See Fox In Action!

When Kenny Ginn wasn't snapping pictures he was apparently video taping the race! I would appear that I was more interested in the spectators than the actual race...mabye that is why I didn't make my goal!!!

cfox

See Fox's boyfriends!

Introducing Brenny Broermann!!!!  That is what I call sending some love!  Double-wristed even!!! NICE!!!

Spider-beau!  You are number one little man for showing that spirit!  TNT and LLS love you...but I still love you more...cuz count those bracelets...one! two! three! four!  (Are you sleeping in a big boy bed now? Get out of town Bamboo!!! That is so exciting!)

Mr. Colin Broermann bringing the pain like a real competitor.  Rumor has it you and Brenny went for a jog on Monday morning while I was racing!  Thanks for joining the cause!  Wanna run when I come for a visit or should we swim?

I'm loving the purple! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!  I  miss you guys...see you in a couple of weeks!

Man alive i could have used that slip n slide to get to the finish line!  You guys are amazing!!!  Thanks for all the excitment!

maybe when I am in town we can host a mini triathlon?!?!?  what do you think.  we can bring your bikes to the pool and do a swim bike run!  Think you can handle it??

See Fox's favorite pictures

I love this pic.  Kenny used his zoom lense to find me pretty far out...but once I spotted them just before going under the bridge i waved in mid stroke!  Shout out to all of you!

I dont get down in my aero bars too often...so this pic is a rare find! :)   But the smile was there for a few reason...always smile for the camera (even when your legs are burning), friends cheering for you specifically is a treat, and I was just one bridge lenght from the end of the loop!!!  

This was on the first lap of the run and I was already staring to melt.  about .4 miles into the run we hit a water sand and a shower...yes...a sprinkler suspended from the roof of a tent that sprayed out like a water sprinkler...cold water...a first time triathlete who finds herself in Austin heat might also call this shower "a little slice of heaven"  or perhaps "wattery goodness".  After that treat I had to walk a bit.  When kenny took this I was about 1/3 of my way through my run and he was keeping me entertained!  I sure did like  the company.  

Lisa (my teammate) and Stephen (her former TNT teammate who now lives in Austin) and came to support us.  He was so fun and was great to see on the course!  So was lisa...she was about 30 minutes faster than me!  Amazing...and a great inspiration to see on the course!

The whole crew of cheerleaders from left to right: Mr Dale, Me, Carrie, Justin, Alle, Ryan, Connie Kenny.  Directly behind us is the archway we ran under to get to the finish shoot.  It was fun running under and seeing athletes who had already finished cheering you on from the stair case.  You didnt have to walk over it...unless you needed to a specific side of the transition area.

If you would like to see more of the pictures kenny took the triathlon please visit the following link at http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=oruiyvl.b4h739a9&x=0&y=-900vgc&localeid=en_US

I will have a more thorough story of what happend posted here in teh next day or two!

Again!  Thanks everyone for your support and help.  The number of text messages and emails I recieved is so sweet and supportive!  I love you lots! 

cfox

See Fox's Merchandise Coordinator

Dr. Connie Fox is as cute as a mother comes!  She made the sweetest tshirts for herself, Mr Dale, and the friends!  What a rockstar.  She wore them to our inspirational dinner the night before so my whole team knew that they belonged to me.  I told everyone in our team meeting that they would be out there on the race course ready to cheer.  My teammates loved it seeing them out there.  Easy to spot in orange and at one point my mom almost missed me as I zipped by in my aero bars...but I couldnt miss her...she was standing in the street half the time with her hand shading her eyes waiting for me!  Mom even did a bit of marketing of my blog when people asked what the shirt was about!  Go Connie!

And Mr Dale was just as easy to spot.  In fact he is the one I could pick out on the bridge while I was waiting to swim and finally in the water!  It was lots of fun Having you both there!  Thanks so much!

Connie is holding a picture of my sister's late grandmother-in-law who suffered from Leukemia for 12 years!  She was a fighter and I competed in her memory.

cfox

See Fox's Personal Photographer!

A Special Thanks to Kenny Ginn.  Like Carrie he was a special part in documenting the day for me.  He got some great pics of me, the race, and my friends.  He drove me around when I needed to go to the grocery store for peanut butter, bananas, and rice cakes.  He drove me to CVS for spray on waterproof sunscreen (which really works, btw) and even helped us track down magic markers for the NCA chapter's personal body marking session!  You were great!  Thanks so much!

Wanna come to DC for Nations and do the same thing all over again?  Or will you be racing?

