What I'm Up To This Fall - A 70.3, Lots of Running and a Special Cause

Wow, first of all I can't believe it's almost fall! Where did the summer go?! This weekend is Labor Day already. That being said, it's time for me to wrap up triathlon season.  Unfortunately I ended up missing out on a couple key weeks of training due to an illness but this week I am back on track. It ended up being a pretty good season and I am hoping to end it with a shiny, new 70.3 half PR (fingers crossed) at Rev3 Cedar Point. This is my favorite race of the year and I am always both happy to race and sad to see it pass. I am excited to see my teammates and the awesome Rev3 staff and am hoping for nice weather as with the last couple of years. Rumor has it that it may be a hot one.

Next up it's time to focus on running and running and running. With the inaugural Lake Health Northern Ohio Marathon in October and the Bills Badass 50K (BBA50K) Ultramarathon following in November I need to log some serious miles! With the 70.3 training I have not been logging as many running miles as ideal for the marathon and I am sure my performance will reflect that. I think I'll hold off on trying for that old BQ this fall and save it up for spring. My goal is really just to use it as a training run now for BBA50K.

With BBA50K being my first ultra I am both excited and nervous! I've never run more than 26.2 so this will be a big deal for me and I also feel like trail running is physically tougher than road running so my real goal is just to finish without any injuries. And my other goal is to raise awareness and money for brain cancer. On May 15 of this year I lost my 27-year-old cousin Danielle (affectionately known to many as "Smoxy") to brain cancer. Danielle was passionate about fighting cancer and she fought it long and hard for seven years. In recent years she had become very involved with an organization called First Descents, which raises funds to send young cancer survivors on life-changing retreats. First Descents became like a second family to Danielle. It only makes sense to help raise funds to help send more young cancer survivors to First Descents camps. Your donation - no matter what the amount is so very important and appreciated. To donate click the link here.

So that's what I am up to this fall. I know it won't be easy but it certainly won't be as difficult as fighting cancer! Stay tuned for updates.