Friday, June 1, 2012

Captex Olympic Triathlon...Race Day



We did it...yes we really did it!  Will and I along with our entire North Texas TNT Team completed Captex Olympic Triathlon.  In the words of The Fresh Beat Band (it's a kid band)..."We had a great day!  The very best day! And nothing else could be better!"
The girls!


Actually the entire weekend was great so I'll try to share most of it with you in pictures because what I've learned through the last several events is I don't always remember much of the event day...simply because of the excitement & exhaustion or maybe it is just supposed to be that way so we keep signing up for more!

The weekend started off on Saturday as we drove down to Austin to spend some time with some of my dearest college friends - Wendy and Beverley.  Wendy was so gracious and hosted us at her home and and all the kids were able to swim.  It started the weekend off relaxed which is exactly what I needed because my nerves were kicking.

Sunday we met up with Georgia and her family to have brunch.  It was a beautiful morning and another way to help set the tone for the weekend.  I remember Will saying while taking this photo, "Tomorrow let me remember how happy I am right now!" On Tuesday, the day following our event, Georgia celebrated one month OFF TREATMENT!  We could not be more proud to be a part of Georgia's journey!

The Moore & Bacon Family
Sunday afternoon was spent picking up our race packets, waking through the transition area to see how race day would unfold, checking our bikes in and later that evening the TNT Inspiration Dinner.  Five TNT chapters were represented at Captex and in total raised $224,000...GO TEAM!

Well that leaves us with Monday...event day!  The morning started off at 4:00am, but Will's wave didn't start till 7:50am and mine 8:18am so there was alot of waiting around with the TEAM.  I was one of the last to go and my nerves were in overdrive.  I was the only one from our team in my wave.  Karen who I did alot of my training with was in the wave before me.  Tears flowed about 8:05 as Coach Kelly said I needed to get on deck for the swim...she hugged me, reassured me that I was prepared and most important told me that I was doing this for all the right reasons.  The swim went better than expected...I felt good and swam the entire 1500 meters only flipping over once on my back to get a breather.  As I came out of the swim my family was there cheering which was awesome...then off I went to transition to get on the bike.  The bike was 4 loops of about 6.5 miles.  Again, my family was on the bike course and so was Beverley & her son Cooper as well as tons of TNT fans.  The bike also went pretty good and I knew I had kept my average speed around 15mph which was what I trained at.  Finally came the run...I purposely saved up some energy because I knew it would be HOT and it was!  Again, my family was there cheering and so was Coach Kelly & Nate (our TNT campaign manager).  The run was two loops of 3.1 miles.  The BEST part was that Allie and the kids jumped in around the final mile and ran about 50 yards with me and my Mom took the photo on left...probably my favorite of the day!  The photo on right is my 90 year old Grandma...who ROCKED it all day on the course cheering!   

AWESOME!
My 90 year old Grandma!

Thank you Coach Kelly!
After a shower and lunch with the TEAM and a brief nap Will's parents drove up and had dinner with us and my family. 

Finally, the weekend came to a close and we returned back to Dallas.  The triathlon Triple Crown-ed me with Team in Training...something I have always wanted to do.  That means I have fundraised and completed a marathon, century and triathlon with TNT.  It took me 12 years but I did it!  And I did it with Allie, my #1 honored hero by my side at each event.  


But our fight NEVER stops!  Upon returning home I saw both of these photos.  The one on the left is Grayson...receiving the final dose of one of the six chemos he has had to take during his Delayed Intensification.  After DI he has 3 years of maintenance treatments.  The photo on the right is Alanna, the niece of friend, who found out in the final months of her senior year that she had Lymphoma...so through prom and graduation she has been enduring chemo.  This photo was taken as they access her port to give her what we hope is her final dose of chemo!  

This is what the fight looks like when battling blood cancers and until we have 100% remission rates or a cure...Will and I will keep fundraising and keep training!  Your support and donations mean so much to us and our honored heroes...we ALL thank you from the bottom of our hearts!  



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