See Fox's favorite Paparazzi

How cute is she???  I loved having here there...and wearing bright orange!  (Go Pokes!)  She did a great job and it made me a little teary when I finally got back to the computer and got to see it all.  I felt so lucky to have so many people there...and I know my sisters and friends appreciated getting to see my progress!  Maybe next time we need to get a live feed with a video camera and put her on the back of a motorcycle like in the Tour De France!  If lance has one shouldn't I?  

Thanks so much Carrie (and anyone who helped you)!  You can guest blog for CFox anytime you want!

See Fox's Fans

Stephanie and Chris (roommate and boyfriend) rocking bracelets like rockstars.  She is training for an MS bike ride this summer!  And her bike is sooo much cuter than mine!  

chris and stephanie....cute ring steph!

Bryan Sloan...who I traveled to NYC and DC with while at OSU.  He is training for a marathon and will be updating his blog...click here to follow!  

Here is Isla supporting Team in Training.

She is much happier to wear her bracelet as a crown...like the princess she is!

See Fox TRI...no...CFox Do!!!!

I am back at the hotel and a mess. Chain grease, sand, rocks, magic marker, sweat (lots) and tears....essentially I could use a shower. I still haven't made enough progress through all the messages, texts, emails and IM's to know which direction is up! I will get back to you all asap...but for now i need about 2 more bottles of gatorade, a shower, a huge salad...and time to decompress. There is so much that happened on race that the pictures and posts didn't show, so I will send more updates soon! For now I just have to thank everyone...everyone who sned word, everyone who donated, and especially everyone who was here with me standing in that heat and humidity. They are soldiers and made this so much easier. I have lots of pics, race times, and stories...so keep coming back!

much love from Austonia...
your faithful triathlete!
cfox

Special thanks to kenny and Carrie...kenny always seemed to be there....easy to spot and cheering me on. And carrie was my guest blogger princess!

PS I'm already excited for my next race! Bring it D.C.!

Here she is!!

And giving out very sweaty hugs!

We love u T!! Nice work!!

See Fox Finish!!

She just finished!!! Woohooo!!

Sorry the picture didn't turn out too well she ran by SO fast! But
that's her leg.

Congratulations Cfox you did it!!

See Fox Run

She just ran by us and said "this part sucks!!" but still all smiles!

She's almost done!!

See Fox Run

We just saw Cfox run out of the start gate!! She looks fantastic!!

This is the last leg. It is starting to get hot out here!

See Fox Bike lap 4

CFox just rode by and said "she's feeling good!"

This is her last lap than off to the run!!

Sent from my iPhone

See Fox Bike & Yell " Mom!!"

Finishing up lap 3! She yells "Mom!!" as she rides by!

See Fox Bike lap 3!!

She's starting her third lap! She actually yelled out at us "update my
blog it's hard!" at least I think that's what she said?! She's making
it look easy though-she's all smiles!!

We even got a shout out from a TNT teammate of CFoxs "go Fox family"
as she rode by-we are here in force!

Sent from my iPhone

See Fox Tri Fan club!

Our shirts made by CFox's Mom!! Thanks Connie!

See Fox Bike 2

CFox finishing up lap 1 of 4! (see yellow bike-purple top)

See Fox Ride

Here is a pic of CFox as she is running with her bike to the
transition point...Here they are checked and hop on for the bike
portion!

See Fox Swim-here she is!!

CFox has been spotted in the water-she stopped and smiled and looking
strong! Off to the bikes.

See Fox Swim

Good morning!! Carrie Williams reporting from the 1st street bridge.
CFox is in the water and it us 7:45am!!

There's a group of family and friends all cheering her on! We're
wearing orange t-shirts made by Connie Fox, that say "see Fox Tri"!!!

More updates and pics to come...

See Fox toss and turn

Went to bed an hour ago. My mind is racing. If my feet move half as
fast tomorrow I will be pumped. Thanks for all the IMs, facebook posts
and emails!

Time to let brain settle. Already wrote out everything I have to do
when I wake up and at each transition. Now I just need sleep!

--
Sent from my mobile device

I'm racing to save lives! Please help me reach my goal of $4,500 by
making a tax deductible donation at:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/nattri09/cfox

See Fox prepped.

I'm packed and about to go to bed! Should be a good day to race
tomorrow! I have 4500 reasons to just keep moving and fully intend
to!

I want to thank everyone who has helped me get this far! I love you
all and will follow up shortly!

--
Sent from my mobile device

I'm racing to save lives! Please help me reach my goal of $4,500 by
making a tax deductible donation at:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/nattri09/cfox

See Fox Crushin! Blue Crushin that is...

Well I just went to Lounge 201 where Kait works and am happy to say I broke my vow to not drink anything until my race.  It only took me 12 hours.  I had like a drink and a half as part of a send off from my girls Kait and Kate and Jeff.  We talked about race day and what to expect and I drank lots of water.  When I got home the TV was on downstairs and BLUE CRUSH was on...at the very end when she is in the contest...one of the best kick ass motivation to be great and get fit and have fun and get a tan and be a total girl movies!

