First Week on the Horizon

The first week of training has arrived. Saturday AM @ 8am was the Group Run at Central Park at Engineers Gate. There were about 150 people there. There are old people and young kids from all walks of life. There are three professional Triathlon coaches who are awesome..and always wear spandex. One of the coaches, Scott, who has been training the Lymphoma Leukemia Society endurance events for a number of years announced in the beginning that his father had just been diagnosed with Lymphoma last week...so it was a touching moment and I am sure difficult for him. There is no shortage of reasons to get motivated at 8am hung over in the cold.

Check out this picture from last year's swim in the Hudson. I'm just hoping there aren't any of these creatures this summer.

http://www.nysun.com/new-york/spotlight-on-jellyfish-after-the-triathlon/82356/








Let me know if anyone has a roadbike that they don't use anymore that I can borrow till July. I currently have a mountain bike and this is not ideal for the race. My dad is about 5 inches taller than me (thanks a lot dad) so I can't use his bike (and I get my shot blocked in the lane). We won't start riding outside till end of March so I have some time to figure this out.


Thanks again to everyone who has donated. The support is really really appreciated. And everytime I meet with the group from LLS I gain confidence that your money is going to the best possible place to cure blood cancer. In fact, at the kickoff presentation last Wednesday, a number of "honored teammates" spoke. There is a man who just finished chemo treatments two years ago and has been racing triathlons ever since he found out..along with a number of other people with similar stories. It is really an amazing thing.

Please everyone feel free to write comments. I heard some concerns over the weekend from my friends ( rhymes with Schmalbee Schmarcia ) that they are concerned to post inappropriate comments on the blog because Arlene might read it. Please don't worry about this, Arlene is still crafting her computer skills, it should be a few more years before she is fully functional behind the keyboard. And just to get the ball rolling, a friend (name rhymes with Schmaniel Schmoels), enacted a motion to make my blog an extended forum for the Dmills Bashing Association Blog...so in that light, I'd just like to announce that, at sunday night Dalton School bball, I will be guarding DMills instead of the Bahamian-by-Weekend All Star, and any elbows from the Large Man will be met by spin move arm hooks.

Thanks again everybody. I love you all. You're the best. And check back in a few days, I'll be posting some pictures.






Miscellaneous Notes: I am going to keep this section down on the bottom for un-triathlon, friend-related type stuff - and kind of like the "news and notes" section for all of you SI readers.........shout out to the crew still in AA doin their thing in Acapulco right now..chucks, bmills, schloss(who I would bet ten bucks does the tri next year)...I get this text from Benji Mills, who extended his trip in Pulco, about how he should get a look for next years Urban Professionals/Maccabi throwback City BBall team - "Call me Shuttlesworth, I may be unemployed but ill give neone work"...................Michigan hoops team disappoints Sunday afternoon. We looked terrible. Color commentator, boxer, and Nets "legend" Kendall Gill says we need to take at least two games in the big ten tourney just to have a shot at dancing in a few weeks. I agree.

Eric's Triathlon

New York City Triathlon

WOW! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. The minimum funding I needed to enter the race was $2,500 and I was able to meet that in less than a week. This is really a testament to all of my friends and family who couldn't be more supportive. I set a new "personal" goal of $5,000. I don't expect to reach it, but I am convinced the money is going to such a good cause that I'm throwing it out there. ALSO, because this website is not very conducive to blogging (and posting funny pictures, which i will be doing), I am going to create a separate website and I will post the link on this address in a few days. Keep checking back. Thanks again everyone!

Eric
2/23/09

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Welcome to my Summer '09 NYC Tri Blog!

I'm training to race in the Nautica 2009 Triathlon for the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The program raises money to help find a cure for leukemia,lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma. The idea came to me sometime in the dead of the freezing winter when I usually get bored. So I decided I needed to add some kind of challenge to my life. I started training for the Brooklyn Half Marathon coming up May 31st. I was chatting with my buddy Zach Lamberg (BLC) and he told me that he was thinking about competing in the NYC Triathlon. I immediately decided that sounded like a crazy idea and I wanted in.

After a little more inquiry, I found out that the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has a really great program where a whole bunch (i think 500 something) people raise money for LLS and they take you through an intense 5 month group training program to prepare for the race. As you all know, I had to run this crazy idea by the CEO, Arlene, and after a little conversation, we realized this was a great way to honor my Grandma, Selma Cohen, and keep a part of her alive in our lives in a real way. Grandma Selma passed away when I was ten of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. I have very few memories of my Grandma. My mother says she was a no nonsense, straight talking, beautiful woman , just like my mom! So, in honor of my Grandma Selma, I am going to dedicate the race to my Grandma. Starting March 1st, I will be running, biking, and swimming while honoring and remembering my Grandma Selma.

I know these are really tough times financially. So I am asking my friends only for the minimum donation. In turn, I will entertain you over the next 5 months by keeping a sort of diary blog of my work-outs and progress along with some social commentary that will probably be really silly and everyone can make fun of me for. Good times for all! And, on July 26th, you can watch me swim in the most disgusting water in the world (Hudson River) and ride a bike wearing spandex. I think it should be worth the donation.

A few notes about the race itself: .90 mile swim in the Hudson starting on West 96th Street, 25 Mile Bike ride up to the Bronx and back to Central Park, and a 6.2 mile run around Central Park.
Thanks for visiting the blog! I will keep the blog updated at least weekly with my training progress and probably other miscellaneous things that I think are entertaining! Feel free to post comments, make fun, etc. Thanks to all my friends and family for supporting a good cause. I really really appreciate it!!

Best,
Eric
2/18/09