In summary....

attempting to keep this short and sweet.
what I've learned:

1. when you have a plan, stick to it. training doesn't work when you just stop.
2. every time you want to quit, push yourself a little more. rinse and repeat. etc.
3. trying new things is fun, even better when you have other people giving it a shot with you.
4. if at first you don't succeed try, try again. i plan to do that and finish in style (like mary!)

with this, on to the next challenge.....