new links, new stuff:

first, my fundraising homepage. please click here to make a donation to the cause:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/nyctri10/jfoleymurph

next, a spot of me on the news this weekend, helping promote team in training:
http://www.myfoxny.comdpp/about_us/street_talk/Street-Talk-March-6-2010

ran a 5k today, btw. 6:40 splits on my miles, just like i was aiming! getting quicker all the time.

it's been a looooooooooooong time, i shouldn't have left you. (etc.) here i am, though, here we are: the foley-murphys, back in triathlon action. new york city triathlon 2010, here we go, and raising $2000+ along the way to further fund research that will one day CURE all cancers, with a research focus on blood related cancers like Hodgkin's Lymphoma - this year marks 9 years cancer free for me!

lots has changed since last we wrote: foremostly, in august 2006 (our last entry), we were a family of 2, these days we're 3! welcome to the team, grace. also, this time i'll be the only one in the race, though certainly all of us will be dealing w some of the trickery of the training schedule, and trying to stay as connected as possible to my teammates.

i've once again been graced with the honor of being one of the honored teammates for the team in training nyc team, and so got to speak at the kick off event last wednesday. i was triple blessed that night to have grace and andrea present AND my mom and my aunt martha (who is the original team in training marathoner, inspired my mom to inspire me to inspire andrea to inspire and inspire and inspire....) i got point them out to the crowd and have them put together a standing ovation in gratitude for all they've done, and it was awesome. thanks again, mom, andrea, martha, grace. beautiful women, beyond words.

keep an eye on this page for updates on training and honored teammating and life in general for the foley-murphy family. it's good to be back and i can't wait to tell you all about it.

It is shameful that we have not done our duty as bloggers and put a closing onto this story and I am not going to do it justice right now and I would like to...do it justice that is.
So how's this for a teaser? It turns out that the NYC tri was just the beginning of our lives as triathletes.
To be continued...

4.10 AM. we're getting picked up by the gypsy cab in 5 minutes - THIS IS IT!!!! thank you all for carrying us to and through today, for loving us from far away & up close, for getting out your wallets (again!) and helping us be a part of a team that raised 3/4 of a million dollars in 5 months. we'll do you proud today, promise - watch out for pics sooon! (though we'll need a day or two to recover...) love to one and all, andrea and murph

for info on the race in general:

www.nyctri.com

to sign up for email and / or text msgs about when we reach each leg of the race and what our time is at that point,

http://www.nyctri.com/Information/TrackAnAthlete.cfm

this is it! we're in the final stages of the training.
incidentally, i'm also in the final stages of producing the 3rd cd, RUN - just experiencing a few technical difficulties. my highest hope is to have it in the mail before the race and send out CURE in the weeks shortly after (as i'm getting ready for my annual visit to Philadelphia to see Dr. Luger for the 5th time since a clean bill of health = cured!!!).

thanks for all your help and support, we'll keep you posted on how we keep on doing,
murph

The countdown has begun! 12 days until race day!!!

This is both exciting and terrifying. When the coaches announced that we were now tapering it almost sent me (andrea, of course. murph is far more cool about it.) into a panic attack. I haven't peaked yet! I want to keep training for another month at least! But again and as always I need to trust the coaches, that they know what they're doing and they haven't let me down yet, and myself that I'll find what I need within to pull this off. So this Saturday the coaches reaffirmed their wisdom as we practiced our open water swimming at Brighton Beach.
Bonus: the pictures of folks in wetsuits (or wiggling into them) that were promised some time ago... By the way, getting into a wetsuit is not easy.

So the exciting part is that everyday we've been getting closer to this goal and with every step closer I am impressed with how far I've come since Febuary. I couldn't run a single mile, I didn't own a bike and hadn't been on one in several years, I could swim but I've gotten faster, stronger and smoother in my training. So that's my personal transformation...but I also want to point out the mission of Team in Training...to raise awareness and money to fight blood cancers. I have become a spokesperson for the program as I imagine most other people on the team have-- there are a lot of us to talk it up--and we've raised at this point just under $700,000.

Murph is more actively a spokesperson than I can claim to be and here he is doing the "mission moment" before our swim. Reminding us that we never know what is inside of ourselves and around us until its tested--be it a tumor, the drive, determination and grace to get through treatment, the care and support of others in our lives...it is not entirely different than the things that we have committed ourselves to and are experiencing as Team in Training athletes.

I am learning a lot about getting through things I am afraid of. Though I am a very comfortable swimmer, open water is a whole other story. When we first got in, I had to calm myself down. It didn't feel safe. There were bodies and waves and you couldn't really see where you were going. I had to reach inside my head and push through the fear for a few minutes. And afterward, I felt comfortable that I can do the open water swim thing and proud that I got over the fear.

So here we go. less than 2 weeks. "Send off" is Wednesday. We are mentally and nutritionally preparing ourselves. If you're in the NYC area and you want to watch and cheer on July 16th, we'd really appreciate it. We'll be sending out details about how to do that soon.

Well training is what has finally crushed my resolve as a vegetarian. After a good long run of several years as a vegetarian, and then a few as a pescatarian (a veggie that eats fish too), I've (andrea) been eating meat--poultry only-- with fervor.

I am certain that there are good ways to get what my body needs from non-animal sources, but frankly, I don't want to. I have been craving meat and finding that it is the most satisfying thing. Which is huge because since Sunday I haven't been able to keep up with my hunger. If I ignore it I start to shut down so that only vital functions remain (breathing, heartbeat, ect) and all brain function stops. This is new for me. I've been watching Murph experience this for years, but I can't ever remember this for myself. I'm feeling sort of animalistic myself...I get to the point that my long-held beliefs about meat don't really matter to me, I still believe them but they don't matter as much as satisfying my hunger.

Again, Team in Training always knows what I need just when I need it, and they're offering a nutrition clinic tomorrow night. I'll be there to learn to feed the beast (aka myself) for the next few weeks and that might mean more meat.