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2012 is here and I'm rip roarin' and ready to go kick cancer to the curb.

I know you all know where this is going. After 5 previous seasons with Team In Training, my secret is out! I FRICKIN' HATE CANCER.

...and I feel powerless to keep my family safe from it. This last year was tough for our family. We lost one of our own to blood cancer. It doesn't get a whole lot worse than losing a loved one... and our family lost a very young man, a very bright light, a very loving man, the laughter in the room. There are lots of ways to describe Michael, but for me, I just know I lost my cousin way too soon.

I have seen a lot of great things that the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has done over the years since I joined TNT back in 2006. I've also seen my Mom diagnosed with a blood cancer that we had not a lot of information about and had no idea what would happen in her treatment of this disease. Being a part of TNT helped me feel stronger when I wasn't sure what was happening with Mom. We've seen her go through treatment after treatment and the start of a stem cell transplant and then more meds again as she continues to fight this disease daily!

I have to believe that one day, with all of this fund raising and research, that a cure WILL be found.

This is my power... and I'm back again to train and fund raise with TNT's Pacific Crest Half Ironman team. I hope you all realize that I appreciate you so very much...even when I forget to send out thank you notes (gulp)....or accidentally send you two...or three :-)

Whether you donate money, wish me well, or even just listen to me blabber on about my workouts and fund raising, I love you all!!! and I appreciate your support over the years.

Ok now...go donate and help save lives, be a part of something bigger, and know that I think you are all incredibly awesome and I thank you all for being in my life!!

Stay tuned for updates in our crazy world of triathlon training and kicking cancer's butt!!

So... as usual, each Saturday, you'll find me sitting in my ice bath, sipping on hot tea and thinking about blogging about our long group training day and remembering why I continue to do this.

Swim, Bike, Run, Love,

Julie

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2/12/12 Update ~ Our season is off and running! The team has already had some early success with fundraising and we've reminded our lungs what it's like to get back into the water, our legs what it's like to move beyond a walk and our bottoms...well...they are back in the saddle and letting some of us know that bike shorts were invented for a reason. I'm wobbling back and forth trying to decide if I should continue my insane streak of 3 previous seasons without wearing padding or if I should admit defeat and buy a pair of those awful looking things...

I promise pictures if I break down and buy some :p

We had a great 25 mile flat and fast ride this weekend, followed by a 10 minute run, followed by a cold drink and hot tater tots. I much enjoyed leg three of this workout!

1/2 way through the bike ride, I realized it was the longest I had ridden in about 6 months and my legs thoroughly felt it! I like it when things get put into perspective...and by "like it" I really mean "I don't like it at first, but I'm always open to a good lesson"...eventually.

Take for instance a little leg soreness. I could gripe about it (and I do), but I should really be celebrating it - celebrating that I can run, that I can ride, that I can even get out of bed in the morning to do such a glorious thing as ride my bike in the great outdoors. A few weeks ago I was in bed sick - wracked with a bit of nausea and stomach pains and I thought the night would never end and it brought me back to Mom's physical reactions to the meds she has to take to fight her cancer and to Michael's last horrible weeks in the hospital. We are so lucky to have these lives we have, so for today and every day, I dare you and I dare myself to appreciate it all...to do what you CAN do... for those who have left us behind too early or those going through treatment right now...I dare you: Go out and do, go out and ride your bike with your hair flowing in the wind, go out and LIVE!

Swim, Bike, Run, Love,

Julie

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UPDATE: 3/18/12

There is no "I" in Team.

Oh boy...what a lonely weekend.

We had a ride on the schedule for Saturday and a run on the schedule for today. I went in to my ride knowing I would have issues with my girl. Cadence. She's been giving me troubles shifting and the chain has been slipping. It's definitely time for a tune up, but I have a hard time putting my money into stuff like that during the season when I'm fund raising - I want all extra $ to go to the cause. Unfortunately, without a bike, there is no race - so I will have to figure something out.

We had a great Mission Moment by a former TNT teammate from the 2006/2007 season who was then unfortunately diagnosed with lymphoma several years later. His humor and honesty left us refreshed with our "WHY" and off we went.

The ride itself was pretty great. The route was gorgeous and I felt strong. I dropped my chain several times - getting it horribly jammed once- and being quite stuck by myself. I took a moment to take in some food at a llama farm and snapped this picture. I love riding out in the country! Dropped my chain again starting up a steep hill and found myself quite distanced from either of the groups ahead of me and behind me and ended up riding the last 17 miles by myself with multiple bike issues. On the one hand, I don't like riding by myself so that could have derailed me a bit, but on the other hand, I had lots of quiet time to myself AND >>>> I didn't even get lost. WOOT! That MUST be a first.

Today I went solo as well. Thinking I had plenty of time to register for the Shamrock 15k with my teammates, I ended up waiting too long and the entry fee went up from $35 to $90 and I had to pass on this particular group run. My plan was to get up early and get the miles in before church but my body apparently had other plans and I overslept. A teammate texted me a picture of us on a great group run from last season and made me twice as sad that I was missing the run with everyone today, but it reminded me that I needed to get 'er done, so around 1pm - with snowflakes falling, I headed out the door and by mile two I was so warm I was shedding my snow clothes.

