Category: 2011

Same name, new fight

Tri for Les 2012: Lavaman

One month ago I was in Parker, Arizona having dinner with my Team In Training teammates on the eve of the Bluewater Triathlon. It was the first triathlon for many of us in the room and I for one could feel the butterflies in my stomach as I picked at the pasta and salad on the plate in front of me. Up until that point, for me, the triathlon was dedicated to my aunt Leslie Whitfield, who lost a 19-year battle to breast cancer in February of 2011.

But during our aptly named, “Inspiration Dinner,” one of my teammates stood in front of the room and shared her reasons for joining Team In Training: her husband, and father of their young son, tragically died from cancer a couple years ago. And as you would expect, it was devastating, leaving her feeling helpless. She joined Team In Training to fight back and move forward. It was something tangible that she could start, focus on and finish.

Surprisingly, this was the first I’d heard of her amazing story. And it blew me away. I had been swimming, running and biking with this woman three days a week, for four months straight, and had no idea she was dealing with that kind of a loss or had such a moving connection to the cause.

Continue reading Same name, new fight

Tri for Les: Bluewater complete!

Twenty minutes before the start of the Bluewater Triathlon someone asked me, “So, what’s your strategy?”

Barefoot, jittery, cold and nervous, I thought about it for a second, and proceeded to swing my arms around to loosen up.

“Dominate,” I said with a smirk. “And pass on the left.”

We both laughed, knowing full well that this was my first triathlon and that I was being somewhat sarcastic.

And even though a part of me wanted to dominate and pass as many people in the race as possible, another part of me stepped back to remember what this triathlon was really about.

Continue reading Tri for Les: Bluewater complete!

WTF inappropriate?

My “Tri for Les” triathlon training has taken over most of my free time these days and unfortunately my blogging time has been pushed aside for early morning bike rides, evening swim and run practices, and late-night fundraising brainstorming sessions. Excuses, I know, but it’s all for a good cause, in honor of a great woman (my Aunt Leslie) and I don’t feel too bad for prioritizing.

I’ve also been getting a creative fix from a side project, called Letters to Letters. It’s a fun commitment and good for keeping the creative juices flowing.

That being said, I am still working in social media full-time during business hours and wanted to share a bit about a recent experience I had with the term “WTF.”

Continue reading WTF inappropriate?

Tri for Les: Support the fight

It’s early in the morning and still dark out. The alarm on the other side of my bedroom buzzed me awake and I’ve just silenced it by slamming my fingers on the snooze button. It’s quiet. Nobody is watching and I’m standing alone and dreary in the dark, with a crucial decision to make:

Do I listen to my tired body and stumble back to my soft bed for another hour of sleep?
Or do I throw on some clothes, take a drink of water and get the day started with a workout?

The battle ensues.

Continue reading Tri for Les: Support the fight