With the Spring on the horizon (humor me – yes I know here in the Northeast that means a solid 1.5 months), it was time to start buckling down on the next step in this year’s fitness journey.

After deciding to give the marathon a second try, I decided that my appetite for challenge was ready to enter a second lottery – this time it was for something completely foreign to this runner and former college lacrosse player – the triathlon.

In (what feels like a few short) months, I will be participating in Maine’s Tri for a Cure (check this organization out – they are doing some incredible work in my home state of Maine)- while this represents a fitness challenge/goal I have secretly been aspiring to conquer, it carries with it a much larger and more personal meaning.

A little less than 2 years ago, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer – I still remember being frozen in a crosswalk in Midtown Manhattan at 7:30 am that morning she called to tell me.  My mom has this way of being so brave and matter of fact that it took almost an hour for the news to really solidify.  After 3 surgeries and far more kick-ass-attitude than I had ever seen before, my mom conquered her cancer and not once showed any signs of giving up…I still tear up thinking of her strength during the entire journey.

Exactly 1 year after her first surgery, my mom was standing in front of chilly Casco Bay in a field of over a thousand other women ready to complete her first Sprint Triathlon.   She was standing among other fellow survivors in the first heat and as we saw her jump into the water with the other survivors, I thought “this woman is fearless!”  She had always aspired to compete in this event, but never would have thought she would be in the survivor heat – she finished that day and not only completed an item on her bucket list, but did it for all the other women who weren’t able.

Now, on the 2nd anniversary of her first surgery, I plan to take on the same challenge  and run to kick cancer’s butt – over the next several months, in addition to training for the Chicago Marathon in early October, I’ll be documenting my training / highs / lows / scrapes (yes – I already managed to tip out of my beautifully used tri bike in a large intersection just a hop and a skip from where I live – nothing short of a couple hundred folks saw this amusement last Friday afternoon at rush hour).

Being new to triathlons and certainly new to training for 2 pretty hefty events within a few months of one another, I’m looking for help!  Any advice / words of encouragement / tips / gear / things to avoid / etc. I want to hear from you please!