That is pretty much what me and Kate and Kait look like at open water swim...minus the boards that is.

I love it...and so I will consider it a perfect send off to Austin.  Good friends, good drinks, and good movie!

Oh no...it is coming on again and I need to finish packing!  boo.

More updates to come from Austin!

cfox

See fox Viva

I just thought of a better post name... And had to use it. I miss
carrie and my sisses and sal and my girls.

Thankful for the DC girls and laughing at the smell of pot

I'm not drunk. I promise. Coldplay just ran into stands. Standing
backwards on seayt

Loving life

--
Sent from my mobile device

I'm racing to save lives! Please help me reach my goal of $4,500 by
making a tax deductible donation at:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/nattri09/cfox

See fox sublimly happy

At a colplay concert with 3 other girls I've trained and played with thanks to team in training!!! I'm happy, surrounded with laughter, singing, and chris martain, and joy!

It happens more and more often these days where I stop myself and think 'my life is better because of team in training."

I wish so many people could be here with me to toast wine, down beer and jump up and down to yellow

Life is good and if you are reading this rest assured I miss you!!!

Gotta go lick Chris' face!

Cfox

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See Fox in the final stretch

By this time next week you will be getting a complete race update!  Yesterday I dropped off my bike at Conte's Bikes in Arlington, VA to be shipped.  I have been walking around with my pedals in my purse sense then!  I feel tough!

I think I am going to try to swim tonight at the group practice, and if that doesnt work maybe swim on my own at my nearby pool.  

Thursday I'm going to a coldplay concert with 3 other girls from training and then I get to pack on friday and leave for the airport at some ungodly hour in the morning!  Should be fabulous!

Also...I'm noticing that black nailpolish has taken the lead and that several of you are expecting my race time to be pretty fast...eek.  I'm posting a new poll now for the running portion!

Can't wait!!!!  Love you all and thanks again for the support!

cfox

See Fox's littliest fan...

Meet Isla P...she clearly is doing a lot of thinking about my upcoming race and is pumped like whoa!  Apparently she has been a little sick this morning, but managed to make it through the photo shoot looking cute as can be!  Hope you enjoy the pics as much as I do!

 

Visit my sisters blog here to learn more about the adventures of Isla, Aunt Livy (as her nephews call her) and Ash Ash (the puppy).

Love you sister and niece!  Wish I could hug you and kiss you and play dress up with Isla!

cfox

See Fox with a cool link...

I just got this email from kenny:

If you are not a Kings of Leon fan you should be and whether or not you are an OU fan or not it shouldn't matter. Wayman Tisdale was an inspiration to many people over the last 2 years with his battle with cancer and when it finally took his life on Friday KOL paid tribute to him druing their performance on the Tonight Show. Check out the link and read the short paragraph about it and then watch their performance.

See Fox stuffing envelopes

My Sunday was shot as a result of a very LONG Saturday night out.  I was at a crabfest fundraiser for a team member and it was sooo much fun.  I was hardly productive today but tonight after dinner with Kait I sat down and started writing cards and stuffing envelopes with the TNT bracelets I bought for everyone who donated.  You should be getting yours this week!  If you dont recieve it by Fri/Sat please let me know!  

My hand is tired and I dont think I've hand written so much since college...but it was fun to sit and send notes to everyone!

Love you all and appreicate your help.  When you get your bracelet please take a picture in it and send it to me (christinaffox@gmail.com) so I can post it to my page!  I'm going to put up a slide show soon!

Cancer Sucks,

cfox

See Fox Open Water Swim!!!

Well gang...we are close!  Today was my last team practice before the race.  We met at Sandy Point, MD.  Its a "beach" not far from the Chesapeak Bay bridge

At one point I thought I was getting motion sickness.  The swells were enough to leave me unstable and making sighting difficult...but it was fine.  And knowing that Town Lake in Austin will be much calmer helps.

After the swim we peeled our wetsuits off and cleaned up for a picnic and information meeting.  I got my flight info, all my tickets (and the tickets for Mom, Dale, Kenny, and Ryan to go with me to the Pasta dinner the night before) and of couse bike tags.

I drop my bike off tomorrow at an area bike shop to have it shipped to Austin, which means I dont have to ride until next weekend!  YES!

At lunch I found out that 2 more of my teammates are leukemia survivors.  Its pretty inspiring to swim with these women and see them fighting back.  Thanks to everyone who helped keep me in this.

I love you all...more to come,

cfox

.  

C Fox Tri mystery guest blogger coming soon!!

Who is this mystery guest blogger?? I have officially hacked in and am
ready to get started! Stay tuned for live updates on the big race
day!! 5-25-09.

