40 Weeks

“The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it.”
- Mack R. Douglas

Well, here we are. Forty weeks since the start of our training: 280 days filled with over 800 bike miles, over 200 run miles, nearly 250,000 swim yards, and almost 50 hours of yoga have passed since we made the decision to make this year different.

In this week's final training plan, our coach asked us to think of a few memories from the past year that we can draw on when things get tough during Saturday's race. Here are some that stand out:

• First setting up our blog one night while hanging out with Ryan at Genesis Home.
• Brainstorming together over the phone and in Ray and Dave's old apartment about the possibilities for Tri to End Homelessness.
• Sitting in yoga class the night before our first speed workout, thinking What is a stride? Where in my neighborhood can I safely do strides tomorrow morning? How early do I need to get up to get this workout in? How early does the sun rise in February? Doh! I'm supposed to be meditating....Om.....Did she say 30 left footsteps or 25??...Meditate. Mediate. Dang. This is hard.
• How sore we were after that first week!
• Sister bike adventures every Saturday, especially cycling together throughout the winter, looking like a pair of abominable snowmen on bikes.
• Ray-led swim lessons in the pool with Robyn kicking way too hard, gulping down water, and letting out a little squeal - while Ray yelled: Relax!
• Long trail runs in the cold and rain and sleet wondering if Spring was ever going to arrive.
• Our first week of high volume, two-a-day workouts. Strategizing over the phone about how, where, when we were going to fit everything in.
• Being the only person in the pool during early morning or late night swims.
• More than doubling our fundraising goal -- and raising nearly $6,000 for the families living at Genesis Home.
• Winning big at our first race of the season.
• Watching movies together in bed during our White Lake weekend.
• Long trail runs during the week of solid 100+ degree days wondering if Summer was ever going to end.
• Track workouts. Before sunrise.
• Our last week of high volume, two-a-day workouts. Realizing that it got a lot easier.
• Finally realizing that it is all within reach, because it's within us.
• Hanging out with the Genesis Home families while still in our workout clothes and knowing that we've made a difference.