Training For a Cause

Last night was my second swimming session with the Edinburgh Road Club and Emily's first. The practice went fairly well for me, but was a bit much for Emily. She left the pool feeling a bit frustrated, but after we chatted on the way home, she felt a bit better in realising that it technically was only her fourth swim practice since we started training for a triathlon just over a month ago. I told her that I was really impressed by her willingness to learn and pointed out that she had improved quite a bit even in the few, short, swimming practices we have had. Not to mention, the person coaching last night probably was not entirely aware of our situation and may not have handled the situation in the most elegant of fashions. Our discussion got us talking about our purpose in completing a triathlon and we revisited a topic we have talked at length about before.
There are so many reasons you train for something like a triathlon. Some people do it for his/her own health and make life changing strides. Others do it for the competition and the enjoyment of being involved in competitive sport. Still others do it for a cause, such as raising funds/awareness for Cancer research or reducing your carbon footprint. Emily and I both agree that we are doing this for all of the reasons above.
We are training as hard as we are to improve our own quality of life. Being physically fit and healthy leads to longer life and improved moods. We both also love competing and with our ultimate goal being the 2016 Paralympic Games, I think we are doing the right thing. We both also feel strongly about certain social issues, one of them being accessibility for people with disabilities, and so we have decided that we want to also support a cause while we train. It's another way to motivate ourselves and give back to the community that supports us in our daily lives.
The organisation we have chosen to raise funds/awareness for is one of the many guide dog organisations. I will not go into great detail right now about this particular organisation as I haven't discussed the entire idea with the fundraising committee, but guide dogs are something that are near and dear to both of our hearts. Not to mention, guide dogs are the reason I am able to do the many things I do in this world, safely and independently; including getting to and from practices and training sessions.
I have a telephone meeting with this organisation this afternoon and as soon as I know the details of our campaign or, more importantly, if they agree to our fundraising idea, I will divulge more information. I sincerely hope that this is something Emily and I can do because, as I mentioned above, guide dogs have played and are an important part of my life and I would be honoured to give back to a cause that has impacted my life in such a huge way. Besides, Emily and I are both huge dog people, what better way to get involved with dogs than to help raise funds/awareness for a guide dog organisation?
Anyway, I must get on the phone: my meeting starts soon.
Wish me luck. :)