THANK YOU!

Getting Close!

With less than a week until our event, we’re beginning to get a bit nervous…  We have been watching the Sunriver weather forecast deteriorate more and more every day. What started out looking like a cool weekend has turned into downright cold and RAINY! Not what we were expecting for late June in such a pleasantly named place.

But rain or shine, we head out Thursday for a long weekend in Sunriver.

We went for a short swim on Sunday up at Lucky Peak Reservoir. Our little pond near downtown Boise is actually quite warm compared to what we expect to find at Wikiup Reservoir in Sunriver, so we felt we needed some experience in colder water. Once we were over the initial pain of putting our face in the water and our hands finally went numb, it wasn’t too bad!

I guess all we can hope for now is that the water in Sunriver will feel warm compared to the air temperature as we wait for our wave to start at 9:15 am.

Here we go, Team!

-- JAM

The LONG Swim

1900 meters last night! Wow!


It was super cold and windy, so actually I probably swam quite a bit farther. The wind kept pushing me off course so I didn't exactly swim in a straight line. It would certainly be interesting to see my route from an aerial view. 


We only have two more swims and one more "brick" training (two activities back to back, like swim then bike or swim then run) before we begin to taper off and rest up for the big event. 


Only 16 more days and we'll be diving into Wikiup Reservoir!


The GREAT news is, thanks to a corporate sponsorship from my parent company, we have reached our fundraising minimum --- and then some!! Yeay!!


Not that we aren't still accepting donations because 100% of the funds donated will go to research and patient services!  : )  But it is wonderful to have that weight off our backs. Especially considering how far we have to swim!  Ha ha!


Thanks to all our friends and family for the support, encouragement and generosity.  


GO TEAM!!


-- JAM

Mock Triathlon - Number TWO!

No kidding!  We did go out and do it again on Monday, Memorial Day!

The morning was beautiful, but the pond was cold, cold, cold! We completed the swim with much chattering of teeth, then jumped on our bikes. I put on a sleeveless jersey, then a light windbreaker since it was still a little cool. So, no need for sunblock...

We made it about 5 miles or so into our ride and came to a roadblock. The Exergy Tour was in town and all the phenomenal women cyclists were riding toward us on the road we intended to take. We had to wait about 20 minutes, but it was awesome to see the pelaton fly by us!  I got a little toasty waiting to proceed with our ride and took off the aforementioned windbreaker. This will be important information later.

Once we got the ok to go on, we headed out to our turn around point, then came on back. Once again we were held up briefly by the cyclists since they were completing 3 loops along our route.

Finally, we returned to the car and prepared to run. At this point I finally put on some sunblock. Can you see where this is heading?

After running, we spent some time downtown enjoying the beautiful day, good Boise food and people watching. Once we got home and washed off the pond and road grime, we discovered that I had become a superhero. One of the X-Men.  

Ouch…

-- JAM

Mock Triathlon

Saturday was a mock triathlon for our team. We completed a full triathlon but with shorter distances than our actual event will be - a 900 meter swim, 16 mile ride and 4 mile run. 

Naturally the day dawned cloudy and POURING down rain. Not just a drizzle - we're talking jungle type rain. But since we were going to be jumping into a pond anyway, it's not like we had to be concerned about getting wet!

Getting suited up and waiting to get in the water was brutal. Cold, cold, cold!

But once we got in the water, it was actually warmer than outside. The swim went well - it still took me half the distance to get my groove on and really start swimming. But we completed the distance and headed for the car to change into biking clothes. 

Still. Pouring. Rain.

The biking was probably the most miserable part. We got absolutely soaked. My shoes literally had puddles of water inside them.

We returned from the bike ride and, again, jumped into the car to change into drier clothes for the run. At this point the rain had almost stopped. 

It only took about a mile and a half for the feeling to return to our feet and after that it was smooth sailing! We crossed the finish line to the cheers of our coach and the folks that came down to support us - way beyond the call of duty on such a rotten day.

So what's next? We think we just might go do it all over again tomorrow morning. The forecast shows a high of 75 and zero percent chance of precipitation!

-- JAM

Vacation!

