Epilogue

I am so glad it is over.  Check this one off the bucket list.    The experience with my TNT team-mates was great;  I feel like I've made two new friends.  I met my objectives of stay safe, have fun, and cross the finish line.    What is my take-away, aside from new friends?

I was very disappointed in my swimming in the event.  My swim took five more minutes than my very conservative goal.    The many many hours in the pool did not translate to better performance in open water.   I got off to a bad start in a pack of people who were flailing around, kicking me, stopping and starting.   I do think this is the norm in a start but it really threw me off.    I never got my breathing regularized.   So I did everything I could to continue to make forward progress---freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, side stroke, whatever to keep going.  I swam the course but it wasn't pretty.    If I ever do another triathlon,  I will need to figure this out.  I'd love to do an Olympic Triathlon which is double the length of everything in the Sprint Tri.  Just not sure how to improve in open water.   There is a triathlon group in Savannah, very serious people, who swim in open water once or twice a week just to continually improve this part.   I am too intimidated to work out with those guys at this point.   This needs more thought....   I did workout in the pool last night, my first time in the water since Iron Girl.   I hope to keep up lap swimming.  Luv it.

I told my TNT buddies that I won't be doing any fall events with them.  I took some grief that I am not signing up for the Tugaloo Triathlon but am just not ready for the swim challenge.   So,  I just might sign up for the Savannah Rock-n-Roll Marathon in early November, but just to do the 1/2 Marathon.   All the Rock-n-Roll Marathons are quite the happening so I hear.  SAV had its inaugural event last year and broke records for numbers of people in first year.  

Thank you to everyone who contributed to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through TNT.   You are making a difference in blood cancers and research that is improving cancer treatment for many other cancers too.

Interesting facts:
Blood cancer research is a particularly good research vehicle - of the 39 new cancer drugs approved by the FDA since 2000, 19 were approved as treatments for blood cancer patients. All 19 are being tested for patients with other diseases and five have been approved for patients beyond those for whom they were first developed.
Many of these treatments are considered "orphans" by the pharma companies.  Without private contributions,  a lot of this research would not have happened.   TNT has raised over $1 billion since its inception.   Thank you.   Thank you.

I am never forgetting the Mission Moment!