Muuhahaha!

Sent from my iPhone

See Fox Succeed!

Thanks to some very thoughtful donations today I have reached my personal goal!  Michael Holmes put me at 4,500...and I think it was due to the fact that I decided to auction off my sweaty race day socks! Thanks Michael!

I just recieved the following letter:

Congratulations Christina!

Our records indicate that you have met the participant goal set on your fundraising page for your event, Capital of Texas Triathlon which will be held on May 25, 2009.

To date, you have raised $4,500.00.

We know that you set your sights high and went the extra mile to raise funds to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission. We thank you.

Since its founding in 1949, LLS has invested more than $600 million in blood cancer research. We fund more blood cancer research than all other voluntary health agencies.

An LLS-funded researcher developed Gleevec®, a pill for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). Now, more than 95 percent of newly diagnosed CML patients survive more than five years with a good quality of life. LLS was also instrumental in the development of Velcade®, a targeted treatment approved for patients with multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma.

In these tough economic times, charity could not be more important. Your determined fundraising will allow us to invest in our critical mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Thank you again for accelerating our lifesaving efforts.

Sincerely,

John Walter
President & CEO
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Thanks to everyone who helped me get here!!!!!  Of the 4 disciplines that TNT help coach their (tri)athletes through...fundraising is the scariest!  But at this point we are 1 down with 3 to go...time to swim, bike, run!

See Fox with more cheerleaders!

The Watsons (aka Watson and SWAT) both hilarious and fun...and Sarah Watson can kill you...if you don't keep an eye on how many times she fills up your martini glass!  Sneeky sneeky!  Love you both!
a

Seriously...you dont want to fight Sarah Clinton...she might look like a super model but she is tough!  Plus she is a super cute and fun friend!

i heart you Mrs. Deana....thanks!  And I can't wait to see you soon.  Send my love to the family!

See Fox run it out!

I ran tonight.  Only an hour.  I should have pushed for 90 minutes...but it was about 9 when I finally hit the treadmill tonight and I hadn't eaten and it didnt sound like a good idea.  I was trying to take care of a couple of things while running so I stopped occasionally to send a text or 2 to Carrie about our trip to Austin (so excited she, Justin, Kenny, and Ryan are coming).  

So I did 6 miles in an hour and felt good.  I've been hating the runs lately so it was nice to knock out a good run like today.  Would have been better for me to run outside but it was too late.  Debating another run in morning or maybe bike ride to make up for missing Wednesday.  We will see.  

My speed isn't fabulous, and I hope to emprove my endurance for the next race, but my recovery is pretty great and I'm feeling good.

11 Days and counting!

Also, tomorrow is last day to donate...I'm sooo close to my goal!  Please, donate if you haven't already!

cfox

P.S. Grays Anatomy was on the TV in the workout room and when Izzy and George died at the end I had to jump off for a sec...there's no crying on long runs!!!

See Fox's Suggestions

I know I keep begging for powersong suggestions so here are a few
randoms I'm listening to these days:

Hanging around - Counting crows
Avalanche Rock - The Avalanches
Babble - The cure
Contact - Jurassic 5
Motivational - The toadies
Our Time is Fading - Our Lady Peace
Feel Good inc. - Gorillaz (an all time favorite)
Burrito - Pete Yorn
Your Body is a Wonderland - John Mayer (random I know)
Posse In Effect - The Beastie Boys

I don't necessarily consider all of these to be powersongs, but they
work for maintaining the pace!

See Fox's badass friends...

Can you feel the force???

All the friends with their bracelets the night before the Remember the 10 race!

Ginny P my B.I.G (who is a great runner) and CFox...looks like she is on the brink of a giggle....wish I knew what we were talking about!

Duke (Allison's son) with CFox...ultimate mascot!

Robert being legit!

Bracelets are coming around!  Send in your pics!

Fwd: See Fox on the go...

Well I was up this morning with my standard 430 Tuesday alarm,
dressed-ate-and out the door by 5 am, and in the water by 5:30
kicking.

Today was an interesting practice. Lately I've been feeling really confident
about my swimming. I feel stronger and as a result faster but everyone
that is usually in my lane has already raced and so they aren't coming
to practice....so 2 of the swimmers who would normally be in lane 6
(meaning fast fast) bumpped down to my lane. Any confidence gained
this season was lost by the 2nd 150. They we're cruising and I was working harder than usual to keep up! My arms
were smoked 30 mins in and I was dreading the 500 meter final set at
race pace. I was able to hang with the cool kids for all the sets
until that final 500 where I let myself slide back a little. All in
all I haven't worked myself out in the pool like that in a long time.
So althought it was tough I feel like I got a great work out in.