Last week we made our annual trek to Cannon Beach, Oregon to spend time with our extended family. The weather, as usual, was perfect - sunny and reasonably warm for May. 

The night before we left we went for another swim in the pond. Dan’s family came along to watch and also be available in a canoe in case we needed any help. I got a little more practice with the front crawl this time, but it still was a real struggle. It’s much harder to breathe out there and I don’t know if it’s the wetsuit constricting my lungs or the cold or maybe both things combined. Dan discovered that he tends to head left when he swims. So I’ll stay to his right out there. We did probably half our race distance and I was just exhausted when we were done!

At the beach, we enjoyed lots of good food, karaoke and other crazy games, a visit to the tide pools, shopping and even rented some cool three wheel bikes to ride on the hard sand. We all enjoyed doing cookies and racing each other along the beach!  

Dan and I went for a 10k run along the beach one morning while the wind was calm.  It was absolutely beautiful and if felt great to run at sea level!

But we’re back to reality now. The kids are finishing up school, we are back to work and hitting training HARD! Just over 4 weeks left to go until our event! And I still don’t know about open water swimming. We head for the pond tomorrow evening to get in some more practice. 

-- JAM

OPEN WATER

Just when I thought I had things kind of wired with this swimming thing ...


Last night we had our first open water swim. I'll admit I'd slept badly the two nights prior and had woken up with a sore jaw from clenching my teeth during the few hours that I did sleep. I was wondering if Valium was a bad thing to take just before swimming.


Naturally, Thursday was the coldest day of the week. The wind was blowing like crazy. And we decided to jump into a cold pond.



The wetsuits we received are nearly impossible to put on. In the house, I would be exhausted before I even got the thing up to my waist. Wetsuits become harder to put on when your body is wet, so the fact that I would be sweating like crazy from the struggle didn't help at all! But since it was barely over 60 degrees with a cold wind last night, donning the wetsuit was a snap!


Fortunately it was not as cold as I had feared. I think all the ice baths I've taken after long runs really got me conditioned. The pond was nowhere near as cold as ice!


But then we were told we needed to fill our wetsuits with pond water. Open up the neck and let the water flow right on in. Nobody told me THAT before! Brrr! 


After getting our faces used to the water a little, we headed out into the pond. I could barely feel the cold of the water through my wetsuit. Thank goodness! 


However, I felt like everything I'd accomplished the last few months had just disappeared. Front crawl? What's that? How about side stroke, doggie paddle, back stroke... I did get my face down in the water a few times and take a few strokes, but not for long. It was exhausting trying to breathe easily in the chilly water, but the wetsuit did make me float almost effortlessly. I could tread water with just the smallest effort.


Overall, it was a good introduction to the world of open water swimming. I didn't drown - but then that was not my fear. I didn't freeze to death - that wasn't my biggest fear anyway. I didn't see any creatures or other murky looking shapes under the water - THAT was my biggest fear. Looking down was just a cloudy, green haze. Not too bad.


We will miss next week's swim since we'll be out of town, but hopefully I can catch up the following week. We will be swimming twice a week from now until our event. Good thing - I'm going to need the practice!


-- JAM

Counting to Seven

Last week's swim workout had us complete 1700 meters. Many thanks to our coach for making us go beyond the distances that we have to complete for our event. We should be well prepared for the triathlon in June!

The workout plan was a warm up followed by ladders. To complete the ladders we swam 1 lap followed by a 1 minute rest. Then we swam 2 laps followed by another 1 minute rest. Next came 3 laps followed by a 1 minute rest and so on up until 7 laps. 

Now I've been enjoying swimming very much now that I kind of have the hang of it - or at least can get from one end of the pool and back pretty easily regardless of how ugly the form may be. But it's still incredibly boring. There's no iPod. There's no one to talk to. There's no TV to watch. It's pretty mind numbing actually. And to keep count of laps is nearly impossible because my mind just wanders all over the place. I get to about 3 or 4 laps and I've already lost count. 

