Scott's Training Log and Notes for May 11 – May 17

Five days to go until race day! I’m feeling pretty excited and a wee bit nervous. After another good week of training, today (Monday 17th) I put it all together with a “practice tri” on the race route. After a slow and steady start in the pool I had a solid ride on the bike. I even got up out of the saddle and attacked the hill at 7 miles, something I could not have done a few weeks ago. The ride to run transition was painful -- there’s definitely a reason why triathletes refer to transitions as “bricks” – but I eventually settled into a steady pace and finished feeling pretty good. It’s a huge confidence booster to know that I can string all three parts of the tri together, and barring any accidents or mechanical breakdowns on the bike leg I feel fairly sure I can finish the race. Some people have asked me why I am doing this triathlon, and since this is probably my last blog entry, I’d like to recap what my reasons are. First, I’m racing because I want to raise awareness of the fantastic Fit to Fight program that got me started on the road to doing this triathlon. I can’t say enough good things about Fit to Fight and the people who run it. However, right now the whole thing is dependent on support donated from Peak Fitness and Alpine Physical Therapy. If Fit to Fight can get some funding, then more people can take part and get the kind of benefit that I and all the other Fit to Fight alumni have received. Secondly, I want to send a message to people living with cancer that, even during treatment, you can set and achieve fitness goals. For me, the goal these last few months has been to finish this triathlon; for someone with more serious side effects just walking to the end of the block and back may be a huge achievement. The goal itself is less important than the fact that you set the goal and achieve it, because when you do that you are drawing a line in the sand and saying to cancer: “You cannot beat me. I will go on living my life on my terms”. From my own perspective, reclaiming much of the strength and fitness that cancer and cancer treatment took away from me has been immensely satisfying. Notwithstanding the physical limitations that chemotherapy places on my body, I’m probably as fit now as I have been since I was in my twenties and I am really proud of having achieved that. Finally, I am racing in honor of my sister Mandy, my mother Irene, my godmother Constance, and my grandmother Frances, all of whom were taken from me by cancer. I love them all, I miss them terribly, and on Saturday I will race with each of them in my heart.