I jumped out of the pool by 6:30 and hit the showers, washed my hair,
dressed and the girls and I were in the car headed to cap hill within
15 mins. I got home at about 5 after put some product on my soaking
curles and changed into travel/work clothes, laced my runners and was
out of the door by 7:20 to the train station. I'm going to be at BWI
for my flight to dallas by 8:20 and ona 9:20 flight. Its a big week
for work and I'll need to run everyday. I'm hoping to stay ontop my workouts but that might be tough. I land friday night back in DC and then have an open water swim practice early Saturday. If I can just make it there I should be good.

All my love and thanks for the support!
Cfox

--
Sent from my mobile device

I'm racing to save lives! Please help me reach my goal of $4,500 by
making a tax deductible donation at:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/txtri09/cfox

--
Sent from my mobile device

I'm racing to save lives! Please help me reach my goal of $4,500 by
making a tax deductible donation at:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/txtri09/cfox

See Fox Step Up!!!!

Yes...that is correct.  With only 2 weeks left I totally skipped practice.  If, however, there is an acceptable reason to skip I think I had it.  Tonight was the official kickoff meeting for Team Captains for next seasons Triathlon team...and my application was accepted by the National Captial Chapter of TNT to be a TC!!!  I'm really excited.  

I will have anywhere from 10 to 15 triathletes that I am charged with helping from now until race day.  We are training for Nation's Triathlon on September 13th 2009!  The entire course is in DC.  We swim in the Potomac, bike along the river and C&O canal, and run around the mall.  It will be a really fun course.  And a few of my friends from this season are also signed up to be a TC which will make it all the more fun!  My fundraising minimum is only $500 so it will be much easier to achieve.  This time however I have a training minimum.  In order to support the participants and make sure they have guidance and encouragement I have to be at a minimum of 75% of training practices.  It should prove to be great for my training!  I'm excited.  

For more information watch the really cool video on the right side of the screen on http://www.thenationstriathlon.com/home.html

And here is the course map (but a huge chunk of the bike doesnt fit the graphic)

Get excited for TNT and all the great work they are doing for cancer research and patient support!

Fundraising ends on FRIDAY!  Donate now!

cfox

See Fox Hungover....and headed to the pool.

I just want to state for the record that a good run is one way to cure a hangover...but swimming never helps.  At this point however I have no choice in the matter.  It is a swim day and I have to get in that water and I have to get this workout over with!  There will be pictures to come because last night was an all TNT group!  Lots of fun and lots of beers to be had by everyone!  Oh and Kait was our celebrity bartender...she is like my mom...Connie can make a meal out of anything in the fridge...Kait can make a shot out of anything!  

more h20 please!

lots of love.

cfox

See Fox Optimistic

"That's the thing about hope.  If I could do everything, there would be no reason to hope" - Michael J. Fox

See Fox with new powersongs! YESSS~!!!

Thanks to the new song suggestions from my team of supporters!  

Jamie Cohea Chisamore: Footloose! (excellent call)

Joe Pfeifer: No cars go by Arcade Fire (recognized this one as soon as I heard it and love it) Universal mind control by Common and Soulshine by Allman Brothers.  (also recommended a version by Govt Mule that I couldnt find on playlist.com but if you find it give it a go!)

Jami Hill-Smith: People who think they can by the waifs.  (It isnt on playlist, but I found it on iTunes and agree it is an anthem and totally reminds me of you, Jami)

April Hessenius:  Rise Above This by Seether (I didnt know this one but like it!)

Thanks guys for the suggestions and for the sweet notes that came with them!  Can't wait to see each of you again soon!

Keep them coming!!!  All suggestions welcome,

cfox

See Fox3000

I was running late to practice but got there with enough time to swim with Kait and Kate for a while.  Our workout was supposed to be a 30 minute swim but opted for a repeat of our 2700 meters workout from Tuesday since I had an hour.  It was a pretty tough swim and I wanted another crack at it.  About 2/3 through I had a quick break and decided to check my coaches math...and my practice was really a 3000 meter swim.  Which is 2x the distance of our race distance...so I felt good when I finished.  It was a workout.

It has been so rainy lately that I decided to wear my old chaco sandals to the pool and gave myself blisters on the bottom of my feet...the walk back sucked and my run is going to kill.  A little annoyed about that.

I stopped to grab some treats at the market around the corner and passed some donuts!!!  I was tired and HUNGRY and almost bought one...but saw an article in Shape about 6 months ago that said it takes a full hour of yoga to work off HALF a donut!  I couldn't waste my entire morning swim on one lousy donut...damnit...got home made scrambled eggs (light on the yoke), whole grain english muffin with crunchy peanut butter, an apple, and a cup of vanilla yogurt!  I'm much happier than if I had a donut...but it still sounds good.

much love peeps!  