I talked to Gabe prior to our swim and he suggested making up a story with numbers in it. That got me thinking so what I did instead was think of songs with numbers in the titles and lyrics. So the first lap I thought of the songs "One is the Loneliest Number" and "One Fine Day." The second lap I sang in my head "Love Me Two Times." It started to get difficult very quickly, so I moved on to songs with words that rhymed with the numbers. Instead of two it was shoes or lose. The third lap I thought about "Knock Three Times" and words like be and see. 

This technique was just the ticket. I never once lost count even all the way up to 7 laps! 

So, I am taking suggestions for songs that I can sing in my head while swimming. Five is particularly challenging since alive is about the only word I could come up with. I can only think of ELO's song "I'm Alive" for so long...

Thanks for your help!  : )

-- JAM

Robie's Got Faith

Last Saturday we went for a 29 mile bike ride followed immediately by a 3 mile run. This was the first time my legs kind of worked after a bike ride. I was still pretty tired, but at least I felt like I could get one foot in front of the other without stumbling!


Sunday we participated in Robie's Got Faith. This was a 10k run in Boise to benefit a little girl named Faith who is battling leukemia. It was incredibly hot for April - upper 80's - and the heat combined with a bad night sleep made for a very difficult run for me. Dan was feeling pretty good, but I really struggled. We finished ahead of just a few people and the chocolate milk, bananas and bagels at the finish line were much appreciated!


I got to meet Faith too. She attended the event with her family and friends, participated in the one mile kids run and got to meet some of the BSU football players. One of the players put her up on his shoulders for pictures and Faith got to blow the horn to start the 5k and 10k races. She was so darling in her little pink hat. I told her she was a star! There was a great turnout for the race so I hope Faith's family received lots of financial help from the event.


Struggling through this run was a good reminder to me of the difficulties that those battling cancer have to face every day. I was struck again by the fact that people like little Faith cannot just choose to quit when things get tough. They have to continue to fight day after day no matter how they feel. 


-- JAM

Super Swimmer

Thursday night swim - I never know how that's going to go. Some nights are good, others are... well, yeah...


I went to the Y early and got in a 5 mile run outside before we went in to swim. I've missed way too many training days lately because of the craziness of the month of April. I have two kids in track with practices and meets all over the place, sometimes in another state! Also, work has been insanely busy for both Dan and I so in trying to juggle all the necessary things, unfortunately, training has been the thing to suffer. 


There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Dan's crazy schedule will ease up in May and I think things may be starting to settle just at little at my job as well. Hailey is done with track now, so we just have Carson to get through the season. May promises to be much easier to handle from a family and work perspective, but a month of hard work as training really gets serious!


So, back to swim night. The 5 mile run was excellent. I felt great, the weather was perfect and I enjoyed watching the little league and lacrosse games going on in the fields I ran around. The workout for swim night was a 100 meter warm up followed by a 20 minute swim without stopping, then a 100 meter cool down. Once again, I felt great. As soon as I started on my 20 minutes, I got right into a slow to medium groove. The pace was just right and I had no trouble keeping it up for the full 20 minutes. I lost count of my laps after about 3 so I started timing my individual laps. I was at about 1:40 or less per lap which comes out to about 12 laps total. That may not sound fast, but when I started swimming laps I couldn't break 2 minutes! 


I'm not trying out for the Olympic Swim Team anytime soon, but this is definitely a major accomplishment for me! 


Michael would be proud.


-- JAM

A Windy Day for a Bike Ride

Today’s 30 mile ride was just fantastic! We did have some pretty good headwinds, but kept up a good pace anyway. We rode out 15 miles, then came back so that gave us some nice tailwinds on the way back! Today’s route took us up Pleasant Valley Road hill. It was a perfect hill! Just the right distance and slope to give us a good workout, but not make us feel like keeling over.

Of course, then we had to attempt to run after the ride. Coach Jill took us out on a dirt trail and my legs just would not function! Something about how your muscles work on the bike really creates havoc on the muscles required for running. I stumbled along for the short 1.5 miles and my legs never did want to cooperate. That’s something that is going to take some practice.

Unfortunately, Dan had to work and missed the ride today. I'm sure he will find a way to make it up though. He's a rock star!

Next week is a 30 mile ride again followed by a 3 mile run. Here's to hoping the legs will start to get the hang of this transition thing!

