This past weekend brought a couple key advancements in training and outlook, including a new bike seat for a way more comfortable ride and a fun little bump in donations from a homebrew & world cup fueled fundraising effort. A cool little milestone was surging from 69% to 71% of my goal with single donation. Of course, it's not a big number itself, but those percentages mean a lot to me because I remember maxing out at sixty-something percent of my Age Graded running pace for years on end, until one magical autumn morning, when fully tuned from marathon training, I surged to some sub 6 minute miles in a Central Park 4 Miler and broke the 70% AG barrier.

Slipping under the 6 minute mark and popping up few a percentile points may sound like chump change to some, but to me, it was a huge achievement. It was the result of months of focus and hard training, good rest leading up to the event and great weather on race day. I was able bodied, health and lucky that day and I carry that power with me when I train now and look forward to racing on behalf of those less fortunate - suffering from disease and without the ability to heal themselves. I am reminded that there are many different kinds of barriers, goals and measures of comparison, and while some may be self-imposed and achievable by ambition or the need for self-improvement, many of the largest can be nearly or completely insurmountable, especially without the aid of major advancements in medical research and technology.

It’s a humbling honor to be fundraising through Team in Training, with the aim of helping LLS reach its goal of finding a cure for blood cancers while making the lives of those with these disease more manageable. Thank you all for your support so far, and I hope you’ll continue to stick with me over the next few hundred miles, especially now that the ride is so much more comfortable!

Righton, Ride On, 

Sam

While most people were getting ready to wish their dads a happy father's day, I was touting the fantasticness of Friday the 13th in an attempt to raise $1300, but I guess that's the "metal head raised by a single mom" still in me... Over a few installments of fine Friday the 13th films, a few friends gave a great push and that campaign sparked over $600 in donations! Thank you so much for your humbling generosity and reminders that this goal is attainable!!!

This weekend brought some simply splendid weather ripe for a rollicking 38 mile ride from the George Washington Bridge to the Tappan Zee and back on Saturday, followed by an easy Sunday morning run that turned into a 10 mile twister, both of which were tempered by copious recovery noshing and lounging on the roof. Keep those miles rolling by and donations rolling in!

Until we find a cure,

Sam

With a new Half Marathon PR under my belt at the Brooklyn Half on May 17th, followed by a much needed backwoods break in the Catskills, I'm poised to repoint my sights on the varied training required for triathlon. After nearly 9 months off wheels and out of water, I finally got out for a ride in Prospect Park on Saturday and hopped in the pool last night for a few laps, both of which felt great! Repositioning your body for aero and fluid dynamic efficiency is quite exhilariating and working entirely different muscle groups can leave you achey at times but it's all a fantastic reawakening of the body, mind, and spirit, especially when combined with this fantastic weather and the company of others devoted to the same mission. By the numbers, we're exactly 2 months away from the NYC Tri and our team is just over half way to it's fund raising goal. I'm nearly half way to my individual goal of $3600 thanks to all your support so far, so THANK YOU!!!

We've still got quite a few miles to train and dollars to raise, so please spread the word and share this page. I'll be looking into organizing some sort of beer/brewing based fund raising event as well this summer, so be on the look out for that, and in the meanwhile, if you want some beer in exchange for your time, come help out at the NYC Craft Beer Fest (http://nyccraftbeerfest.com/) on June 20th and 21st and get free VIP entry into one of the other sessions.

Sign Up HERE:  http://nyccraftbeerfest.com/leukemia--lymphoma-sign-up

...or just attend and drink up as TnT / LLS will get a portion of each ticket sold. win, Win, WIN!!! Hope to see you there or sometime soon, and until the next heartfelt plea for your support... sunny side up!

- Sam

Let's get these wheels rolling!

I've been running for months, training for the NYC and Brooklyn Half Marathons, but now that the sun is out, I'm more than ready to break out my bike for a ride and splash around in a wet suit. This year, I'm on a mission to help find cures and more effective treatments for blood cancers, and in order to accomplish it, I’m racing the NYC Triathlon on August 3rd, 2014 as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training (TNT). So until then, I'll be raising funds that will go towards combating leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

My closest friend is a Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor, who has gone on to run two marathons since his recovery, so I'm competing in his honor, while also racing to remember a mutual friend whom we lost last year to stomach cancer. I’m really looking forward to fighting in the battle against cancer while training for an amazing race, and with your help we can improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Please make a donation in support of my efforts with TNT and you'll be doing your part to advance the quest for cures and improved treatments.

Rock On!

Sam