TNT Thursday

It is time for another update on our marathon training with Team in Training. Steve and I will be running in the San Antonio Marathon November 16. While we are training, we are raising awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Our hope and prayer is that we can help in the race to find a cure for these diseases!

Today I thought I would share a little about what our training schedule looks like. As we have mentioned before, one of the supports that you receive when you join Team in Training is a coach who helps come up with a training plan that is designed to help you prepare for your race and accomplish your goals. It is exactly 108 days until our marathon and I have a training schedule hanging on the door that maps out what I will need to do each week to get ready.

Basically we run 3 shorter runs during the week (3-5 miles) and then do a long run on the weekend. It is by increasing the length of the long run each week that you get ready to go the distance. The longest we will actually run before the race will be 22 miles (which we'll do about 3 weeks before race day!) It will be late in October which will mean we hopefully won't be doing it in this heat and humidity. (I just hope we won't be doing it in snow!!)

We are very fortunate here in Cedar Falls as we have over 80 miles of recreational trails right here in our community! This is a bridge over the Cedar River which we often cross when we are out on our long run. (We crossed over it tonight as a matter of fact!!) I LOVE having the trails to run on. It's very easy to map out any length run. We can access the trail system just a little over a mile from our house, which is where I usually take off from.

Now just to let you know I do not necessarily look forward to all of my runs!! There are many mornings that it is a battle within my head..... "You should go for your run now"..... "Well.... I could wait until tonight instead and get started on my day instead".... "But you know that you do better if you get it over with first thing in the morning....." "Yes, but I would rather shower and go out for a cup of coffee..." etc.. etc.. Sometimes it takes up to 45 minutes for me to actually get ready and out the door for my run. If I would have just gone right away I would have already been back!!!!


We are continuing to raise support and are well over half way there! We are helping with a 'Poker Run' on August 23rd which I think will be a great event to do with the team and should help push us up towards our goal. We still have lots of time, which is a good thing.



Until Next Time....

TNT Thursday

It is time for another update on our marathon training with Team in Training. Steve and I will be running in the San Antonio Marathon November 16. While we are training, we are raising awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Our hope and prayer is that we can help in the race to find a cure for these diseases!

Today is a 'Good News/Bad News day! As with most things, there is Good News and Bad News about the fight against these diseases.

THE GOOD NEWS....

1. The effectiveness of recently developed treatment methods and steady advances in research bring us closer everyday to finding the cause or causes of leukemia and related cancers and probable cures.

2. The survival rates for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood leukemia, was an appalling 4 percent in 1960. Today, thanks to research, the survival rate has improved to almost 80 percent! ALL is now considered to be a potentially curable disease!

3. Chemotherapy was initially developed as a treatment for leukemia. Today, it is the standard therapy for most cancers.

4. Bone marrow transplantation was developed as a curative therapy for leukemia. Today, it serves as a promising therapy for curing breast cancer, AIDS and sickle cell anemia.

5. Survival rates for adults patients with ALL, only 4 percent in 1960, approached 45 percent in the last decade.

6. In May 2002, Gleevac, the breakthrough therapy that kills cancer cells without harming normal ones, was shown to be superior to standard therapies to treat CML.

7. Hodgkin's disease is now considered to be one of the most curable forms of malignancy. Survival rates have almost doubled from 40 percent in 1960 to 80 percent today!



The Bad News....

1. Leukemia is one of the leading disease killers of children. In the US, four in ever 100,000 children between the ages of 2 and 10 will be diagnosed with leukemia this year.

2. Every 9 minutes in the U.S., a child or adult dies from leukemia or related cancers: lymphoma, multiple myeloma or Hodgkin's disease.

3. Leukemia strikes 10 times as many adults as children. More than half of all cases of leukemia occur in persons over 60.

4. Leukemia and lymphoma are the leading fatal cancers in women and men under the age of 39.

5. More than 106,300 Americans will be diagnosed with leukemia or a related cancer this year.

6. More than 58,300 Americans will die from leukemia or a related cancer this year - nearly 160 people every day.


Although these look like 'just statistics' - they represent real people whose lives are being turned upside down by the diagnosis of one of these cancers. We need more 'Good News'! With additional research we are hoping that new treatments can be discovered. That the survival rates will continue to rise. We're excited to partner with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as they race to find a cure. Thanks for partnering with us and encouraging us!

Until Next Time....

TNT-Thursday

It is time for another update on our marathon training with Team in Training. Steve and I will be running in the San Antonio Marathon November 16. While we are training, we are raising awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Our hope and prayer is that we can help in the race to find a cure for these diseases!

Today I thought I would share a few facts about Team in Training.

WHAT is Team in Training? Since its inception in 1988, when a team of 38 runners trained together for the New York City Marathon and raised $320,000, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program (TNT), has prepared more than 340,000 people - approximately 39,000 participants annually - to achieve their dream of completing a marathon, half marathon, triathalon or 100-mile (century) bicycle ride. And, in that time, TNT participants have raised over $800 million to support blood cancer research and patient services. The enormous success of this program has helped make possible advances in blood cancer therapies and treatments that have prolonged and enhanced the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients.