Keep sending your powersongs, pennies, and support!

cfox

See Fox Satisfied.

I made it to the gym.  It was drizzing on me the whole way there.  I felt like I pushed a pretty good pace the whole way dispite being totally exhausted.  As soon as I got there I said hi to a couple of friends and jumped on the bike and got to cranking.  About 45 minutes into my workout Kait finished with hers and parked it on the bike next to me to chat and catch up.  Lots of planning for girls night Thursday, Coldplay concert this summer, upcoming Tri races.  Its shaping up to be a great summer already...just need a little sun!

I streched a little and left after 60 mins on the bike...I had to stop to get dinner on the way home and had a great chat withkait along the way ...it was raining on us the whole way back...but once I sat down and started to eat there was got one good crack of lightning and thunder...it rattled the fireplace!  It was soooo satisfing to here the familiar old sound of the Oklahoma Thunderstorm...even if it only lasted 15 seconds.

Now I'm catching up on emails and getting ready to hit the hay.  Gotta get up for swimming in less than 7 hours and still need to get at least 15 minutes of core work in...I hate situps/crunches.

much love...enjoy my view from my walk home...continue to send powersongs, pennies, and support...

cfox

PS.  dinner was from Burrito Brothers and i got yummy tacos in corn tortillas and OMG they were good...but not nearly as good as Blazin Peppers in Tulsa!

See Fox Procrastinate

I haven't been getting very good sleep lately...so I decided to sleep in today.  I worked through lunch and now I have to go work out.  But...I don't want to.  I mean I want to, but it is rainy and windy and yucky out there....and I'd rather order thai food and watch Wednesday night TV...and I don't even know what comes on tonight.  

Kenny Ginn suggested a new addition to my powersong list.  Its queued up to play first.  Ryan Adams is pretty fabulous.  If it weren't raining and if my ipod was juiced I'll start my run with that.  Instead it will have to wait.  Thanks for the suggestion, Kenny.  That's a great one.

Procrastination.

seriously! ok. gotta lace up my runners...training in memory/honor of/celebration of way to many people to take my health for granted for another second.

See Fox's Inspiration

Here is the speach my friend Kait gave at the St A's Tri in Florida a couple of weeks ago.  She was one of the survivors who spoke to all the athletes and their families!  Very inspiring...

A friend once asked me, if I had the chance what would I say to cancer? God, could you imagine… I hate you. You made me hurt, bald, fat and sad. You took what should’ve been some of the happiest times in my life and made me hang out in a chemo wing instead. You made my mom and dad cry, my brothers worry, my friends scared. What did I ever do to you? Why me? Of course I would say all of those things... cancer is a horrible disease and chemo is an even worse experience. However, I would also say HA! right in cancer’s face. HA! I beat you. take that you big nasty bully. I fought you and I won. Nah nah nah. HA! I do triathlons now, you beep!! What do you think about that, cancer? Scared of ME yet?!

In January 2007 I had a cough… just a normal winter cold, nothing to worry about. A girlfriend developed a similar cough and was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Since I was exposed to her I had to go get tested as well… that cool little bubble test, and due to direct exposure, a chest x-ray. The bubble came back clean, but the chest x-ray was abnormal. In an AWESOME example of bedside manner, I was told “its either a shadow or cancer.. we have to do some more tests and figure it out.” No way its cancer, I remember thinking. Stupid doctor, getting me totally freaked out about a shadow. It couldn’t be cancer - I was too young. I was just getting started in my big political career in Washington, DC. I was too cute, too fun, a good girl who went to church and was a freaking athlete! – I couldn’t be sick.

Well, it was cancer. I was diagnosed with stage II large B cell medistinal non hodgkins lymphoma.

I was 24 years old.

I had an apple sized tumor in between my lungs and I was officially, INCREDIBLY scared. But the way I saw it.. .I had 2 choices. #1. I could sit in a corner, curl up in the fetal position and make everyone cater to and worry about me. Or, #2 I could channel Lance Armstrong – embrace my new status as a cancer warrior, fight, win, thrive and become a cancer advocate. Well, here I am competing with all of you tomorrow, so I think it’s pretty obvious which road I chose.

When I was diagnosed, I felt like I needed to be armed with some pretty heavy stuff to fight this disease. Being the techno-savvy, young professional I am, I immediately turned to… google. It was FRIGHTENING to learn that I had a 63% chance of surviving my first year, and less than 50% of making it through 5 years; that the type of cancer I had was normally diagnosed in those in their mid 60s; and that it was known to be pretty aggressive. In addition, I learned that 564,830 Americans are expected to die of cancer this year. Do the math. That’s more than 1500 people a day.

