"We Love Adversity"

Sandwiched between the long course duathlon in Cary last weekend, and the Knoxville half-marathon this weekend, this was a challenging week for Team P-11. Not only did we have to deal with training in inclement weather, but we suffered our first injury of the season. Here's the backstory.

I am taking a swim class at the gym and was sharing a lane with a more experienced swimmer who was doing flip turns. In the middle of a drill, she flipped into my head, puncturing my left ear drum. I tried to swim on, thinking I just got my bell rung and could swim through it. Alas, it got worse instead of better. Therefore, as much as it pains me to admit, I sought medical treatment at the ER. Doctor verified a punctured ear drum and advised no swimming until cleared by and Ear, Nose, and Throat doc, which I will see on Monday. Suspect I'll be out of the pool for a few days and will probably be a couple of months before I can hear again. No worries, I couldn't hear that well to begin with. Biggest worry is that I can ill afford to miss any swim sessions, as I'm staring at two tri's in the next 5 weeks with a mile swim leg each. I'll have to resort to survival swimming techniques taught during plebe year at West Point to get through them.

When Eric and I were discussing the setback, he says "we love adversity". While its a nuisance to ride or run in the rain, or play through a minor injury, these adversities are nothing compared to what cancer patients deal with. That's why we're doing this - to raise money and awareness for the Lance Armstrong Foundation in order to help cancer patients fight the disease and Live Strong, just like Tim did for 11 years.

Push yourselves hard this weekend. Relish the adversity and remember, there are folks out there who aren't just practicing how to deal with pain, they're in the middle of a fight for the lives. Beat Navy. Out.