Monday, September 13, 2010

We Reached Our Goal of $5,000!!!

Thanks to you, we reached our goal and raised over $5,000 for the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund.
We want to personally thank you for your continued support for this very worthy cause in helping children and families faced with childhood cancer. The funds have been used to help families deal with costs not covered by insurance, the costs of medications, and even housing for families as they go through the painful day-to-day costs of childhood cancer.

Some of our AMAZING supporters!
Mark Felice was a child who saw the difficulties in patients unable to pay for medications and he wanted to help them as he battled cancer himself. He was a very brave and mature teenager when he died at 17 years of age.

We took on the challenge of another triathlon…actually, a couple of triathlons, to help us raise money for this very worthy cause. Thank you for supporting us as I know many of you know the Felice Family and knew Mark personally.

Ann Francese (on right) in 2nd place!!
We look forward to many years to come and growing the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund. Your support will go a long way to helping other children and their families.
We have had many of you join us, if not to swim, bike and run then to fundraise and help spread the word. We do appreciate all that you do to help!

Thanks so much,
The Mark Felice Triathlon Team

Monday, June 21, 2010

The Finish Line!

The race has come to an end and we had a wonderful time! Race day started out with a few jitters as I didn't sleep much the night before, just tossing and turning in anticipation of the early morning. The morning went by before I knew it and all of a sudden I was in the water getting ready for the gun to go off. The swim ended up being 300 m longer than planned yet it wasn't the worst part of the race. The bike was one of the best courses ever as it was right in the heart of downtown Austin. But then came the run...my legs felt like jello and it was in the 90's! Ever water stop people were pouring water on their heads or running through the shower and water gun area to cool down. The past 2 years we have done the triathlons the bike and run have always been the hardest. This year I give the award to the run. I kept reminding myself why I tri to get me through and it was my main motivation that made crossing the finish line feel amazing. Thanks to all of the supporters who came out to cheer us on, I'm not sure what we would have done without you. Although it was extremely hot and the race course was longer than planned...it was an amazing day! 

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Cap Tex Tri is MONDAY!

The glorious weekend has come! The Cap Tex is on Monday, Memorial Day! We would love all the support we can get if you would like to come out and support us. The race for the Sprint distance will begin around 9am. If you have a TRI-ing For A Cause t-shirt (from any year) please feel free to wear it.

After the triathlon we will be celebrating and would like to thank you all for your support while training and fundraising for the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund. We are very close to reaching our goal of $5,000 and couldn't have done it without you. You are welcome to come to the CapTex race on town lake to cheer the triathletes on or meet us at the lake for a relaxing day!

When: May 31st at 1:30pm until whenever
Where: 14323 Geronimo St, Leander, Tx (just past the Oasis)

We will have pizza and snacks so feel free to BYOB!

For more details on spectating: http://captextri.com/triathlon-information.php#att5

Friday, April 16, 2010

Donating to The Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund

We are at it again...and this year we have recruited many more people to join us in the Triathlon and to help us raise money for The Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund.

On May 31, 2010, I will be competing in the Cap Tex Triathlon. Like the past years, we will continue our efforts to raise money for the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund. Thank you to all of those who helped us to raise money last year and reach our goal of $3000. This year our goal is to raise $5000. 

Thank you to all of those who helped us to raise money last year and reach our goal of $3000. This year our goal is to raise $5000.

If you would like to make a donation please send us a check (more details below).

Make checks payable to: The Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund

Mail to:
TRI-ing For A Cause
2105 Thornton Road
Austin, Texas 78704

WHY WE TRI:
We are raising money in memory of Mark Felice who died of cancer at the age of 17. He was a close friend to many and truly anyone his life touched. The Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund was created in his name by his family, to support those who cannot afford the medications to fight cancer.  It also focuses on the needs of children and their families in the research and treatment of childhood cancers.

Thanks again for all of your support and kind donations!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Want to donate by buying a TRI-ing For A Cause T-Shirt?

Purchase a t-shirt to help us raise funds for the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund. They are a standard aqua t-shirt for $17 each (XXL and XXXL for $19) with majority of the profits going to the foundation. 

We will be ordering the shirts on May 9th so please let me know if you would like one (emailing me at annmariefrancese@gmail.com or calling me 512-658-7269) or you may purchase one online (on left side bar) by May 1st!!

We will order extras but there are no promises we will have the size you prefer. 

