sunday for an Open Water Swim Clinic. Heaven help the Richmond Tri Club...they don't kow what they're in for! Also, I have signed up as a mentor for next season's triathlon training group, who are training for Nation's Tri in Washington DC in September. I will train alongside them and participate myself in my first Olympic Distance Triathlon in September at Naylor's Beach, near Warsaw, Va. I am very excited, scared, nervous, nauseous, crazy...
5/6/08- Despite all of the Shark attack e-mails that have been sent to me by all of my "friends" recently, I am in good cheer. We have been working very hard on our brick runs (running right after biking) to get conditioned for the race. We have also been training really hard on the swimming. I am freaking out b/c I only have 1 HARD swim practice left as a team (per Coach Kia) which just shows you how close the race actually is...duh, duh, duh (scary, dramatic music)...I went to Fall TNT Kick-off this week and met the Olympic Distance Tri people and my mentees for the next season! They are so great and it will be a lot of fun to train together and get to know eachother. I haven't signed up for them, but I have picked out 3 more tri's for the summer, making it a total of 5 if I survive Breezy Point. At the duathlon 2 weeks ago, I spoke with an amazing triathlete and Breezy Point winner, Karen Holloway. She gave me some excellent advice, including that the water is too oily for sharks!
5/13/08- With 2 days to go for Fundraising Due Date, I am very happy to say that I have met my goal! I have some checks being mailed in and a couple more online donations to come! I have met and exceeded my goal! Yeah for me!! One less thing to worry about in this process. I am forever indebted to my Hometown Realty Family! Many lives will be touched by their generosity!
Fall season for TNT started and I have met the excellent tri team I will be training with! I will fo sho keep everyone updated!!Now for the last week and a half of training...then I get a taper week! Sooo happy about that!
Only 2.5 WEEKS to GO!! (Holy Crap! I am going to be sick!) 6/20/08- I cannot believe it took me this long to update my webpage...to my credit, I did send out an e-mail announcing how awesome we all did. Clearly, I didn't get eaten by a shark, but it was a cloe call. I came in 5th in my division and I have a bunch more planned for the summer season! I am very excited about it and I really appreciate everyone here who made it possible through donation or through support and encouragement! We all crossed that finish line! Hoo-Yah!!
