Long overdue.

My my am I long overdue for an entry. I have thought about writing multiple times in the past month and never got around to actually doing it. I think my writing may be less and less as time goes on so forgive me if I'm long overdue.

The past month had included much traveling as usual. A big highlight was the DC Soldier Ride where we got to make a trip to the White House and meet President Obama. After meeting him he sounded the horn to start the ride. That along with riding by Walter Reed and the Annapolis Naval Station made it especially memorable along with all the good times that come with it.

I competed in my first swim meet since Beijing. Due to some time constraints I was only able to compete in 2 events, the 50 free and 100 back. My 50 free time was only .5 seconds off my fastest ever and I was pleasantly surprised. My pool time has been lacking due to the amount of bike raiding I've been doing to gear up for Alaska. And I know it was just the 50 free but perhaps the hand cycling is in fact good cross training and there's hope yet. We'll see.
From the swim meet I went down to Orlando to compete in the 70.3 as a swimmer on a relay. It was an all female team and we rocked it. It was awesome. My swim felt fantastic and I was happy with my time. OPen water swimming seems to be growing on me...

For Memorial Day we were out in CO for a friend's wedding. We saw many old friends and it was an awesome time. I got to take part in one day of the Inaugural CO Soldier Ride and we got see Dick's family for an evening which is always a treat. Dick finished his Step 1 medical exam a few weeks ago and he has a whole month until school starts back up. To have him without his books is wonderful and I love all the extra time I am getting to spend with him.

Last weekend I competed in my qualifying race for Alaska. It was a half marathon and we had to average 12.5 mph. I was confident I could do it but still quite nervous before the race knowing I had to make a certain time. There was no need to be nervous as I came out well over the needed mph at 16avg. Even though it was only 13 miles as opposed to the over 50 mile days in Alaska, it gave me some added confidence.

In between all of the traveling I spent a day in NY to be a part of ABC's talk show The View. I got to met Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg and the other three. It was myself and another wounded female to celebrate Memorial Day and represent the Wounded Warrior Project. I can't say it was the most extensive interview ever but it was a fun experience and getting the word out about WWP on any national TV show is always a good thing. Hopefully the viewers realized what an impact WWP has on the lives of wounded veterans and did what they could to help out. It was a quick trip but fun nonetheless.

My training is still on par. With work, training, a few local speeches and the traveling there seams to never be a free day. Most of the time I enjoy it but after Alaska the traveling slows down a bit and I am looking forward to that.

My running is coming along and I love it. My socket has gotten significantly better and even though there are still a few issues it is manageable most of the time. I ran another 1.5 miles without stopping the other week and was super happy. The goal is a 5K without stopping and I'll get my 2nd chance on June 18th.
Alaska is coming quick, a little over a month from now. We had to sign a waiver that talked about the danger of moose and bear. I guess I should have expected that but hopefully they come after me on the downhill as opposed to the uphill. Going up a mountain on a handcrank being chased by a bear would be no good. At all. We'll just hope that doesn't happen.

In a few weeks we are headed to Seattle to check out the area and to go backpacking for a few days. it will be my first backpacking experience with over 5 miles a day with a pack as an amputee. I'm a little nervous but I think I can do it. I'll keep you posted...

Sorry for the delay, hope all is well with everyone.