Anna Calderella
May 5, 2010
I am a Type 1 diabetic, I suffer from allergy induced asthma and (more importantly) I am an athlete. This is the time of year that I have never been able to be outdoors because it would really affect my breathing. (I live in El Paso, Texas and we have 80 mile an hour wind gusts until late May!) So I have figured out that swimming is the perfect spring time activity for me. I have been swimming for 5 hours a week and I love it. I joined a swim class to force me to get into the pool because it is a lot easier for me to sit on the couch and watch The Real Housewives of New York. In the last month of swimming I have started to notice how much better I can breathe. I have not had to use my inhaler and that is amazing. I have had the opportunity to do drills which have helped me make my stroke more efficient and I have been swimming for an hour and a half two times a week which has helped me to build up more endurance. I am starting to get a little excited about doing an Olympic Triathlon in August! I love training and I am going to enjoy myself for the rest of the summer.
Catherine Murphy
April 11, 2010
My name is Catherine Murphy and I am 42 years old.I live in Chicago,but am originally from Ireland. I have had type 1 diabetes for 3 years. My introduction to triathlon happened a few years ago when I went to a triathlon to support some friends.
I knew nothing about triathlon, but was instantly hooked. The atmosphere as everyone was getting into their waves to get ready to start was electric. As I watched every one jump into the lake 
I thought to my self "I am going to do this next year". But there was one small problem, I did not know how to swim and I had never been to a gym. I had not run since I was maybe 12 years old. Gym culture in Ireland was not very strong back then. I joined a swim class and the gym at work. Then after countless trips to the pool/gym and the following year I completed 2 sprint distances triathlons.
The next year I was diagnosed, I had no idea until that point what diabetes was and what a life with diabetes entailed, it has been an education. I will say that I now exercise more and have a much healthier diet than ever before.
I heard about Team Wild at my local DESA meeting last year and decided to join. Already the support is impressive. Here is a community of people that you can email a question to and receive advice, encouragement and support all in one email. My personal goal is to become a more confident swimmer, and that's the area I will probably work on more. When I get more confident with that I will be happy to tackle longer distances.
Lee Langill
April 10, 2010
My name is Lee Langill. I am 44 years old, and have had type 1 diabetes for the last 32 years. I live in Chicago and am a stay-at-home mom to a wonderful 6 year old boy named Aaron. I also have a daughter Mallory who died 2 years ago at age 7 from Cystic Fibrosis. My husband and I have been married for almost 20 years (June 3rd is our 20th anniversary).
Right after my daughter was born, I was swimming laps in the pool one day, and said to myself, “I’d like to do a triathlon within the next 10 years.” My husband and I were swimming a mile 3 mornings a week, so I knew I had that part covered. I just had to learn how to run – I figured anyone could ride a bike.
Over the next 7+ years, I slowly worked my way toward that goal, but without much success. I spent a lot of time living in hospitals when my daughter was an inpatient, and even more time taking care of her at home. Whenever I did get a chance to exercise, however, it was a great source of stress relief.
After Mallory died, I knew I needed some kind of outlet, and I heard about a Lazy Man Triathlon at a local YMCA. This is where you do an Ironman Triathlon in terms of length, but you have 6 weeks to complete it. I finished in 5 weeks and felt a little sense of victory. We moved the next year, and started going to a new YMCA. I told the fitness director there about the Lazy Man Triathlon, and she thought it was a great idea. When she announced she wanted to organize one, I signed up again.
When I learned that Team WILD had a training/coaching component for women who wanted to do a sprint distance triathlon, I was really excited. As I talked the idea over with my husband and my friends, I realized that it had been 10 years since I had first voiced my desire to complete a triathlon. What perfect timing, I thought, and I signed up.
I am so excited about all the support and encouragement I am able to get from Team WILD. Just knowing there are other women who have some of the same goals I do, and are trying to accomplish them is encouraging. They are an amazing source of information and support!
I had to call on their knowledge just the other day, when I needed a new swimsuit. I had gone swimming with my husband and son last week, and had felt pretty good about the workout I was able to do, considering I hadn’t been in the pool for about a year. That good feeling quickly vanished though when the man that was swimming a couple of laps away told my husband that I needed to buy a new swimsuit.
I was immediately suspicious, and wondered why this man was looking at me so closely from 2 lanes away. When I got into the locker room later, however, my suspicion turned into embarrassment, and horror. He was right! My suit was indeed very, very thin in places. I threw my suit in the garbage, came home and asked Team WILD where I could find long suits. They answered within the hour; I placed my order, and received my new suit today. Now I’m ready to hit the pool again (although I won’t be going swimming on a Friday afternoon at 2pm again any time soon)!
Christie Caldarella
April 7, 2010
My name is Christie Caldarella. I am 61 years old and have two daughters with Type 1 diabetes. My oldest daughter Anna, is a triathlete and has been encouraging me to get into better shape. Sooooo I am in training! My first race will be the Danskin Woman's Triathlon in Austin, Texas in June. I am also hoping to be in good enough shape to do The Rattlesnake Sprint Triathlon in Denver this summer. Back to my training. 
I have always been a walker but I have now started to jog. Swimming is the real challenge for someone who does not like to put their face in the water. I started taking a swimming class and my coach says that I should be ready by June. My swim class is Monday and Wednesday evenings and Tuesday and Thursday at 6 am. The class is filled with a bunch of young people and I feel like a drowning rat. I have been told that my sidewalk cruiser with its big seat and straw basket won’t cut it and just bought my new bike. It is a Scott SUB40. It feels really good and I love it. I am so sore and sleepy. It isn’t easy trying to keep up with my 33 year old daughter.
