I Just Did It! Oct 18, 2009 I ran the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco, CA! Thanks donors! We did it together!

Welcome to my Training Log.

Big hugs, kisses, & THANK YOUS to my donor heroes----->

I ran in honor of: my honored hero Kate, Michelle Smoot's mom Bette Mitchell, my mom Jeryl Byrd, Mark & Matt's mom Renee McLaughlin, Stacie's dad-in-law Terence Hartman & friend Avery Baszler, Krista Hartman's parents Roger & Sherri Culbert, Buddy Fossett's mom Kathryn Fossett, Ji Yeon Jeon's cousin HoYoung Jeon, Bethany Diamond's Aunt Katie, & FORCE women!

Why the heck do I wanna run a half marathon & raise $3900? Am I nuts or what?

While my current sanity remains ever open for debate, I've definitely nursed some pretty nutty habits in the past. From age 21 to 30, I smoked an entire pack of cigarettes practically every day. That's 9 pack-years of my health up in smoke that I'm working hard to get back. I worked in jobs that kept me active some of the time (I hiked through rainforests collecting insects, sampled soil, water, & forage on a farm, & climbed tall trees in Mexico to study endangered parrots), but for the most part, I didn't exercise regularly at all. My posture & muscle tone suffered. Somehow (probably with the "help" of cigarettes), I managed to stay at a healthy weight, but I knew that my cardiovascular health was hurting badly due to bad habits & lack of better ones.

Then in 2005, via genetic testing I discovered I was BRCA1+, meaning I carry a gene mutation that puts me at high risk for breast & ovarian cancers at a young age. Instead of the 13% chance of breast cancer that the average American woman has, I have an 87% chance of getting breast cancer and a 40-60% chance of getting ovarian cancer as opposed to the 3% risk of the general population.

My mother, also BRCA1+, was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 31 & died at age 54. Her sister, also a carrier, was diagnosed at age 39 & died at age 53. In addition, at least four others of my immediate family have died from breast, ovarian, colon, & melanoma cancers. I knew if I didn't start taking better care of myself, I could easily be next. The cards were already stacked against me, & my unhealthy habits weren't helping. To drastically increase my chances of living a breast-cancer-free life, and to put my strong belief in preventative medicine into practice, I had my breasts removed this past November in a surgery called bilateral prophylactic mastectomy, or BPM. Overnight, my risk for breast cancer dropped from 87% down to about 5%. Thanks to my amazing surgical team, I don't even look like I've had mastectomies, even in my birthday suit! My experience with BPM was so positive & so beneficial that I wanted to get the word of breast cancer prevention out to as many BRCA+ young women as I could, so I created a website where BRCA+ women can get information on BPM and the relatively new, widely unheard of surgical technique that I chose for myself: www.onestepscoop.com

In addition to this healthy choice, I had also quit smoking back in Dec. 2005, and my plan to get "up and running," to get in shape and stay fit, started back in 2006 when I completed the following events:

2006: The 3rd Annual "Run for the River 5K" Run

2006: The Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk 5K

2006: The 16th Annual AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run

2007: The 17th Annual AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run

2007: The Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk 5K

2007: The Emerald Pointe Sprint Triathlon at Lake Lanier Islands

2008: The 18th Annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K

2008: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race 10K

After running only 6.2 miles in my longest race thus far, how do I count on being able to run twice as far? And why in the world would I want to try? My dream is to run a whole marathon within the next few years, and who better than Team in Training to help me get halfway there?

I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure! And as always, I also run in loving memory of my mother Jeryl Diamant Byrd and my aunt Irene Diamant McLaughlin, heroes in their own right, who battled breast cancer for 23 and 13 years.

By raising $3900 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, you and I together will have actively contributed to their efforts in researching blood cancers: how to combat them, treat them, cure them...and ideally, how to prevent them for good. By helping me raise money for the LLS, not only will you help me acheive my goal of completing my very first half marathon, you'll be helping current and future blood cancer patients, children and adults who are courageous and strong in the face of cancer. They are what it's all about. They understand the gift of good health. My health is precious to me, too, as is every change I make & good habit I adopt to improve it. In my training this summer, I hope to improve my sense of commitment, discipline, endurance, and resilience. These are the traits of people I admire -- people like doctors, scientists, researchers, athletes, and patients. The fighters. The go-getters. People who appreciate the wealth found in health.