So the weekend was a success in that I got my training done, but I am anxious to get back with the team next week for our Brick in the a.m. and our Karaoke for Kause Fundraiser in the p.m.

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has donated so far. We are 21% to my goal but I really want to step it up over the next week!! Let's get at it!!! I would love for everyone local to join us at The Hutch on Glisan next Saturday night. We'll have awesome raffle prizes and lots of good singing...just not by me ;-)

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Update 3/28/12

Friday night started the weekend off with a bang when the Biggest Loser team I was leading at the club won the overall prize for the highest percentage of weight loss!! I had also just picked up a newly tuned bicycle thanks to my amazing parents who came to my rescue after reading about last weekends bum ride.

Saturday morning came early and with a few nerves as I headed out to meet up with the team and anticipating the emotions of sharing at our weekly group workout with my own mission moment. As the team gathered around me, I warmed up a bit on this chilly morning and then shared how cancer has affected our family. Tears were shed, but I was able to finish on my own...although I had Coach Michele waiting next to me with her reading glasses on in case I became too teary.

With our mission moment done, we headed out on our bikes for a rather short and sweet ride of 15 miles (my bike moved from gear to gear like butter!! AMAZING what a tune up can do for your ride!) before getting into our longest run of the season. 10 miles on the schedule, but having only hit about 6 miles in length so far this year, I went into it knowing that I might have to cut it short. With some running pals keeping my brain occupied, I made it to mile 4 before determining I should cut it short at 8 miles instead of 10 since my left knee was barking. I found a new friend to turn around with me and we ended up with about 8.5 miles in the books as we arrived back to our parking lot.

The sun came out and we were able to spread out blankets and towels and get our sunny post run stretching on while snacking on those glorious peanut butter filled pretzels that make the perfect triathlon fuel and picking the silly string out of my hair (thank you oly team for supporting our ride today ;P

The sun made all the difference in my attitude and I realized that more of these days are to come. As the weather changes from cold and wet to warm(ish) and dry(er), our swims and rides and runs get longer and more difficult. We know there are hard days to come but we appreciate them more for the challenges and with the knowledge that we are so fortunate to be able to be out there doing it.

Swim, Bike, Run, Love,

Julie

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Update 4/11/12

Let's see...where was I? Oh yes...We're now halfway through the season and this weekend is where we re-commit to Team in Training. It is at this point that we must commit to the team to carry on with our group training, commit to our donors that we will get ourselves to race day, commit to ourselves that we CAN do this!! and also commit to TNT and The LLS that if we do not raise our minimum goal, that we will donate the difference ourselves...

This last one is probably the scariest part for most people. Our coaches are fantastic and we all know that we'll get to race day well prepared for our actual event, but in hard financial times it can be intimidating to realize that if your fund raising does not go well, you could end up making quite the generous donation out of your own pocket....and my pockets aren't too deep right now...in fact, I would say I'm wearing pocketless pants...yikes!

So...at only 33% of my funds raised, and with a rough start of the season battling this sprained shoulder...and a new diagnosis of plantar fasciities, I'm going into recommittment week with..........

what?...

...with hesitation?

OH... HECK NO!!! I know that this is where I'm supposed to be this year - at this time, right now - fund raising and training for the cause closest to my heart.

So I hope you will continue to follow along this journey...'cause the 2nd half of the season is where it really gets "fun" =D

So I might as well tell you how the last few weekends have gone. I had my most wonderful, marvelous, fastest, strongest run in the books a week and a half ago. Fueled, napped, and a little groggy (read that as UNmotivated), I headed out to Forest Park for a trail run on Leif Erickson. The plan? 4.5 miles up and then 4.5 miles down. I was B.O.O.K.I.N' it all the way up and was super pleased with my speed. I headed back down just as fast...but with a very very very little "something" bugging me in my heel. All ended well and I headed home, to wake up with what I thought was bruising on my right heel... I thought from all the rocks on the trail. I cut my track workout a little short that week and then rested well until our bike ride this Saturday.

Talk about a great ride. The weather was perfection, I felt good and strong and other than some shoulder discomfort, I was riding fine for 47 miles..until 3/4 of a mile from my truck, where I got a rear flat. I actually considered walking it in instead of making the tire change, but figured I needed the practice and it would have to be changed eventually. It went quickly and I made it back in time to do a quick transition run of about 1 mile before joining everyone for lunch on the patio. YUM!

