Counting the days...

We take off for Hawaii early Thursday morning!

Yesterday I went swimming with my mom - and found that my stroke count is way down for the season! I'm not sure if I'm just pushing off more from the edge... or actually more efficient, but either way, its good :) I also bought the final things I need for the race... and got a bag to hold my spare tire, and tire changing tools. (Hopefully I won't be needing that).

And I met my fund raising goal today! So I suppose that means I'm all ready!

We are having one last fund raiser tomorrow night. Its at the Showbox GreenRoom, doors at 8, show at 8:30. Only a $5 cover, and door proceeds go to LLS. See flyer below, and email me for more info. Please come if you're in the area! and bring friends!

Tobey

This Saturday I took Tobey, from the Seattle Animal Shelter out for a run. I got my first impression of him, as I walk into the shelter, and see his back legs a few feet off the ground, as he tries to look out the window. I thought to myself, "I'll leave him for one of the more energetic runners." Well it turns out he was the only one left, who wanted to run. Saturday was his first day out, since he got neutered. and man, he was happy to be outside. However he was quite a gentleman!

He was just happy to be out, trotting around, and for the most part, just trotted just ahead of me, barely pulling, and great. Near the last mile of our run, he did think about jumping in the air a few times, because he could, but overall, he was a pleasure to run with. so if anyone is in the market for a 10 month old, energetic sweet puppy... Drop by the Seattle animal shelter.


Training so far:
Bike: 184
Run: 104.5
Swim: 19650 yd

The last swim! and bikes are gone!

Last night was our last coached swim practice before Lavaman! Wohoo. We did a warmup, some drills, and then a 1000 yd swim... Our lane was smaller than usual (only 4 people), some of whom I'd never swam with before, and we did the whole 1000 with anyone passing! It was nice to all be the same speed.

The distance went by, as I just kept swimming... And didn't seem too horrible. As usual it was nice to finish.

I'm excited, we leave for Hawaii a week from today! Also, I've made it to within just a few hundred dollars of my fund raising goal. I dropped off my bike on Tuesday morning to get shipped - it is now en-route to Hawaii. Now I really just need to remember my pedals.

I'm a little worried that I won't really be faster than last year. I'm not sure I've really improved much, though I suppose I just put in an equal amount of work as last year... sigh. I should be a few minutes faster in swimming, and hopefully I'll push myself more in the run.

Training so far:
Bike: 184
Run: 100.5
Swim: 19650 yd

the last long practice!

Yesterday we biked around Lake Sammamish (with a little added on out and back) to make it a 26 mile bike ride, then ran about 4-5 miles. And it went really well!

I got my bike tuned up last week, to prepare it for the race (and make sure I didn't have tire issues again), and I was amazed at how much smoother my bike rode after. It shifted gears so smooth, and even just coasting seemed better. (My mom tells me this is because I do not maintain my bike well enough... hmph). And everyone at the bike store was in love w/ my bike. Which is a 30 yo road bike, my mom got in Toronto, and moved around with, and after spending a "few" years in the garage is back in action. And just as good as a new bike I could get today.

Anyways, the training went much better than the previous week. My mom got a new bike a few weeks ago, and now is as fast, if not faster than I - so I had a riding partner the whole bike ride, which made it fly by so much faster. We finished the ride w/o any events - I forced myself to eat some shot blocks en-route, for practice. Then I pushed myself to run the entire run. I generally end up walking some - mostly due to my brain, as opposed to my body feeling tired.

But my goal for this tri is to not really walk any of the run, other than maybe the humongous coral section near the end - as I'd rather not twist an ankle.

I'm dropping off our bikes tomorrow to get shipped to Hawaii! Yay. No more long practices, we are ready! (or something). and now my favorite part of training for an endurance event - tapering!

Training so far:
Bike: 184 Miles
Run: 100.5 Miles
Wwim: 16250 yd

How far we've come

Just some quick facts to show how far the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has come over the years:


Therapeutic Advances

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia:
1987: Five-year survival was less than 55%.
2007: With the use of the targeted drug Gleevec®, five-year survival is 95%, with high quality of life.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma:
1987: Five-year survival was 52%.
2007: Targeted drugs such as Rituxan® have increased five-year survival to 63%, with dramatic improvements in patients’ quality of life.

Myeloma:

1987: Five-year survival was 12%.
2007: Five-year survival has nearly tripled with the use of targeted drugs such as Revlamid® and Velcade®, with major increases in patients’ quality of life.


Patient Services

Family Support:
1987: Groups available in 14 chapters, with 1,500 patients and family members served.
2007: Groups available in 68 chapters, with 9,500 patients and family members served.

Information Resource Center (IRC):

1987: Free, national call center for patients/caregivers not available.
2007: The IRC responded to 74,325 inquiries.

