TEAM Doesn't Cancel For Snow Either!

(Got out of the pool at noon to see this outside!) Today was my highly anticipated swim clinic - 2 solid hours in the pool with a small group of 15 or so fellow teammates. The best part was that we got to swim in the WARM indoor pool for a change!!

I am feeling really comfortable in the pool and with the swim drills... the progress I am seeing with proper coaching is completely amazing to me!

So, on tonight's agenda? Surfing the internet for cycling shoes!

Please continue to visit (and feel free to pass along) my TNT website:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/IronGirl09/alisejackson

Action-Packed Weekend...So Far...

After being sidelined for a couple of days due to a terrible head cold, I was seriously anxious to get back on the "workout wagon" for today's GTS. TEAM had a special Group Training Session planned for today! All TNT teams for both the Spring and Summer seasons (triathletes, marathoners, cyclists, and adventure racers) were getting together for a group run. After the run, all of our coaches, mentors, and LLS staff members were hosting a picnic.

The plan was slightly foiled by the torrential rain that we've been having for 2 straight days... but TEAM doesn't cancel for rain! There were still a ton of us huddled around in the pouring rain before 8am this morning. We did something really cool - the first mile of the run was a "Silent Mile" - everyone ran in silence while we reflected on the purpose of our training. We ran in silence in memory of or to honor all of our personal heroes as well as all of those that are currently battling blood cancers. It was really quite touching!

Apparently, I was quite inspired and caught up in the energy of the day... because, as the rain came down HARDER and HARDER, I just kept running. Before I realized it, I had run 4 miles (for the record, before today I had never run more than a 5K (3.1 miles) at one time in my life)!! I was soaked from head to toe - I had to keep pulling up my running tights because they were so heavy with water. The run was followed by an "indoor picnic" with tons of great food!

After a trip home to warm up and put on dry clothes, we headed out to...where else? REI for their "Scratch and Dent" sale! Picked up a few good buys on accessories, but while we were there, I saw an upgraded version of the new bike I bought less than 3 weeks ago. (Oh no, you know where this is going...)

I am convinced by my "ultra tech-y" husband ;-) (who wants to have the top of the line gear of every kind!) and the super-nice manager at REI to go home and retrieve my not yet 3 week-old bike and exchange it for this much better one that only costs a little bit more due to their AWESOME sale. And of course, this is not the REI store that is close to our house... so I sit here late tonight and introduce you to... My NEW NEW bike... the K2 T:Nine Twister (pictured above)!

This one has the fancy clipless pedals - so now I need to buy cycling shoes, oh yeah, and learn how to use them before next Saturday's group ride! Now I have anxiety again... STAY TUNED...swim clinic tomorrow!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/IronGirl09/alisejackson

YOUR Support is SO AWESOME!!

I just wanted to start this entry by expressing my sincere THANKS and gratitude to all of you who continue to donate to LLS and support me in this journey! I'm four weeks into my training, and YOU have already supported me to the tune of over $500! (To those of you who have given or mailed checks to me, you will get donor credit on my website once LLS processes your payment...I'm told this can take a couple of weeks). This is an AMAZING start to my campaign - but I still have quite a way to go! Please continue to follow my progress and spread the word about what I'm doing - it really is a great cause!!

Monday: Practiced my swim drills after work at the gym. I really am taking the swimming part seriously, as it is my biggest "opportunity."

Tuesday: 5:15am boot camp... then hit the road for an overnight biz trip to Charlotte.

Wednesday: Workout #1 - ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill at the hotel gym. Made it back to Atlanta in time for Workout #2 - weekly Team swim! Made it "swimmingly" through all of my drills, and right before getting out of the pool...drum roll.... I started swimming freestyle...in a fashion that I'm told actually resembled proper swim technique! My swim coach was actually having me help demonstrate proper form to other teammates in my "beginner lane!" This is nothing short of amazing, as I would barely swim with my face in the water just four weeks ago! I can't give enough credit to my amazing coaches and the whole Team in Training program!

Today is my weekly rest day...but I have an exciting training calendar lined up for the next few days... boot camp tomorrow morning, Team run on Saturday morning, and a swim clinic on Sunday morning...

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/IronGirl09/alisejackson

At Least I Can Ride A Bike!

Although I may be a bit "challenged" in the swimming arena, I'm happy to report that my first Team ride went smoothly this weekend! Unlike the nightmare I had Friday night, my coaches did NOT affix training wheels to my bike when I showed up Saturday morning :-)

It was 27 degrees when we started riding, but had warmed up to about 50 by the time we finished... much better! Let me back up a little bit though...

Thursday was a day of rest...

