Keeping warm with laughter and friendship!

This is me with my dear teammate, Katy! She is awesome! She was my partner for the ocean swim on Sunday. She taught me how to body surf. We had a blast... even though our feet, hands and faces started going numb!

This weekend... Friday and Saturday, we are holding a garage sale on NE Davis, just off of 20th. Come on by! All money raised will go to our fundraising for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. There will be furniture, girls', women and men's clothes. Also, a bunch of outdoor gear and a couple of nice Canon cameras.

Come on out and support our team! And get some stuff for yourself!

I must say, that one of the greatest things about this experience has been the friendships I've made. These are some of the most wonderful people I could ever have hoed to struggle through this with! WOW! I am so proud to be on their team! Heck, some of us are shaving our heads together! That's love!

I love you guys!!

Cheers! GO TEAM!!

A grey day on the coast

Brrrrrrrr... have you ever had an ice cream headache? That's what it feels like when you dive through the waves in the Pacific Ocean. Woah, I just got chilly thinking about it!

I must say, we had a blast in Manzanita. Coach Julie is making sure to prepare us for our race in every way possible. This, of course, includes COLD WATER SWIMS!

Come back later... I have more to tell you about this, but I have to run!

Winding Through Wine Country

38.2 mile Bike

We went on the 8th Annual Vine Ride today in Newber, OR for our team workout today. I am incredibly happy to report that it was a beautiful ride! We rode 38 miles through the rolling wine country of Yamhill County. It was lovely day for it.

Coach Glen told us to just go out and have fun! That was great! Typically, on our team rides we have to observe the official USAT triathlon rules. For example, you cannot draft in a triathlon. Drafting is riding within 5 bike lengths behind another cyclist. You also have only 15 seconds to pass. There are a few more rules, too. Breaking of such rules usually results in a time penalty. So, today we got to ride closer to our teammates, and actually talk to them. This is especially nice when the ride is so beautiful!

Okay, I will have to tell you more about the ride later... I'm a little hot right now and just want to take a nap!

GO TEAM!

Stay tuned for a report on tomorrow's trip to Manzanita for a swim in the Pacific!!!!!

A run around the river

- Run 3.25 mi
- Bike 8.2 mi (just commuting)

Today I took my run at lunch and ran around the esplanade and waterfront. It was a great day for it... not too hot. I was scheduled to run 4.5, but didn't get that fit into my lunch hour. That pesky day job just seems to get in the way of the rest of my life. So, I just made sure to push myself a little harder than I normally would have. It worked out just fine!

I will shave my head!!!

Hey folks!

Yes, you read that heading right... I am going to shave my head to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You can be a part of this wild adventure too! Simply make your 100% tax-deductible donation at http://www.ralyntnt.com/ between now and August 25th and you could be a part of this grand undertaking.

Several of us on the TNT Triathlon Team are going to shave our heads in an effort to blow the doors off of this fundraising challenge. If you all pitch in and help me raise another $3000 by August 25th, I will shave my head!! We are still ironing out the details, but I wanted to give you all a head start!

Not only will the money you donte at http://www.ralyntnt.com/ support research and patient care, but we will be donating our hair. Those whose hair is long enough will be donating to Locks of Love, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. And the shorter hair and small clippings will be donated to Matter of Trust to make hair mats that aid in the clean up oil spills.

Now, antoher way you can help... we are looking for corporate sponsorship and media coverage. Please help me connect with people that can help make this HUGE! We want to get some attention and funding for LLS!!! We can do it!

Together we CAN make a difference!!! YOU are a part of this team!!

GO TEAM!!

Another night in open water!

Tonight was my second dip into the open water. We swam at Klineline Pond in Vancouver, WA. I did a little bit better than the first night, but I had a couple other little demons pop up. Okay, so, I will admit, I am a little scared of the open water. Most specfically... what may or may not be in the water. This kind of falls into the scared of the dark category for me. I'm happy to report that I was NOT dragged into the murky deep and eaten by a 300 lb. mutant creature.

At any rate... we swam around the lake/pond twice, totalling approximately 2/3 of our race distance. Not too shabby. I am having some breathing problems, but I think i just need to slow it down. And I think I will be taking an inhaler to the water from now on. I think the asthma didn't really go away.

Even though they are wicked tight, a crazy wrestling match to get into, and just plain new to me... I think I like my wetsuit! I feel super tough and super sporty.

Cheers!
Ralyn

First Time in the OPEN water!!

Klineline Park, Vancouver, WA. Wow! First time in open water. First real time in our wetsuits. I'll admit, I had a hard time with it. I felt a bit panicky and felt like I was hyperventilating some of the time. I gotta tell ya, those things are a bit constrictive. But, I guess it makes us faster! After I slowed my breathing and calmed my stroke so I wasn't thrashing about, I felt better. Oh, and the cool thing... because you are wearing a rubber (well, neoprene, specifically) suit, you float! Now, I don't mean on top of the water like you are an innertube or raft, but just peacefully ... little need to tread water.

All in all, I am glad that we got that over with. I do believe it will get easier as we go along. But maybe I should start bringing an inhaler with me to swim... maybe that would help.

A lovely ride

- Bike: 26.2 miles

I rode out to my mom's house and had a lovely dinner and visit with her. Man, I love to ride!! It doesn't take me long before I am smiling like an idiot. Especially when I get out of the city streets and get on the Springwater Corridor Bike Trail.

Longest Brick of the Season

- Bike: 20 miles
- Run: 5 miles

So today was our longest brick. It wasn't so bad! Surprisingly enough. I had a rough week of ultra-busy-ness and got less than ample sleep and less that "training" nutrition. However, I still managed to survive the brick. And I even "ran" the whole run. Wahoo.