So I've been stretching, icing, rolling, etc and the heel is not getting better...and for the most part not getting worse. I was able to do the yasso 800 workout at the track last night and keep up with my crew, but was hobbling pretty bad this a.m. I've got a treatment plan in place and we'll just see how it goes. I may have to sneak a scooter or some roller skates into Sunriver for race day, but dang it, I'm committed...so there :p

Swim, Bike, Run, Love,

Julie

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Update 4/23/12

What an amazing couple of weeks it has been with the team! This year has been challenging to say the least. Where as the actual training has felt harder in previous years, missing out on group workouts has been the really tough part this year. I work the nights that the team meets for group swims and taking time away from family and church on Sundays has eliminated one weekend group workout for the most part...so what I'm trying to say here is that my Saturday workouts and Tuesday track nights mean the world to me!! I love having the companionship of my teammates and the last two Saturdays have been phenomenal.

Two weeks ago was recommitment weekend. Saturday started with us all meeting on the road and running about 1.5 miles up to Forest Park. My bum foot was letting me know that it was still not 100%, but by the time we made it up to Forest Park and the soft trails, I knew I was going to be fine. 12+ miles later, we all joined up together to eat lunch and have some laughs and sign on the dotted line that we were committed to finishing up the season and reach our fund raising goals! p.s. (I'm only at 36% of my goal...so now is the time you should go donate if you have been planning to do so!)

This last weekend, the weatherman promised us amazing weather and Mother Nature decided to bless his decision. We headed up towards Larch Mountain for our longest brick so far this season (a 42 mile bike ride and a 6+mile run)_and decided to stop and "smell the roses" at The Portland Women's Forum, where we snapped a couple of pictures while taking in the amazing view. Then up up up to our aid station on Larch Mountain and then the fun part of flying back down to our starting point and changing out bike shoes for running shoes and getting in 6 miles of a MOST SUNNY day!

So that's my wonderful life - I KNOW!! Isn't it amazing how much fun it is to be able to move and exercise and push our bodies?!

I wanted to remind you just how important your donations are to not just my family, but to the tens of thousands of people each year that are diagnosed with a blood cancer. Fundraising success has been phenomenal, but blood cancer patients still have urgent needs and the advances we make in blood cancer treatments will help many other cancer patients. LLS funded almost 400 research projects last year alone, amounting to an investment of $72 million. They invest in the best around the world from basic science to clinical research and will continue their commitment to funding cures and improving quality of life during and after treatment.

Of 39 new cancer drugs approved by the F.D.A since 2000, almost half (19) were approved as treatments for blood cancer patients! Many of these were advanced with LLS support and all 19 are being tested for patients with other diseases. Five have been approved for more patients beyond those for whom they were first developed.

You guys ROCK!!

Swim, Bike, Run, Love,

Julie

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Update 4/30/12

Woohoo!! WHAT a weekend THAT was! Saturday's schedule had us starting out at Estacada City Hall for a 50 mile bike ride. The day was warm and the sun tried to break through off and on as our happy team set out for our ride.

And what a ride it was - Beautiful!! We rode along the Clackamas River for almost the entire time. I put a little video up on my blog where you can see some of the gorgeousness of that area. About 15 miles in as everyone was snapping photos of each other on our ride, I felt my rear tire going soft and since I was in the rear I just let everyone else go on ahead and quietly slipped over to the side of the road for a quick flat fix. I figured I would be quick enough to be able to catch the group but had major issues with my co2 gun. When I finally got it working, at least 10 minutes had passed and there was no way I was going to catch up with them all unless it would be up at our 1/2 way aid station and if I was lucky enough for them to dilly dally around. I pumped it out and sure enough, I got a 5 second break at the turnaround point before everyone was ready to be off again.

Somewhere shortly after that I realized that I was probably dehydrated, as my legs were not well...which kind of started to bring me down a bit since I had BIG plans for my half marathon in Eugene on Sunday (more on THAT later!). Fortunately, I had ANOTHER rear flat at about 44 miles or so and it gave my legs a break. Unfortunately, I did not have another spare tube or co2 AND no cell service. After a little break, I decided to just start walking with my bike to see if I could get around a bend and maybe be able to use my phone and then Sean L. showed up to save the day with his own supplies. Then Shawn C. rode with me for a while to make sure I wasn't going to flat out again. The final verdict is I need new tires :-(

With a quad cramping hill to finish it off, I then cruised downhill the final three miles to my truck, my chocolate milk and a scramble to find spare change to buy some ice on the way home so I could icebath my legs before hopping in the car to head down to Eugene for the half marathon on Sunday. I spent a good deal of time stretching and foam rolling before heading to bed and woke up nice and refreshed on Sunday with my legs as good as I was going to get them. I'll update my blog with the Eugene 1/2 Mary story, but I will give you the good stuff right here and now: I PRd by about 8 minutes and got my bucket list SUB 2 hour race!! Final Time was 1:56:47!!

So the weekend was successful in both training and fundraising. Mom shared my link on her FB page and it encouraged several new donations to LLS, so I encourage you all to share my link on your own page. We never know who might have a personal link to a blood cancer and the more we people we share with, the more money we can raise to find new answers to this deadly disease. I was just talking with Mom yesterday about how her treatement is going and what the next steps might be in her treatment plan and she was telling me about all the new drugs that have been developed since she was first diagnosed. Your donations matter - big or small - I'll take them all :D

Swim, Bike, Run, Love

Julie