WHO participates? Team in Training has had a tremendous impact on the growth of endurance sports, and in particular, the explosion of women's participation. Overall, 73 percent of TNT participants are women, with an average age of 32. (Note: this means I'm above average! :-))

Participants come from all walks of life - from novice to seasoned athlete. The reason cited most often for joining the program is the social aspect - the opportunity to meet new people and have fun as part of a supportive team. The cause - raising money to help find cures and improve the quality of life for patients and their families - is also a key motivator. Many participants dedicate their time and energy in honor of a friend or loved one who has had blood cancer. (Here we are with a few members of our local team.)



Still others are themselves cancer survivors who want to show that they have the physical and mental stamina to finish a 26.2-mile marathon, 13.2-mile half marathon, 100-mile century ride or a triathlon.


That is the case with one of our own team members! Tricia was diagnosed in 2001 with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She received CHOP chemotherapy plus Rituxin and radiation. July 31st she will celebrate 7 years of being cancer free!!! For her, joining Team in Training is a way to join the race to find a cure and to help others become cancer free. She will be running the Nike Women's Marathon in October. Go Tricia!!!



Taking on a personal challenge, accomplishing a goal and getting fit are also aspects that attract people to the program.


Local blood cancer patients, known as honored teammates, cheer participants along from training to completion. TNT participants often say their greatest inspiration and motivation come from their honored teammates, who themselves face even greater challenges in their battles against cancer. (Here I am with our local hero Jared, who is currently in remission after being diagnosed with AML Leukemia last August).


WHY participate? To help fund research to find new treatments and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myleoma, and provide critical education and support to patients and families battling these cancers.

HOW are you helped? In exchange for raising funds, participants receive:

four to five months of personalized fitness training by certified coaches (Here is our coach, Bruce, with our 'hero' Jared), a supportive group of teammates and lodging and airfare to the event of their choice. Participants also receive tools and support to attain their fundraising goals, including a personalized web page. (Mine is here. Steve's is here.) Participants can choose from more than 60 accredited events in the United States and abroad.

To Register: There are Team in Training teams all over the country. If this sounds like something that you might be interested in doing you can call 1-800-482-8326 or visit the TNT website here. And you definitely look into running the San Antonio Marathon with Steve and I! With over 70 rock and roll bands along the course, it's going to be great fun. And supporting a great cause!!!

Next week we'll look at the Good News (and some of the bad news) concerning some of the statistics about Leukemia and other blood-related cancers. There have been great advances made in the treatment of these diseases, but there is still a long way to go.

That's why we run. Join us!

TNT Thursday

It is Thursday again and time for another update on our marathon training with Team in Training. Steve and I will be running in the San Antonio Marathon in November. While we are training, we are raising awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Our hope and prayer is that we can help in the race to find a cure for these diseases! We have personally been affected by them in the loss of three very special people in our lives. I have already introduced Lindsay and Barb.

Today I will introduce our friend and neighbor, David.

David was 100% Danish and so proud of his heritage!! Red and white were his colors of choice. He had a red and white hat that he wore often that his wife Alice had knit him and I remember looking out the window and seeing it bob up and down as he made his way out to his wood shop in the 'shed'. Sometimes I find myself still looking for that hat when I look out the window! David loved photography; gardening; woodworking... well, life! He was a regular blood donor, and it was the testing there that first revealed anemia. He was then diagnosed with myelo- dysplastic syndrome that over time turned into leukemia. He fought an incredible battle against the disease. This photo was taken on his birthday just a few months before he passed away. We miss David terribly!
We are thankful that our paths crossed 11 years ago.....





I would say we first met David and Alice, because of our daughter and this llama, Sebastian!! We had moved to our current home 11 years ago - a small acreage out in the country with a few neighbors on each side. It took awhile to get to know our neighbors; life with kids in school was busy. We couldn't help but notice, however, when a trailer delivered 2 llamas and an alpaca next door. Very interesting. A few weeks later, one of the llamas had a baby - who they named Sebastian. It wasn't long before K was spending every moment after school over at the barn with Sebastian. With the guidance of David and Alice, K learned about taking care of llamas; showing llamas; and loving llamas! I can still remember when David and Alice took K to her first Llama Show. She called and had taken first place!! And she was only 9 at the time.




From there, other llamas came into the picture, and other kids interested in working with the llamas and the 'Llamamigos' was born. (A name that David came up with). This is a picture of one of the many parades that they walked the llamas in. David and Alice were quite comfortable in the tye-dye outfits!!






David also LOVED being outside and working around their place. His favorite place was his garden, which was like something out of Garden Beautiful. (If there is such a thing!) When harvest time came, David would load the back of his pick up and take in vegetables by the bushel to the food bank for those in need. I honestly don't know if I have ever met two people more giving than David and Alice!! David also loved to be on his tractor. Every season brought a reason to use the tractor. Many a time he would clear not only driveways of snow, but sometimes even the roadway so Steve could make it out to work. (I tried driving his tractor once, but I won't go into that story here... it's rather painful!)






You would also find David in the kitchen making some of his favorite traditional Danish foods. We were introduced to Aebleskiver; and other Danish delights. As well as being invited to attend one of the many Danish dances that they held in their barn. David taught the kids photography - which is one of the reasons I'm sure that K has such a love of it. (Alice has taught the kids piano; weaving; and so much more!!) I have to say that part of the very thread of our lives has been woven over the years by our time spent with David and Alice! We still are close to Alice and know that we share only a fraction of the pain that she has on losing David to Leukemia. His absence is strongly felt. And it is in honor and in memory of David that we are running. Racing to find a cure. To stomp out Leukemia. Join us!!





Until Next Time.....