-- JAM

Spring Weekend!

What a great weekend! The weather was gorgeous and I didn't get called away to work at all on Sunday. Went for a long run and at about mile 5 I ran into a friend from high school, Chris Gambee. He lives in Caldwell, but just happened to be in that neighborhood for Easter dinner with his sister and family. Fun coincidence!
On the negative side, Julie was sick all weekend so I had to run alone. It's definitely more fun training with her.

- - Dan

Halftime Report

7.34 miles Swam - 285 miles Biked - 82.5 miles Ran

We are halfway through our training and about halfway to our fundraising goal! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us with donations and encouragement.

It has been a busy few weeks! We have been getting the hang of biking on the road - very different from spin class! There have been a lot of big hills that we have conquered, and a few that have conquered me. In order to get accustomed to the transition, we have been completing short runs directly after our long bike rides. Funny how those leg muscles just will not work properly right off the bike!

Swimming has been going a little better each time. This last Thursday we swam our full event distance - 1500 meters. Yes, I was the absolute last person to finish, but I did complete the whole distance. We often complete some sprint laps during training and my time is usually right around a minute and a half for one lap at full speed. Then I require a minute or more to recover before I can do another. My "normal" speed laps are usually just under 2 minutes. Not breaking any records, but definitely an improvement over two months ago!

Soon we will receive our wetsuits and then begin open water swimming. That will be the next major hurdle to overcome. I know of a lot of people who have trained in a pool in preparation for a tri, only to freak out and lose it when it came to open water swimming. 

This weekend I've been feeling pretty rotten. I did pull off two spin classes followed by a 2 mile run on Saturday, but have had to bow out of the long run we normally would have done today. Instead I'm spending some quality time with my couch hoping the rest will get me back up to speed for Monday.

This week we have our Recommitment Party. This is the time when we can either back out if we feel training or fundraising are too much to handle, or commit to continue. We will register for our event, order our wetsuits and, most importantly, commit to our full fundraising amount. If we are unable to raise the full amount necessary, we will be responsible for paying whatever is left of our fundraising commitment amount. Our intent is to turn in that paperwork and maintain our commitment with Team in Training. Knowing that cancer patients don't have the option to opt out of their struggles, we can't possibly do any less. 

If you haven't already given, please consider a donation to LLS in honor of our efforts. Thanks so much for your support!

-- JAM

Happy Birthday, Mom

March 29, 2007. Five years ago today, my mom celebrated her new birthday – Day One of her new life. At OHSU in Portland, after several days of chemo and radiation, Mom received an infusion of healthy stem cells from an anonymous donor. The "Tabasco sauce-y looking” cells (as she described them) held the hope of recovery and remission after her nearly 3 year battle with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. The day was spent in hopeful celebration with my brother and dad and some friends. The transplant itself was a success. All traces of the leukemia were eradicated. 

Unfortunately, the after effects of the transplant and overall recovery from such a physically harsh procedure were too much for my mom’s body to handle. She passed away on September 3, 2007. I truly miss her more and more every day. My mom was courageous, energetic, positive and an encouragement to everyone she came in contact with – even in the midst of her own fight for her life.

As you may know, Dan and I are working hard to prepare for our first triathlon on June 24th. No, this is not some wacky New Year’s resolution. We have undertaken this challenge in partnership with Team in Training, a fundraising organization for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Our goal is to raise just over $6000 together by April 12th.

To my friends, family and associates, thank you for getting us to where we are now – just about 40%! We would love to be well over half way by the time we sign our recommitment (point of no return) paperwork with Team in Training on April 13th. So if you haven't given yet, please click on the Donate Now button to the right and give generously! All contributions are tax deductible.

Please continue to visit our blog to watch our progress and please leave a comment so we know you stopped by!


Tonight is swimming with the team. Tune in soon to see how THAT goes!  


-- JAM

Dwight

On behalf of some very good friends, we would like to honor another courageous patient in whose honor we are training.  

Let us introduce you to Dwight.  He is the stepfather and stepfather-in-law of Marc and Heidi in Texas. He was diagnosed with leukemia last year and is still rockin'!


