Funding: Part II

I am rushing down the freeway desperately trying to make it on time. I am exhausted from all the dancing and the amount of drinks consumed last night at my friend's wedding. Another epic wedding to add to the books, I think to myself as I check the dark circles under my eyes in the rear view mirror. I always do this (a pet peeve of my husband) commit to too many things in one day. No matter the amount of anxiety this seems to cause time after time I always find a way to make it work.


Upon my arrival I am relieved to see that the "Box" is alive and moving. Competitors checking in, vendor booths being set up, and volunteers showing up asking what can be done to help. A sense of relief rushes through me as I see the efforts of our hard work have paid off.

Like I had briefly mentioned in the previous blog post, I struck a chord with someone willing to help me offset some of my costs for Kona. I approached the owner of the crossfit gym that I belong to with the idea of having some sort of fundraiser, and as luck would have it, he had been wanting to hold a competition at the gym for some time now so this was perfect timing. He generously offered his support as long as I was willing to help him get it all organized.


Let me tell you, this was no easy task. I had NO clue how much work goes into putting on a crossfit competition: recruiting volunteers, searching for judges, reaching out to vendors, finding sponsors who would like to donate items for a raffle, marketing the competition, finding a DJ, getting all the adequate equipment for the competition, feeding our volunteers, etc. Adding to the pressure was the limited amount of time that we had to put it all together but, when you have type A people at the helm, anything can be done.

Overall, the event was a huge success! The competitors were challenged and many firsts were achieved. The spectators were loud and thoroughly entertained. The head judges were exemplary and their crews followed suit. The score keepers were remarkable and extremely well organized. The vendors were excited, the sponsors were generous, the DJ was spot on and the volunteers were astounding. Overall, the event was a huge success!

There are moments in life where you are humbled by the generosity of others, and this was one of those moments for me. I know sometimes it's hard to believe that there are people out there who are selfless and eager to help, especially if you pay attention to the news, but it's true. We are surrounded by remarkable people and yesterday I was reminded of that. To all the vendors, sponsors, competitors, volunteers and particularly to coach Terry I want to say THANK YOU!

Funding: Part I

The other day a co-worker asked me about how my training was going. I told her I was feeling good. Tired and hungry, but overall really good. As you can imagine, I have this conversation a lot. Friends and family, people just checking in to see how I'm doing. I love this conversation. Then she asked me a follow up question that prompted me to answer "Oh no, I still have to pay my entry fee ." I won an invitation to participate, yes. But make no mistake, I also have to fund it.

So how much does one of these races cost? The entry fee alone can cost upwards of $800 and that doesn't include anything else. It requires a lot of work to put on an event of this magnitude. Lifeguards, city permits, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, announcers, etc. Ironman has built up a reputation of really well executed events and they sell out fast. If the people will pay, trust me they will charge it. As far as the other items on my list, I will let you use your imagination as to how much each one costs.

Things in life cost money, period. I happened to have chosen a hobby that while giving me amazing thrills and crazy determination, it has also put quite a dent in my bank account. But as the saying goes "where there's a will there's a way," and I have come up with some ideas to help me out.

1) Auctioning off a kidney. It could be quite lucrative. However, I am guessing that all the recovery time might interfere with my training schedule.

2) Fundraising dinner. I called a couple of local restaurants to inquire about it and it turns out most of them need a Tax ID # for the non-profit or charity that will benefit from the dinner. My personal SSN won't count. 

3) Spanish Tutor. This is something that I have been meaning to do for a long time. With some referrals here and there from a good friend I am off to a good start. Turns out, I'm pretty good at it and I enjoy it a lot. 

4) Extra work. This was a no brainer. To get more money from my day job, I have recently taken on more projects and even started to help an extra person. I am hoping that all of this will inevitably lead to more money. 

7) T-shirts. This has been by far my favorite idea. I have been working with a local screen printing shop and we have come up with a really cool t-shirt design. Check out this link and see what I mean:

http://www.maddenenterprises.net/KonaCrew

The website is live and ready for you to purchase!

As you can see, I have not been sitting around idle waiting for my money tree to sprout up. I have been busy forecasting where each dollar will come from to pay for this race. I shared these ideas with a couple of people and in doing so, I struck a chord with someone who was very interested in helping me out. More on that in Part II...

Small Victories

5:01 AM My alarm goes off. I lay in bed knowing that I have allowed for an extra 15 minutes today and I am so glad because I am going to need them.

5:15 AM The alarm goes off again. This is the toughest part of every morning. Even though the answer is always yes, I still seem to ask myself the same question every day: to get up or not to get up? 

As I make my way towards the bathroom through the darkness of my room I am happy to see the pile of workout clothes that I have carefully positioned the night before. If you are type A, like me, these are the little things about yourself that really remind you that you wouldn't have it any other way. If preparation is key, why wouldn't you lay everything out the night before in order to maximize your time and minimize your chances of starting off your day on the wrong foot? OCD to some. Genius to others.

5:30 AM I fill up my water bottle, grab a slice of turkey and I have just enough time to walk downstairs, open the garage, pump up my tires and hit the road.

My scheduled 90 minute bike ride turns into a 2 hour one. I am really learning to love the bike. Up until now it was just something that I had to do as part of the triathlon but I am actually starting to enjoy it. Seeing the road move underneath my feet knowing that each mile that passes was a direct result of my efforts makes me feel victorious. Adding to this feeling, is the incredible picturesque landscape of rolling hills, lush trees, and horses grazing which I am lucky enough to call home.

7:50AM I rip through my house like a Tasmanian devil. Clothes are flying all over the place and I shower as fast as possible. I run back into the kitchen and eat my scrambled eggs right out of the pan because time is of the essence. Another smile comes to my face as I see that my prepared lunch is sitting in the fridge in the exact same spot where I left it the night before. I finish getting ready, kiss my husband on the forehead, grab all my bags and rush out the door.

9:00 AM Yes!!! I made it. Navigating through LA traffic is a little like playing the roulette tables in Vegas, you just never know what you're going to get. Any time that I can actually get to work on time is a sweet triumph. Wednesdays at work always fly by. I have to go to two offices where I have different projects going on which require different states of mind and some extra drive time. I don't mind it much since the change of scenery offers some variety to my work life.

I count down the minutes until the end of my work day. I am excited because today is going to be a short one. Have I ever mentioned how cool my boss is? He has been really supportive with all things Ironman. So on the days that I have to leave a bit early to train, all I have to do is let him know. It's pretty awesome.

4:30 PM I meet up with some of my triathlon friends to carpool up to Santa Barbara. We are headed to Nite Moves which is this fun little event every Wednesday night during the summer where for $20 you participate in an Aquathon (1k swim, 5k run). After the race, they feed you, give you beer and if you're lucky you can enjoy some ice cream all while listening to live music. Tonight we have assembled a great crew of misfits to participate in the event and celebrate the birthday of a fellow triathlete.

9:00 PM I am beat. The day's efforts are definitely taking a toll. I am utterly exhausted, and so thankful that I didn't drive so I can sneak in a little snooze (yay!) as we make the hour drive back home.

Our days are filled with small victories, and I think it's important to acknowledge them as they happen. You might not think of a pre-packed lunch as being anything triumphant but I feel that, in order to survive this life, we have to be able to find the good in everything that we do. So as tired as I may be right now, two hours past my bedtime, setting out my clothes and thinking about tomorrow, I have the confidence of knowing that when the alarm goes off I will be ready to face another day and that is the real victory.