It's been far too long!

Hi everybody, I'm sorry to have taken so long to post on this! Perhaps nobody's even really going to read it anymore, but I do have some writing to do, if for nobody but myself.

It's been 7 WEEKS since my first triathlon, and my, how time flies. Since I last wrote, I've had an amazing 7 weeks full of adventure, sport, and challenge, and have pushed myself farther than I'd ever thought I'd go. More than anything, it has really, truly been in part due to the sheer mountain of moral support I've received. I have been so humbled and flattered by how many people read my blog, how many people congratulated me, and how many people have simply given me their vote of confidence. These acts alone have given me so much strength and drive to continue on and I don't think I could do it without you all behind me.

To Amalia and Liz - both of you completely flattered me by sharing your newfound goals with me. I wish you both the best and I know you'll do great! Just remember to keep putting one foot in front of the other...as long as the mind has it, the body will eventually catch up. I am so happy I could inspire some athletic goals in the both of you.

The recap:
Donner Lake Triathlon, 7/17/05: DONE!
Details will follow in the next blog post, but the writing sample is this:
"Absolutely the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. 8 hours later, I was already looking ahead to next year. :-)"

Trans Tahoe Relay, 7/23/05: DONE!
One of the most fun weekends I've ever had, and I can't imagine a better group of women (and some of their significant others) to spend it with. Pictures can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/strejo/sets/640443/. Team Tequila Goggles swam the 11-mile width of Lake Tahoe as a group and had a fabulous time doing it. I'll do a short write-up of this one as well.

Donner Lake Swim, 8/6/05: DONE!
This was my second year for swimming Donner, and I loved it even more. I can't wait to go back and do it again. What a beautiful lake. It was an amazing weekend, but the swim itself - well that just rocked my world. I think this picture shows just how happy I was. :-)

"So what's next, Sarah?"
Well, glad you asked. Here's the remaining season schedule:
8/21/05: Tour d'Organics 65 mile ride through Sebastopol/Santa Rosa
9/18/05: Tri for Real #2 (Sprint Tri) in Pleasanton, CA
10/2/05: Santa Cruz Sentinel Olympic Distance Tri in Santa Cruz, CA!

I think that's going to be it for the season, though I may be able to be convinced to do one more thing, but we'll see. Perhaps a 5K or 10K run, but that's about it. The series of events I've just completed have left me a little, shall we say, exhausted physically and somewhat mentally, so I'm attempting a 'mid-season break.' I'd like to perform well at the upcoming Tris and in order to do that, I'm told that actually taking a break can be more beneficial than training hard week after week. What a concept.

I'll be updating over the next week or so with the race report details. THANK YOU AGAIN, everybody, for your support, in all the forms you've expressed it. Words cannot describe my gratitude, but they'll have to do.

Onward!