The Goal: An Olympic Triathlon

1 mile swim - 24 mile ride - 6 mile run... IN SUCCESSION.

You may be wondering why anyone in their right mind would even consider putting themselves through such torture. I initially became interested in triathlons last year for a few different reasons:

1. Wedding Dress... what better way to get in shape and look great for my October wedding?
2. Camaraderie... Two of my favorite gals (PamPam and Crystal) agreed to train for the TRI with me, so it was a great way for us to bond and push each other to reach our common goal
3. I am always up for a good CHALLENGE.

Unfortunately, we didn't get too far with our training. After Pam moved out of state and the Tempe Town Lake drained before our September tri, our training efforts were put on hold indefinitely.

It wasn't until I heard about Kallie's story in early January that I found a renewed motivation to once again begin training. With every blog entry that I read about Kallie and her incredible fight against cancer, my heart would melt and ache all at once. I felt utterly helpless. I purchased a Kallie Tribe tag to show my support. I shared Kallie's blog link on my FB page in hopes that others would be moved to show their support as well. But I still felt like there was more that I could do...

And that's when I came up with my grand plan. What if I were to set out to complete this personal challenge of a triathlon and dedicate my efforts to helping this little girl in need? And not just help her in a financial sense, but also help her in an emotional and spiritual sense. I am a big believer in the power of positive thinking... imagine the possibilities that we could create for this amazing little girl if we could collectively send her positive thoughts and keep her in our prayers!

So over the next several months, I'll be sharing my journey and keeping you informed about Kallie's progress. I humbly ask you to do three things:

• Please consider making a donation to my TRI for Kallie fund
• Please share this blog with your friends and family. SPREAD THE WORD!
• Please keep little Kallie in your thoughts... keep sending positive energy her way so that she can beat this illness and make a full recovery.

Thanks for your support and stay tuned for more fun details as I go from a volleyball playing nerd (see exhibit A) to a world-class triathlete (see exhibit B). ;)

Exhibit A - Veronica Corningstone

Exhibit B - Jessi Stensland (former pro triathlete)

Please Support My Cause

Welcome to my TRI for Kallie fundraising page!



Earlier this year I learned about one of Alex's 4th grade classmates who is courageously battling brain cancer (http://humantribeproject.com/tribes/kallie). Kallie was diagnosed with brain cancer in September of 2010. Part of her cancerous tumor was removed that same month, and she began chemotherapy treatment in October. She has experienced many complications and setbacks along the way including septic shock and a leg amputation, but Kallie is still fighting!!! She continues to surprise and amaze her doctors and family with her incredible will to survive.

I have been so touched and inspired by this amazing little girl that I am setting out to tackle my first ever triathlon in support of Kallie and her fight against cancer. I ask that you please consider making a meaningful donation to my cause to help Kallie and her family with her ongoing medical care. I've set up a PayPal account just for this cause, so all you have to do is send your donation to the following email: TRIforKallie@gmail.com 100% of your donations will go straight to Kallie - I'm even going to cover any fees that PayPal imposes for the transactions, so you can rest assured that ALL of your donation is going to go to Kallie and her family.

Thank you for taking this bold step today for Kallie and her fight against cancer! Stay tuned for more updates about my TRI training, too. ;)