The half marathon is a dream I've not attempted, a new goal for me, an exciting and motivating race against the current limits of my own abilities. My desire is to break through the barriers that hold me back, and with other Team in Training runners collectively, to inspire children and adults who are dealing with cancers that are holding them back and interfering with their goals, dreams, and lives. We hope to inspire them as they inspire us. The ultimate goal is to prevent future suffering from cancer, and it will take money, research, and hard work to get there. Would you like to help me and the LLS acheive our goals?

Please help me and the LLS by donating the most you can to help advance the LLS's good work. We'll appreciate you very much for it, and I'll advertise your name, business, or website on my race day outfit! I will update you on my training progress, send you photos of me at the event, & let all my other donors know that YOU are among them in your collective support of Team In Training & The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

Thank you very much for your generous support! It will be my inspiration and will fuel my commitment to you as I train hard all summer with TNT! Your gift will make me feel even better than my ice packs and foot massages! Please check back often as I update my Training Blog below with new progress notes and new photos throughout the season!

A kiss from me to you,

Rebecca

My Training Testament, Running Record & Workout Weblog

Week 1: May 12 to May 16

• TNT Kick-off Meeting! Met my honored hero Kate & teammates.
• I Ran 7 miles w/ an avg pace of 12:06.

Week 2: May 17 to May 23

• Weight-trained for 1.5 hours.
• I Ran 9 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:49.

Week 3: May 24 to May 30

• I Ran 10 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:40.

Week 4: May 31 to June 6

• Weight-trained for 1 hr & went whitewater rafting.
• 1st Tuesday Night Track meeting; ran/walked 3 miles.
• Ran 2 miles in the POURING RAIN!
• I Ran 10 miles w/ an avg pace of 15:04.

Week 5: June 7 to June 13

• Played racquetball & weight-trained for 1 hour.
• I Ran 8.11 miles w/ an avg pace of 12:01.

Week 6: June 14 to June 20

• Played racquetball & weight-trained lower body for 2 hours.
• Attended 2nd Tuesday Night Track.
• Ran 11.16 miles @ Galloway Field, Cochran Shoals, Big Creek Greenway, & Ga Tech Pi Mile trail.
• I Ran 11.16 miles w/ an avg pace of 12:08.

Week 7: June 21 to June 28

• Weight-trained whole body @ GaTech for 1 hour.
• Ran 10.52 miles @ Liane Levetan Park, Brandon Wilde, Azalea Dr. & Riverside Rd. in Roswell.
• I Ran 10.52 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:06.

Week 8: June 29 to July 5

• Ran 5.11 miles @ Murphy-Candler Park & Big Creek Greenway.
• No GTS & limited running due to July 4 Holiday, BUT....
• Hiked strenuous 20 miles in the Great Smoky Mountains.
• I Ran 5.11 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:04.
• I Hiked 20 miles, gaining 3000+ ft & losing 4200+ ft in elevation, carrying 20 pounds on my back.

Week 9: July 6 to July 12

• Ran 13.33 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:27.
• Hiked 9.31 miles of backcountry trails in Fort Mountain State Park w/ 10 pounds of weight. Avg trail grade 10%.

Week 10: July 13 to July 19

• Ran 19.22 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:08.

Week 11: July 20 to July 26

• Ran 15.1 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:02.
• Practiced Bikram Hot Yoga for 90 minutes.

Week 12: July 27 to Aug 2

• My doc said no running this week due to my BPPV & to allow my Epley treatment for vertigo to work! :'-(

Week 13: Aug 3 to Aug 9

• Ran 2.4 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:25.
• Kayaked 6 miles on the Chattahoochee River
• Limited running this week per doc's orders

Week 14: Aug 10 to Aug 16

• Ran 14.6 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:45.
• Ran a complete 10K in the POURING RAIN!

Week 15: Aug 17 to Aug 23

• Ran 12 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:51.
• Practiced Bikram Hot Yoga for 90 minutes.

Week 16: Aug 24 to Aug 30

• Ran 14 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:51.
• Ran my first 10 MILE RUN EVER!

Week 17: Aug 31 to Sept 6

• Ran 14 miles w/ an avg pace of 11:26.

Week 18: Sept 7 to Sept 13

• Got married on 09/09/09!
• Ran 12 miles in a single run in 2:12 w/ pace of 11:04

Week 19: Sept 14 to Sept 20

• Ran 3.1 miles w/ a pace of 11:50.

Week 20: Sept 21 to Sept 27

• Got married again on 09/25/09!
• Ran 4 miles in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan w/ a pace of 10:58.

Week 21: Sept 28 to Oct 4

• Ran 7.78 miles in Bishkek w/ a pace of 11:12.