Knowing that he is greatly loved by those in his family, we continue to work to help provide services and funds for research through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It is not at all far fetched to believe that the money we raise through your support will be the funds that make research possible for the treatment or, better yet, the CURE that makes all the difference for loved ones just like Dwight.


Keep up the fight, man! We are pulling for you!


And thank you, Marc and Heidi, for your support!


-- JAM

Sweaty Pie

Can you see how SOAKED I am in this picture? No, it's not because I was running in the rain. I wimped out and ran my 7 miles this morning on the treadmill instead of with the team - partly because of the weather forecast and partly because I need to prepare for the onslaught of numerous 12 and 13 year olds coming over this afternoon for Carson's birthday party. 

Take a look at my back! And my hair! I was dripping all over the treadmill today. I'd say this was because of the distance, but honestly I'm like that all the time. So if sweating is any sign of a good, hard workout then I'm really working my tail off! 

Now time for a crazy birthday party with lots of rowdy kids followed by a nice glass of wine...

-- JAM

Our Lucky Charm

The last four times in a row that Hailey has gotten the mail, there has been at least one donation envelope in the box. Yesterday there were two envelopes. A few days ago she brought in FOUR donations! So she has become our official mail retriever. 

However, she will be out of town visiting her cousins over Spring Break. What do you think? Should we wait an entire week to get the mail?

-- JAM

Hill Training for Swimmers

Because of a school event for Hailey, Dan and I had to get in our swim time last night rather than participating in the Thursday night team swim. So our coach posted the workout and we followed the plan on our own. Coach Jill decided it was time for hill training this week. Hill training? Ummm, last I checked most pools are flat. I understand running or biking uphill, but swimming…?

We warmed up with a couple laps as usual, then practiced that elusive “race stroke” again for 4 laps. Then began the “hills” - kinda like spin class in the water:

UPHILL –              50  meters slow pace

                            50 meters medium pace

                            50 meters fast pace

DOWNHILL –       50 meters fast pace

                            50 meters medium pace

                            50 meters slow pace

Repeat for a total of 3 hills – 18 laps or 900 meters

We got a 30 second break between each 50 meters, then a 90 second break at the “bottom” of each “hill.” The 90 seconds felt great, but I really could have used that break at the TOP of the hill!

I was really trying this time to eliminate or at least shorten the amount of time I pause to catch my breath at the far end of the pool. On the slow and medium pace laps I was able to complete each lap with just a couple seconds pause, but the fast laps about killed me. I had to pause at the far end and on a couple I didn’t make it back without flipping over onto my back.

So now you know how to swim like a salmon!  : )

Training Update

What an exciting week! We have exceeded 25% of our fundraising goal and there are possibilities of corporate donations on the horizon! Thank you to all our family, friends and colleagues that have given so generously. We have a long way to go, but it is so encouraging to see that percentage bar rising and working its way toward 100%!

I must say that last week’s swim training session was much better than the one before. Our workout included the usual warm ups and then several laps at our “race stroke.” I don’t actually have a race stroke yet, but with lots of pausing to catch my breath I did complete the laps. Next we were assigned 10 sprint laps. Swim one lap as fast as you can then rest 60 to 90 seconds. And repeat. Ten times! I don’t actually swim a full lap without stopping quite yet, so I have to take a little break at the end of the pool before heading back. Without that little break, I invariably end up on my back or sidestroking half way back. And gasping.

I completed the sprints at a slower pace than most people warm up. I muddled through the one lap stroking with just my left arm, then one lap stroking with just my right arm. Who came up with THAT idea? Anyway a few more laps of exercises with the kickboard and such, then we finished up with a couple slow laps. I was still last out of the pool, but not by nearly as much as last time. 1100 meters. Whew!

On Saturday, we got to take our bikes out on the road for the first time. The Olympic distance participants were to complete a 12 mile ride. It was a perfect day – sunny and cool. We went out 6 miles along Hill Road and felt so good that we kept on going. In total, we completed about 17 miles. Dan did lose his chain once, but was able to put it back on quickly and get back on the road. And then pass me like I was standing still! I guess all the spin classes have really paid off by getting us prepared for the road.

