Cindy Present | Get Out Girl

Countdown to Ironman Kona has begun. Thirteen Weeks. That's going to be almost 400 miles of running, 65 swimming, and over 2,200 of cycling (eek! really??) And knowing me, probably about 6.5 yeast infections (sorry, but it's true ;-) And if you're my friend Justyne, and counting, should be about 227,500 calories taken in - minimally! But wait! This isn't about the have to's and must do's - is it?? Well, I just realized for the past 6 weeks it has been, but it shouldn't be. I just got my jolt. It's time to get fired up and ready. For the right reasons. For about 6 weeks I've focused on the first paragraph. What it's going to take, the schedule I'm going to have to create, the juggling I'm going to have to pursue, and the job I'm going to have to do to "get 'er done". That doesn't sound like ANY FUN! Then why the heck am I doing it?!? Because I can. I am able. I will become stronger because of it - mentally an

On April 15 I was stunned and brought to tears to hear of the Boston bombings - as it had been less than 48 hours that I had aborted my trip to run the marathon. Why? It just didn't 'feel right' to go. There was something that was saying not to go. Then two weeks ago I was stunned again, but in a different way, when I heard one of our friends was for a third time going to have to undergo a stem cell transplant to battle cancer. Why? How? Life was humbling me left and right with things that I had no control over. But what I do have control over is how I use my time. Four years ago Steve and I committed to participate in The Flatwater Foundation's Dam That Cancer event, a 21 mile stand and paddle from Mansfield Dam to Tom Miller Dam on Lake Austin. The event would raise funds to support wellness programs for families and individuals battling cancer. When I heard founder, Mark Garza, tell us how paddleboarding and counseling basically kept his sanity and steadfastn