1500 a day.

That is more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis COMBINED! Oh, yeah...I was going to be fine.

Cancer is the SECOND most common cause of death in the US, exceeded only by heart disease. In fact, the scariest statistic I learned was that cancer is THE leading disease killer among 20-39 year olds. Well… that was enough. I turned google off.

Unfortunately, my family—like yours, I’m sure—is all too familiar with cancer. My brothers and I returned home for Christmas in 2005 to find my parents calling a family meeting. My mom had found a lump in her breast around thanksgiving. She had gone through a biopsy and would be starting treatment for breast cancer the following week. They sat us down, very matter of factly, and explained: that this was what we were going to do; this is the impact it would have; and this was how we could all help. My mom is an incredible woman—definitely an inspiration to watch. She is a doctor, an anesthesiologist, and continued to work during her treatment. She would work Monday through Friday, and take off Friday afternoon to get treatment so she had the weekend to recover. She inspired us, her friends, her work colleagues, and the community. It is because of her that I signed up to do my first true endurance event – the avon 40 mile walk for breast cancer – and when I first found my calling as a cancer advocate.

What can I say? I am my mother’s daughter. When I was diagnosed, I immediately got ready for battle. I had blood drawn, a bone marrow biopsy – which, let’s not sugarcoat it, is the MOST painful thing in the world—and mapped out a plan. My parents flew down from Maine, we met with my oncologist and agreed that we weren’t messing around – be aggressive! B-E aggressive was our motto. I immediately started chemo – spending every 3^rd Monday at the GW Cancer Center from 8:30-4:30, and back at work on Tuesday. I made friends, gave my nurses a hard time about taking steroids (as I was a vain, 24 year old and they were making me gain weight), and argued with my doctor about everything - being able to ride the metro, go to the gym, kiss my boyfriend… They became my support system. I could make the bald jokes, complain about wanting to go out to the bar with my friends for a beer instead of sitting at home watching American idol with a diet coke, and relate to them and their stories. Yes, this was a tough time in my life. As a young person, living alone in a city far away from home, I was already struggling to understand who I was and what I wanted. But please do not feel sorry for me. I believe I was the lucky one. I had a chance to learn life lessons that many my age simply will not encounter. I understand now just how important it is to not stress the small stuff, how crucial it is to fight for what you believe in, and how precious every day truly is.

I am the lucky one.

So… that’s my story. I got sick, I fought… and I won. I will celebrate my 2 year remission at the end of June.

I wanted to provide you with some background so you understood why I’m doing this. I need to prove to myself, not to mention to my family and friends, that I am “normal” again. I AM healthy, I can complete a triathlon and I will do well in that triathlon. I will not give up, and neither will you. You will hit that wall during the bike, where you legs and ass just burn so much that you think muscles might snap due to how tight they are. You may swallow a mouthful of water or get kicked during the swim. But you will not give up. You will not, because I am ahead of you, a beacon for you to follow. Or, I am behind you, inching up slowly but surely, and lord knows you don’t want to be passed by the cancer kid. Or (if you’re really lucky!) I’m right beside you.

You’ll know it’s me because -- as many of my teammates can attest to – I’ll be singing along, loudly, with whatever random song got stuck in my head that morning, trying to pace myself, and – seriously-- I’m too much fun to be around for you to not keep pace with me. So to quote Jimmy V, former college basketball coach and cancer advocate “don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”

Cancer is a horrible, nasty disease that is simply affecting too many people. All of us have a friend, a relative, a neighbor or a coworker who has been affected in some way. I am incredibly relieved that I was able to battle through and beat this terrible disease. Although I recently received results that my latest CT scan was CLEAN, I live in constant fear that the disease will return and I will have to find the strength, again, to fight. One of the reasons I continue to do triathlons with Team in Training is not only to prove to friends and family that I am STILL healthy, but because it is hard to be fearful of this disease when I have my own personal army fighting to find a cure. I am going to fight you, cancer – with every stroke, pedal and strike. I am going to push harder every time just so you know how serious I am. Game on, Cancer! Bring it! I have an army behind me!

If I have learned one thing over the past few years, it is that life is far too short to be fearful of what the future “might” have in store for me. I am determined to live my life one day at a time, and to continue to give back to all the cancer advocacy groups who have provided me with support, knowledge, and scarves during my treatment. As my friend Dan, a fellow young cancer advocate who recently lost his courageous battle, used to say, “life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” Well, this is how I am reacting. I am fighting back, regaining my strength, and preparing for the next battle.