This week we have two spin classes to attend, a 3 mile and a 6 mile run to complete and hopefully we’ll get to swim twice as well. We will be missing most of our team trainings because of school and work commitments, but we always keep up on our own. We’ve got a long way to go and don’t want to arrive in Sunriver unprepared!

Thanks everyone for your continued support! And please let us know when you visit our blog! With no comments we kind of feel like we are talking to ourselves…

Patient Honoree Potluck

This is Byron, one of the speakers at the Patient Honoree Potluck we had last Saturday. He is a familiar face to everyone in Team in Training because he has trained for many events and mentored many participants over the last several years.
He told us his story. He was hugely overweight, smoked 2 packs a day, and was a heavy drinker when he was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkins lymphoma. There is no cure at present, but it is also a relatively slow progressing blood cancer, so he decided to change how he was living. His doctor said he would die much sooner if he didn't lose some weight and get in shape, so he did it. He lost 150 pounds and started training for half marathons, then marathons, then triathlons, and now is planning to run a full ironman this summer, which by the way consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26 mile run! Five years after he was diagnosed, the doctors found cancer in his spine, and he received a chemotherapy drug developed through the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. He was told to expect it to take at least a year before he could start running again, but he ended up struggling through and finishing a 10k run 10 weeks after chemotherapy.
Byron is a great example of someone who knows firsthand the impact that Team in Training has in bringing hope to those affected by cancer.

-- Dan

Just (try to) Keep Swimming

When I was 11 or 12 years old, I developed asthma. My symptoms were primarily brought on by exercise so all through junior high and high school I used an inhaler when I was active in PE, dance team, etc. If you’ve ever experienced an asthma attack you understand that panicky feeling of being unable to fully inflate your lungs. No matter how hard you try to pull in air, you just cannot get a good breath. A raspy, wheezing sound escapes from your throat which leads to coughing and more gasping. It’s a terribly claustrophobic feeling and makes physical activity nearly impossible.

One of the activities that particularly brought on my asthma was swimming. Having to control my breathing while being physically active, topped with a dash of fear of the water was the perfect recipe for severe asthma symptoms. As a freshman in college I took a Learn to Swim class. I thought it was high time I get this swimming thing figured out! Well, good thing it was a pass or fail class. I did pass, but between the fear and the breathing it was a struggle every day to keep myself together in the water.

Since my early twenties, I’ve not experienced any issues with asthma. I’m not sure if that is because I moved to a drier climate or if I just grew out of the condition. Thankfully, I’m able to run, bike, ski – participate in pretty much any physical activity without  any asthma symptoms. Last year with Dan’s help I even overcame some degree of my fear of the water by learning to SCUBA dive. I never thought I’d be able to complete the tasks that are required to become a diver, but in October I completed my open water course and am now a certified diver!

So now we are back to swimming and breathing is still the challenge I experience. I can’t even begin to think about form or technique when I’m gasping for every breath of air. I’ve been feeling like I’m progressing each time I swim and that I will get there eventually. However last night was a different story. Part way through my swim I started to get that old familiar feeling. It was more than just shortness of breath.  Hanging onto the edge of the pool between lengths, I felt like I could not get enough air into my lungs and even felt a little of that old wheeze coming back.

As usual, I was the last one to complete our training for the evening – 950 meters. But this time everyone was LONG gone by the time I finished. I was so frustrated and began to feel like maybe I really can’t do this! Maybe there’s something about me that makes swimming just plain impossible.

I’m not sure where to go with this or what methods I need to employ in order to overcome the swimming monster. I knew swimming would be a challenge, but I didn’t expect this much of a struggle. But it is the struggle that makes this all worth doing and makes our endeavor worth supporting.

I guess I will just keep swimming. And gasping. And sputtering.  


-- JAM

Whatever happened to date night?

When Dan and I had a free evening we would often ask each other, “What restaurant should we go to tonight?” That has changed. Now the question is, “Which gym should we go to?”

Once we arrived at our destination for a date night, the question used to be, “Should we order steak or fish? Or maybe pasta?” Now we ask, “Shall we swim tonight or cycle? Or maybe just run?”