Financial Aid:
1987: Financial assistance was provided to 5,500 patients.
2007: Financial assistance was provided to 16,958 patients.

Advocacy
1987: The Society had no voice in Washington, DC.
2007: More than 20,000 Society advocates are working to increase federal research programs.

Campaigns
1988: Bruce Cleland ran the New York City Marathon with a small group of friends, raising $320,000.
2007: Team In Training has trained more than 340,000 participants who have raised more than $800 million.


Research Funding
1987: $6.4 million in research grants awarded, cumulative total: $50 million.
2007: $64.7 million in research grants awarded in fiscal year 2007, cumulative total: $550 million.

Three cheers for Daylight!

Today, I left work a little after 5, drove across the bridge, got home, put on my running clothes, and then went on and completed a run all before the sun went down! It was great! so three cheers for the sun, and daylight savings!

I'm pretty sure this will help me get in more after work training sessions. Boomer and I ran around the top of Queen Anne. When I run in my neighborhood I find it a struggle to find routes long enough for my trainings, that avoid placing me at the bottom of the hill. Ugh that is a long steep hill to run up! Today, I managed to do a 35 minute run, and only went up and down one hill, so I was content with the route. (In the past, I've found myself thinking I'm running on flat surfaces, only to find myself suddenly looking up a very steep hill.

Now off to do some core excersizes.


Training so far:
Bike: 158 Miles
Run: 95.5 Miles
Wwim: 16250 YD

Mental Block

Yesterday we joined along with the half ironman team and completed almost the full race distance of biking and running. The suggested route was to do two (13 mile-ish) laps around mercer Island, followed by a 5ish mile run. I woke up not feeling too great - I've been a bit sick ever since I got back from Indonesia, and I also felt unprepared, given I hadn't biked in like 3 weeks. So I was just a little intimidaated by the route.

I also have a mental issue with the two loop routes, as opposed to an out and back. When you're pushing yourself through the first hilly long loop, its so hard to keep thinking about how I'll have to start it all over again. And it was even worse because I had noone to bike with, so the thought of doing 2 hours of lonely hilly biking just didn't sound fun. Within the first 5 miles of the first loop, I convinced myself I couldn't do it, and that I should just do the 20 mile route. It was one loop with a out and back added on, for some more distance. And once I'd considered this option, it was of course what I went with - as I couldn't make myself think of the longer distance...

So I completed the 20 mile bike route, and it wasn't too bad - other than being a little cold, as I was not dressed properly. I got lost twice near the end, and was grumpy. Then I started on the run, and there got lost a few more times - I apparently should have known to follow the blue/white arrows, not the super large orange arrows. I finally found Kyle after I think I had already run like 3 miles (he was only mile 1ish) maybe, then we followed the arrows on the way back... So I think I ended up doing more than 6 miles. Though I could not push myself, and allowed myself to walk up the hills. once again - mental block.

So overall the practice was bit rough for me. I finished it starving, and ate a lot of food, then took a nice nap. Next weekend we will do a similiar work out, and then we'll ship our bikes off to Hawaii! <3 more weeks to go! eek.

And still over $1000 to raise!

Training so far:
Bike: 158 Miles
Run: 92.5 Miles
Wwim: 16250 YD

Early morning swim!

Friday morning I actually woke up early (I am not a morning person!), at like 6:30, and went swimming! Now, when I say woke up early, what I actually mean is, Kyle dragged me out of bed, while I moaned and complained, and pushed me into the pool.

The pool was slightly more crowded than ideal - at one point, for a whole 5 minutes, we had like 5 people in my lane. but most of the time it wasn't bad. I got in some drills I had been meaning to work on since the swim clinic I took abouth a month ago, and then I did a medium main set. And went back home to bed at 7:30...

I was nice to have gotten a work out out of the way, before even going to work. I tell myself I should do it more often.... But, that is until the morning of when I'm lying in bed feeling tired. Sigh. Hopefully we'll do it again this week though. Yay.

fit with... Skittles

This afternoon I finally made it back to the animal shelter, and took Skittles out for a run. In the shelter, he was sitting in hiskennel SOO politely. Just patiently watching as people walked by, w/ a look on his face that was like Oh, I'd love it if you could take me out, but no worries if you're too busy... And he convinced me.

Then, we get outside the shelter, and he really, really wants to eat his leash! Not only that, but he keeps it in his mouth, then runs in circles around me for the first mile. Which makes it very hard to avoid not kicking him/tripping over him. I came very close to falling quite a few times. Luckily after the first mile, he ran less circles around me, and the last two miles, he even didn't hold the leash in his mouth. Which I was very grateful for.

It was nice to be back at the shelter, I hadn't been in a few months, due to being busy and other lame excuses etc... And Boomer got so excited when he saw me put on my running shoes, so I feel bad ditching him for another dog! But I tried to explain to him that he is much more fortunate than the shelter dogs, and should not complain. hmph.