As you all know, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s primary goal is to find a cure for blood cancers. As a blood cancer survivor, I want to thank you—all of you—for all that you have done, are doing, and will do. Each of us in this room has raised funds to combat these horrific diseases. What else can I say… other than thank you. Thank you for being good and wonderful people; for taking time out of your already busy schedules to train, host fundraisers, and do all the terrific things that you do, in the name of finding a cure for blood cancers and helping all those whom cancer affects. I recently found out that one of the drugs included in my chemo cocktail, Rituximab, which is an important antibody that targets the CD20 antigen on B cells (B lymphocytes) was found through a Leukemia Lymphoma Society funded research project. YOU helped me survive, and I THANK YOU.

Tomorrow morning, when the butterflies hit your stomach, and your brain starts asking “what the hell were you thinking?!” … Remember that you have trained, you have persevered, and you WILL flourish. 5 months ago you signed up to challenge yourself and assist with an important cause. Tomorrow you get to reap your rewards and become HEROES. And don’t forget… the hard part is already over! no more 5am swim practices without lane lines, no more cold Saturday morning rides. You are here, and tomorrow you WILL be amazing. Regardless of whether you are in front of me or behind me, know that I am by your side. I am cheering you on.

Thank you.

2 quick shout outs if I have time:

1. My teammate, Dan Poneman, who as of Thursday morning had raised over $18,000 on behalf of Arnie’s Army for LLS. Thank you Dan.

2. To my fellow honored teammate Cris Otepka and his wife Noel. Congratulations mom and dad!! I can’t wait to meet Baby O in less than 6 months! I am so happy for you both

See Fox Happy to be back!

This morning was the first practice I have had in several week with my teammates.  The girls who traced in the St.A's Tri are back and rested and decided to keep swimming with me!  Some of them are doing more Tri's throughout the year, 1 girl is getting ready for her wedding and is happy to have good workouts and motivation...but ultimately I think that they agree that Tuesday morning swim practice is tough (especially waking up at 4:30, but we have a lot of fun doing it.

This morning there were only 12 people at practice...which means we each split a lane.  It was really nice.  I split mine with Kait who is fast and was never on the same set as me, but always is fun to swim with...lots of quick laughs and motivation to kick harder to the wall.  Gimmy was next to me on the other side of the lane ropes and our coach said it looked like we were doing synchronized swimming.  She is great to swim with because we have pretty similar paces.  

Here are some things I was considering during set 3: 600m of Free at an RPE of 6 or 7:

1.  I'm pretty OC about swimming with little rituals.

2.  I breath every 3 strokes

3.  As I rock to the side and breathe my feet overlap and I tap my ankles together.

4. Pushing off the wall sets the tone for the entire 25.  If I don't get a good push I'm grumpy until I get to the other end and can push off again.

5.  If I surface for my first breath and stroke before the first set of flags I'm disappointed and annoyed.  This should only prove to work against me in the race...no walls in the middle of lake Austin to push off.

6.  I am horrible at tracking my distance.  I have to focus on the count of every 50...but I typically am confused about how much I finish and have to ask the girls I'm with to confirm how far along I am.  Gimmy makes fun of me regularly for this!

7.  My friend Kait and I usually get music stuck in our head and "under the sea" from the Little Mermaid is one of her favorites that I now find myself singing.

8.  Getting music in my head is never good.  I can tell I swim faster when I actually pay attention to my stroke and not singing to myself.

9.  I always take my cap off to swim my last 50 of cool down.  It just reminds me of being a kid and playing in the pool...

10.  I love swimming!  I'm so scared of the open water swim because it is going to be so much harder than just swimming a 1500 meter swim indoors....but I love swimming so I'm excited!

So thankful Kate wanted to go to practice this morning and drove the rest of us.  It made me happy to see them all again!  Thanks Kate!

Keep the encouragement, powersongs, and pennies coming!

cfox

See Fox Force Five

Last week my training was completely derailed.  I was on the road for business Wednesday through Friday and didn't really get any training in.  Thursday night I found out that my sister was going to be induced on Friday morning so I changed my flight home and headed straight to Denver to meet my niece!  It was so great to be there and to meet, hold, smell, and kiss my baby niece Isla!  My mom and sister Sarah were able to get there Thursday night and help Becky though the entire labor and deliver and everything went very well.   (Pictured above: Middle sister Sarah, oldest sister Becky, newest fox girl Isla, Grandma "Ina" Connie, and me right before we went home on Isla's second day here!)

Momma Ortyl with Isla P right after delivery!  They both look great and are very happy!

Could she be any cuter???  I didn't think so either!

It was great to be there, but the trade off was that I missed my practice Tri and missed several practices.  Don't worry, however, this weekend will more than make up for it!  

More info to come...if you want to see more on Isla or hear more stories check out my sister's blog at babyortyl.blogspot.com...she is a cute blogger!

Thanks again for all the love and sport and don't forget to donate!

cfox

FW :Baby Ortyl

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