So here is my typical training week these days:

Monday  – Spin class at 5:30 am

Tuesday – Afternoon one hour run outside while my daughter attends acting class

Wednesday – Spin class after work

Thursday – Team swim time in the evening

Friday – Work out with weights during lunchtime or rest day

Saturday – Morning distance run with the team

Sunday – Swimming on our own

Dan and I are still spending lots of time together. And since our gym membership costs the same whether we go or not, we’re actually saving money by skipping the restaurants! Our apologies to all those local, tasty spots we used to support regularly.

-- JAM

A Special Gift

Dan and I ordered new bikes from an online outlet store a couple weeks ago. I got the absolute cheapest bike we could find since we are trying not to spend an arm and a leg getting into this triathlon thing. In my mind, that seems to defeat the purpose of fundraising!  

Our bikes arrived last week and we set up an appointment with Reed Cycle in Eagle to have them assembled. After talking with Bill at the shop about our bikes, he suggested that we hold off on assembling mine for a day.  He had a line on a used bike that was about 10 years old, but of much higher quality that would probably be about the same price as I had paid for my new one. If I wanted to buy it, I could still send back the new one I had bought online.  

We let Bill know that we were training with TNT to raise funds to fight leukemia. That’s when he told us that the previous owner of the used bike had passed away from leukemia. 

Jason was 39 years old and had been through more than one bout with leukemia. He had undergone at least one stem cell transplant, but lost his battle recently. He was an active athlete and had four bikes that his widow, Jessica, was looking to sell. 

I came in the next day to have a look at the bike. Bill spent most of the day cleaning it up, rerouting the brake cables, tuning up the components, retaping the handle bars and even replaced the seat and tires. He spent a long time familiarizing me with the bike, adjusting everything to fit me and answering my newbie questions. I felt like Bill treated me just as well as if I had come in and bought a brand new $2000 bike! 

When I got her home, I parked her in front of my fireplace for a picture. Then I had a good cry and thanked God for the gift of this bike with such a special history. I thought again about how important the work is that Dan and I are doing, how much I miss my mom every single day and how hard these days must be for Jessica as she is now having to go through life without Jason. I hope he is pleased to see what has become of his old road bike and that the miles I put on it will help get us one step closer to a cure.

-- JAM

Rosie

Blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma don't just affect people. They unfortunately also affect animals like dogs, cats, cows, etc. This is a picture of Rosie who was one of my very sweet patients for a while last year. Just like it happens in humans, Rosie started to develop a lump under her chin that caused her owner to take her to the doctor. That doctor was me. I had to break the news to her owner that Rosie had lymphoma and that she probably would not live long without a lot of medical care.
Luckily, many therapies have been developed that can eradicate disease or at least cause the human and animal patients to go into remission for many years. In a dog's case, 6 months to a year of extra life is a lot, and Rosie ended up being euthanized 7 months after her initial diagnosis since her quality of life had decreased too much.
Julie and I are doing our event in the hope that life can be lengthened for all who are affected by cancers like lymphoma.

- Dan

Andrew

At the Y last night for our team swim, I found myself in conversation with a gentleman named James. I told him why I was at the Y trying desperately to learn to swim. Then he then told me about his son, Andrew.

Andrew is 8 years old and was diagnosed at age 7 with ALL, acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He has undergone over a year of chemotherapy so far and, because of his condition is also at a high risk for other cancers later in life. I learned last night that when children are diagnosed with blood cancers, their treatment plan stretches over a period of years. Unlike adults who typically undergo months of treatment, children are in for a much longer ordeal and often experience much more severe side effects. Andrew and his family have been through a laundry list of emotional, physical and financial struggles over this last year. We will add Andrew to the growing list of special people we hope to benefit through our efforts.

Thank you, James, for sharing your family's story.

UPDATES

Wow! So much has happened the last few weeks we haven’t even had time to catch our breath and report! Here’s a quick rundown:

Swimming:  You know, when you start from rock bottom, any improvement in significant. I’m at least feeling like I will learn to swim a little someday. Our first coached swim was last night and I have a little homework to do – one baby step at a time! 