Week 22: Oct 5 to Oct 11

• Didn't run this week b/c my durn hip is talking to me. Keep quiet, hip!

Week 23: Oct 12 to Oct 18

• Ran 3.1 miles at home.
• Ran 13.1 miles at the Nike Women's Half

Information about the LLS, TNT, my honored hero, & what motivates me:

There's a 7 year old girl named Kate living in Decatur, GA, & I met her for the first time on May 12, 2009. She's the cutie in the portrait above. She's at that fun, wonderful age when she's in love with life & can't get enough of her busy schedule: swimming, drawing, & doing gymnastics on the trampoline. Thanks in no small part to the research & breakthrough treatments funded by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), my first meeting with Kate won't be the last. It's hard to believe looking at her sweet face, but Kate has been living with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia for the past 3 years. Despite the difficulties she's had to endure for half of her life, on May 30th she celebrated her 7th birthday. This 4th of July, as you are celebrating Independence Day, Kate will be receiving her very last chemotherapy treatment, & what a welcomed belated birthday present for this active little girl: finally, her independence from leukemia & chemotherapy. How did she celebrate her 7th birthday? She appeared on TV, along with my Training Coach Joanna, on Atlanta's local news station 11 Alive the morning of her birthday for an interview. You can watch the video of Kate & my coach here.

Team in Training is the oldest & largest fundraising endurance training program in the world, and because cancer research is so important to me, I've committed to running my very first half marathon ever on October 18, 2009 in the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon with Team in Training!

From now until October, with inspiration from my honored hero Kate and from donor heroes like you, I'll be training 4 days a week with TNT to go from zero to 13.1 miles in a single run. But that's not even the hardest part! Between now and then I'll run two hundred miles with TNT to prepare. Have I gone crazy or what?! Yes! Crazy for a cause!

What is this cause anyway?

The mission of the LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since 1949, LLS has invested over $600 million in cancer research, $71.4 million in 2008 alone. Team in Training is the LLS's fundraising program that supports its mission while at the same time promoting fitness and healthy lifestyles for all. 2009 is TNT's 21st year, & it's trained over 389,000 volunteers like me to compete in endurance events around the country. Last year alone, TNT raised $18.5 million through the Nike Women's Marathon. The LLS is one of the most efficiently managed non-profits in the country with approximately 75% of every dollar spent directly on mission-related activites. If I can raise $3900 between now & the race, 25% will be spent on training me & getting me to the race, while 75% will directly fund mission-related activites.

LLS-funded research has directly contributed to many breakthrough cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, bone marrow & stem cell transplantation, & new, targeted oral therapies such as Gleevec. Gleevec is a newly FDA approved drug that has been shown to normalize blood counts in nearly all patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). As a result of the success of Gleevec, in 2008, the relative 5-year survival rate for CML patients is now at 95%! To read about how Gleevec saved Virginia Garner's life, click here.

The LLS provides services to patients such as Family Support Groups, extensive educational websites with web "chat" support programs, free seminars & conferences, and direct patient financial aid.

In Georgia, the LLS currently has multi-year commitments of $1.96 million in support of 4 research projects at Emory Hospital. The Georgia LLS Chapter provides $500/year per patient for outpatient expenses, transportation costs, medical treatments, and visits to Georgia patients. There are 5 LLS-funded Family Support Groups throughout Georgia that are facilitated by trained social workers & nurses. The Georgia Chapter also made more than 160 First Connections in 2008 that allow patients living with blood cancers to connect with & have support from real live survivors who act as their mentors & coaches throughout their cancer experience, showing them that there is hope & a way to survive their challenging ordeals with cancer.

Many of these blood cancer patients are teens & small children like my honored hero Kate. In 1960, the 5-year survival rate for children with the most common form of leukemia was just 4%. Today, it is 85%, thanks to research & treatments funded by the LLS!

Why should you care about the LLS?

• There is no known cure for blood cancers.
• Leukemia is a leading cause of cancer deaths in children
• Leukemia & lymphoma are the leading fatal cancers in men under age 35.
• Every 10 minutes, a child or adult dies from a blood cancer.
• Every 5 minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer.
• 823,000 Americans are living with leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's, or myeloma today.
• At any time, you, your child, or someone you love could unexpectedly be diagnosed with one of these cancers or another kind of cancer being studied by LLS-funded researchers. Research into blood cancers is applicable to other cancers.
• The LLS-sponsored research has been the catalyst for effective treatments of all different kinds of common cancers, including stomach, breast, and lung cancer.