The t-shirt brand is Jerzees 50/50 T which is different from the past 2 years and will breath better.
Front: TRI-ing For A Cause, Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund, 2010
Back: Float the Swim, Walk the Bike, Crawl the Run


Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Training for the Swim

Tonight at Tough Cookies we had our first swim practice. We were all ready to go in our onesies, goggles and swim caps when we found out the pool had just had new chemicals put in it and we weren't going to be swimming. So instead we learned about the technique and form for the best movements in the water. It is quite interesting how much the style of swimming has evolved over the years to teach us how to swim more like a fish. If you move your body from side to side and have great balance in the water you will glide  like a pro through the water.

The trainer told us to think of the triathlon as a full course meal. The swim is the appetizer: it is the shortest distance and will be your shortest time spent doing it. It will prepare you for the next two events as you shouldn't over exert yourself from the start. The bike is the entree: this is the longest distance and will be the biggest time. You will be able to enjoy the ride as the bike carries you, push yourself a bit more and prepare you for the final event. Last, the run is the dessert: this is going to be the hardest event but the best part is that you are past the halfway mark, can easily run or crawl to the finish, and you will push yourself until you just can't go any further. I liked this analogy as it puts it into perspective on the effort you will need to complete each event.

Great link on Swimming:
How to Improve Your Swim (great video!)

Monday, March 29, 2010

And the Training Begins!

Today marks the first day of training for the Tri! I couldn't be more excited. There are even more people joining Tough Cookies this year as well as doing the triathlon its going to be a great year. If any of you are still on the fence there is an informational talk this evening at 6pm to discuss the commitment and what it involves for Tough Cookies. For more details you can visit the website: http://toughcookies.com/
For those of you training on your own I would recommend buying a book for support and input on techniques or just Google your heart out to find the best practices to keep you motivated. I enjoy reading information on Active.com: http://www.active.com/triathlon/
You can get weekly emails giving you tips on best practices for each section of the race. They usually have great advice on what to eat, videos on transitioning, swimming, bike riding, etc.

Please let me know if you have any questions or input for the blog. Also check back for the new t-shirt design! We will start to have ordering open soon!

Happy First Day of Training!!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Looking for a Training Group...

If you are new to triathlons or wanting to have a set schedule to help motivate you to workout there are great training groups in Austin. In the past we have done Tough Cookies which is an all womens group that helps to improve your skills, endurance, and speed! The women all have a story for why they tri and a few do it to raise money for the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund. It is a 10 week program that begins on March 29th! The trainers are very encouraging and you will meet women at all levels and when I say all levels I mean ALL LEVELS...some have never been running or know how to swim! If that isn't encouraging then I don't know what is!

The other program that is recommended is the Rogue Training Group. This is an 8 week program for men and women and begins on April 5th! I have heard great things about this group as well and it really will depend on what fits your schedule best.

I'm signing up today for Tough Cookies! Let me know if you are interested or if you would like some more details!

Which Triathlon Do You Want To Do?

The past 2 years we have done the Danskin Triathlon (only women) and last year was the first where we raised money by doing the Danskin and the Cap Tex Tri. This year we are going to encourage everyone to get involved and to do the Cap Tex Tri and the Danskin. My family and I are planning to do the Cap Tex Tri on Memorial Day, May 31st! They offer different levels: First Tri (good for new triathletes), Sprint, Olympic, and the Trisome (relay). We are going to do the sprint which is: 750 meter swim, 20k bike, and 5k run. Last year the course was wonderful. You swim in townlake which to some might sound gross but they wash it out a few days prior to it, the bike it through downtown with minimal hills, and the run is around auditorium shores and downtown.
Here is a link for more details about the Cap Tex Tri: http://www.captextri.com/
If you are not available the day of the Cap Tex or prefer to do the Danskin Tri click here: http://www.danskintriathlon.net/Austin__TX.html
I encourage all of you to consider one of the race options and if not then to help us to raise money for the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Triathlon Season is HERE!

So I'm sitting at work trying to sell as many Dell computers as possible on a Saturday and got a lovely email saying you can register for the Danskin Triathlon and the Cap Tex Tri!! WOO so exciting!!! Call me crazy but I am really excited!

For those who don't know about the crazy reason for why we do triathlons it's to help raise money for the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund! Since 2008 we have raised money to help support the needs of children and their families in the research and treatment of cancers. If you would like to get involved with the race, fundraising, or support please feel free to join in!

Our goal each year is to raise more money than the last, cross the finish line, and have a ball while doing so! This blog is to increase awareness of the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund, give details on fundraising, and encourage people as they train for the triathlon! Please feel free to subscribe to the blog so you can get updates!