Biking:  First step is to actually purchase bikes. After a lot of research, we finally found bikes that we think will do the trick – without breaking the bank! It’s incredible what you can pay for a road bike. Yikes! We ordered our bikes from an online outlet and they are currently in Colorado somewhere.

Running:  Through our team, we were given the opportunity to have a video gait analysis performed by Rob Barnes, a local physical therapist with Therapeutic Associates. So I’m thinking I have a lot of work to do to learn to swim, I’ll need to practice to become a cyclist, but running is in the bag. I mean, I’ve run a marathon! Sigh… more homework. Rob was able to pinpoint through slow motion video the main problem that likely caused my knee injury back in 2007. So now I have some new techniques to implement when I run as well.

Fundraising:  Of course, the whole reason we are putting ourselves through this is to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and, in turn, patients and families dealing with blood cancer. We printed, signed, folded, stuffed and labeled well over a hundred letters that should be well on their way to our friends and family. If we didn’t have your mailing address, fear not! You can still donate to our efforts! Click on the link to the right “Dan and Julie’s Fundraising Website” and give generously to fund research for treatments and cures!

-- JAM

A Small Breakthrough

After a great run Tuesday night, for some reason my knees really started hurting. So much that I was awakened in the middle of the night by the pain! I'm not exactly sure what happened. I didn't think I overdid it on Tuesday. But any setback to my running just opens the door for working on my cycling ... and swimming.

We went to the gym last night, cycled for a while then hopped into the pool. Well, Dan hopped  I oozed. First the legs, then up to the hips, the waist, chest and finally shoulders. Brr.

This week I also purchased new goggles and a nose plug. The goggles are less than ideal, but I think that nose plug has helped me make some major progress. Last night I swam several pool lengths without stopping.  Not consecutively, but considering about three strokes was my maximum prior to yesterday I feel pretty good about the small victory! There was significantly less gasping, choking and snorting of pool water. I still feel like my lungs are in a vise at the end of one length, but we'll work on that next time.

So, I'm making progress. It will be no small miracle to get me swimming in just five months.

I hope you will join my efforts by clicking on the fundraising website to the right. This is all to help fund research for better treatments and ultimately a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers!

-- JAM 

Lyndsay

Just a few weeks ago, my son's friend was diagnosed with leukemia. Lyndsay, a young, beautiful, talented college student, was rushed into immediate chemotherapy the day after she found out she had AML. I've been reading her Caring Bridge site and have been so struck by her positive attitude and heart for God. She reminds me a lot of my mom. At this point, Lyndsay is responding very well to her treatments and is looking forward to going home in just a few days. She will be in and out of the hospital continuing with treatments over the next few months and I am praying daily that she will be cured and not have to face this disease again! I am thankful for the research that has been done up until now that has given Lyndsay such a good chance for successful treatment. In addition to honoring my mom's memory, I will be biking, running and (hopefully) swimming with Team in Training in Lyndsay's honor and I will keep this blog updated on her progress. Fight, Lyndsay!

-- JAM

Here We Go Again!

On Thursday, January 12^th, Dan and I decided to take on the challenge of a triathlon with Team in Training. Our event will be during the Pacific Crest Weekend Sports Festival on June 25^th in Sunriver, Oregon. That gives me just over 5 months to somehow learn to swim…

I’ve tried many times before. From childhood swim lessons, to a college freshman Learn to Swim class, to my most recent lessons in the spring of 2009, I’ve tried and tried to learn to swim. It has been a complete flop each time.

Dan and I have been to the gym twice this week to work on our swimming skills. Dan of course can glide effortlessly through the water, lap after lap. I can get in about 3 strokes and then begins the gasping, choking and sputtering. So, we have a LOT of work to do.

Fortunately Team in Training is the largest endurance training program in the world. Their coaches, mentors and staff work together to prepare participants for full and half marathons, century rides and triathlons all while raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I’m counting on some serious coaching to get me swimming by June!

Please take a moment to visit our fundraising websites - the links are listed on the right. Dan and I each need to raise $3200 (yep, a total of $6400) for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for this event. We ask for your sacrifice of whatever financial contribution you can give, while we sacrifice our time and energy training to complete our event.

-- JAM