T-E-A-M

Whenever I am not in my big-girl work clothes, I wear a bracelet on my arm for TNT. It is a purple version of the yellow silicone bracelet made popular by Lance Armstrong's "livestrong" campaign. I appreciate the constant reminder of my commitment to TNT, it actually encourages me to have that little purple thing slung around my wrist.

TNT works hard to make sure its participants are motivated and feel ownership in the program. This is good. What makes me hang my head is any talk of heroism or high sense of pride we should feel. It's been said, "We're out here saving lives." Actually we are just biking. The saving lives comes from the work of others enabled by the money I helped raise. Pride doesn't feel quite appropriate.
That's what I appreciate about the bracelet. It captures why I am enjoying my TNT experience with four words that are inscribed in the silicone.

Train
Endure
Achieve
Matter


It makes a nice little mantra for me and helps to capture what I want to accomplish with this experience.


Train
Endure
Achieve
Matter


Saturday was all about the E.


We drove to Topeka for the Bruce Whaley Spirit Ride, an event in honor of a man who died in his mid-thirties of Leukemia. It was important for TNT to be well represented since we share the same cause as the event.


Kansas is toying with fall, today it is near 90 degrees and windy. But Saturday was 45 degrees, cloudy and raining. I can easily say these were the worst conditions in which I have ever biked. The morning started cold (as in teeth-chattering) and wet. Which led to numbness combined with sleepiness from the 4:30am wake up and frustration because we had 4 flat tires in the first 10 miles. It was a true test for our team spirit. I would give us a B- At one point Travis made us recite our team cheers, I believe because he was tired of hearing us complain.


By 1pm we had finished all 50 miles of the ride including "Puke Hill" (a beast to climb up but fun as hell to ride down). We were mostly dry, closer to warm and already carefully crafting the story of the day to wow the friends and teammates who were not there. I was glad to be done and I suppose glad to have endured. I want that "E" to mean something after all.