Friday - Workout #1 - 5:15am boot camp...28 degrees - there were only 3 of us, so we set up a circuit in one of the ladies' garage, which turned out to be a GREAT idea! Workout #2 - 1 hour swim at the gym - working on drills that I learned at the Wednesday Team swim.

Saturday - Team ride, as mentioned above.

Today - supposed to have been a 20 minute run... was WAY too cold & windy outside, and I never made it to the gym. I'm rather bummed and disappointed. BUT, I promise to make it up!

Training for this week is going to be a bit of a challenge...but I am committed to finding a way to get it all in. I will be out of town on business for a couple of days mid-week, and out of the office another two full days on top of that, so my schedule will be really out of whack. But, I will be creative and work out early, or late, or in the hotel fitness room, etc...

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/IronGirl09/alisejackson

Fallen Heroes of Georgia

For any of you blog followers who are here in Georgia, there is a 5K, 10K and "1K Fun Run" event being held in Hoschton on Saturday, March 28th, 2009. The run is in honor of the 141 Fallen Soldiers from Georgia that have died defending our freedoms in the Global War on Terror.

We received information about this run from my husband's friend and co-worker, who lost his 23-year old daughter Ashley, an Army MP, to a suicide bomber in Mosul, Iraq in 2006.

From the email we received: "Attending the event will be the Patriot Guard of Georgia, local police and fire departments, vehicles and displays from the Army 802nd, Army 48th, Army 148th, Chick-fil-A, some Atlanta Falcons to hand out awards and possibly Congressman Nathan Deal. The 48th and 148th are planning on participating as part of community involvement, because they will be training for deployment to Afghanistan in late spring. So we really need to show our support to them!"

Click here for online event information or here to download a .pdf file with registration information. If any of you plan to attend, let me know and we'll meet up there!

Still Going Strong...

...and getting stronger...

Monday: Workout #1 - 5:15am boot camp - circuit training (good mixture of upper body, lower body, and abs, mixed in with some short sprint running) Workout #2 - 1 hour swim, practicing the drills learned last Wednesday night @ Team swim.

Tuesday: Workout #1 - 5:15am boot camp - 1 mile timed run; push ups, sit ups, and various other "torture" drills (bear crawls uphill, chariot races - things Jillian Michaels has the contestants do on "The Biggest Loser"). Workout #2 - met 3 of my fellow Team members for a 2.5 mile run.

Today: Just returned from Team in Training swim - I am proud to report that I am consistently keeping my eyes open under water (see post The Drain Monster if you don't know why this is a big deal)! I'm going to try to fit in another swim day/night on my own, so that I'm swimming 3x/week, at least until I feel like I am mastering the technical aspects of the swim.

---Upcoming... rest day tomorrow (HOORAY FOR REST!)... boot camp Friday morning, and hopefully a swim Friday night. Team bike and run on Saturday morning. Sunday will be either a swim clinic (if scheduled), or I will run.

Sunday afternoon is also the "Honored Hero" party for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This is a gathering where we get to meet all of the patients who are currently battling the blood cancers that we are trying to cure! These "heroes" are our inspiration and motivation for all of this training... it reminds us of why we joined TNT!

Thank you so much for all of your continued encouragement and support!

My fundraising website:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/IronGirl09/alisejackson

Rock the Run!

My training schedule for today called for a 20-minute run... I took advantage of a nice, sunny, 60-degree day and headed to Sims Lake Park. Sims Lake just opened last October, and it has a great 1.2-mile paved loop around a lake. Better yet, it's SO SO close to my house - so very easy to get a quick workout in when you have a busy day and not a lot of time.

I ran 2 loops around the lake - 2.4 miles - in 25:43. Not fast by any stretch of the imagination, but constant running nonetheless...

When I do a kickboxing class, or spin class, I love the high-energy hip-hop/pop/dance music to work out to... but for whatever reason, when I run, I favor rock and alternative tracks...here is what was loaded on my iPod shuffle for today's run:

1. "American Girl" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
2. "Mr. Brightside" - The Killers
3. "Love and Memories" - O.A.R.
4. "You Shook Me All Night Long" - AC/DC
5. "Rise Above This" - Seether
6. "I Don't Want To Be In Love" - Good Charlotte
7. "Wake Up Call" - Maroon 5
8. "Girl All The Bad Guys Want" - Bowling For Soup

My newsletters went out in the mail last Thursday... I hope you enjoy reading it and learning more about my journey and about Team in Training and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. If you don't receive one, it's because I don't have your address! You don't have to miss out...just email me your address (amjackson@bellsouth.net) and I will drop one in the mail for you! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/IronGirl09/alisejackson