Ironman to Save Lives

It's June 2009. I completed my first triathlon, the Desert International Distance Tri on March 8, 2009. Next up was Wildflower Half Ironman Distance Tri and then the Full Vineman Ironman Distance Tri on August 1, 2009.

I was training 6 days a week, and often 2 workouts a day. This is in addition to working almost 60 hrs a week. Unfortunately, I was injured during Spring Break in a ski accident and tore my MCL and ACL in my right knee. This put me out of action for over 3 weeks. Those were very difficult times. I had to withdraw from Wildflower.

I attempted to resume Ironman training and successfully completed a 68 mile ride, the Cruisin' the Conejo Metric Century bike ride on May 9th. Since then I have completed several other bike workouts with the Ironteam. However my running fitness was dealt a major setback by the knee injury. I have been able to run in several 5Ks and can run up to 7 miles in my workouts. However, running 26.2 miles after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112 miles would be impossible in my current condition.

I will undergo ACL reconstruction in July. Then I am facing another 6 months of rehab after surgery. My goal is to return for the start of training for next year's Ironteam. Although my dreams of becoming an Ironman in 2009 were dashed, I am determined to come back stronger physically and mentally for 2010. I look at Tiger Woods and Tom Brady for inspiration. If they can return to championship form, I expect nothing less from myself.

Another source of inspiration are the cancer survivors who overcame diseases such as Leukemia and Lymphoma. My honoree is Loreto Albaran, a friend and colleague who overcame lymphoma and is now back to work and pursuing his hobbies again. Loreto can be found on most weekends rowing in the Pacific!!!

I joined Team in Training because the program raises funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to support research, education, and patient services. Its mission is to cure Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was rated by Money magazine as one of the top ten charities for having the highest percentage of funds raised directly benefiting research and patient services.

I committed to raise $6,500 for the Society, to enable it to complete its mission: to help find a cure for these cancers. The good news is that 75% of the nearly $5500 I have raised will rollover towards my fundraising for next year. 25% will be used to offset the administrative expenses incurred by the Society.

I appreciate everyone who has donated so far. Your donation will just rollover to next year when I tackle the Ironman challenge again. It's never too late or too early to contribute. All donations are 100% tax deductible, and the tax ID is 13-5644916.

In these formidable times, your support is greatly appreciated by those who are battling this disease. No donation is too small.

You can donate with a credit card on this page or mail me a check made out to "Leukemia & Lymphoma Society" or "LLS".

Send checks to:

Dr. Alexander Chin

Dept. of Anesthesiology

25825 Vermont Ave

Harbor City, CA 90710

I hope you will check my Blog which will be a journal about my Rehab from knee surgery and a record of my Ironman training. I will update it frequently with all the happenings in my life.

http://neomedic.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your support!

Sincerely,

Alex