Iron Girl 2014

(Why yes, I'm back...and trying to catch up with my posts via backdating. So, while it is actually May, 2015, I'm pretending that I wrote this after it actually happened. Just to keep the timeline intact).

Throughout this process I had a few "goals" of things that I wanted to do when I was FINISHED with all the doctors and hospitals and scans and treatments. Events that were marked on the calendar, which I would get a little closer to each day. One of those things was the Iron Girl sprint triathlon. 

I admittedly registered only a few months after my last active treatment/surgery, with the "no worries, I'll get in shape for it later" mentality. And it's possible that I suckered some friends into joining me.

So, if you ever want the Procrastinator's Guide to Sprint Triathlon Training, I'm your gal! Because 3 weeks before the event, I was seriously wondering if I was going to be able to pull this off. I had quickly determined that I would be walking the "run" portion as my knees just were not up to the task. But...I also have a pathological fear of the water...and cannot actually swim. Hmmm, how in the world did I think I was going to pull off an open-water swim, even if it was only 1/4 of a mile. (Or maybe it was 1/3 of a mile. I forget at this point...any distance at all was pretty frightening).

Well, long story short, I completed the Iron Girl triathlon!!! And I'll not post here how I managed to actually stay afloat since it miiiiiight have been a rule violation. Shhhh, it's our secret.

But I owe an immense THANK YOU to my friends who jumped into the ring with me. And talked me down from the ledge when I had not one, but two, panic attacks during the swim. In the end I can say that it was FUN! And I completed it with very little training, so I promise you that you can too! I cried just a little when I crossed the finish line could hear the announcer/DJ guy say, "Shauna Yusko, you're about to finish your first Iron Girl triathlon. And you're a cancer survivor. WAY TO GO!" I get a little teary now just typing this. 

Training bike ride to see if we could do the 12 mile distance without dying. Now, we picked the hottest day of the year I think to attempt it, but we survived. This picture, however, was taken before we started...you wouldn't have wanted to see the "after" photo.

It's getting real! Race bib pick up!

YAY! We finished! Here's to friends who come back to the finish line to watch you cross!