Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training fundraising site. My plan it to post updates every week or so, so please come back often to see what I've been up to!! And thank you for visiting my site.

I'm training to participate in a triathlon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training program. All of us on the team are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers, especially Lara. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Lara's cancer is gone now, but as a new mom, she shouldn't have had to deal with cancer at all. No one should have to! Therefore, I hope you will consider making a donation so a cure can be found.

This will be my second triathlon with Team In Training and my 18th event with TNT. I am hoping to reach a goal of $50,000 raised before my next birthday in September. I hope you will help me reach that goal.

Please visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. I plan to post weekly updates about my training and my experiences with LLS and all the inspiring people I meet every week. Thanks for your support!

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Update - Feb 27

Off to Coronado to meet some teammates for a bike ride. Our session was cancelled yesterday because of rain so we want to get some more time in now that it is a sunny day. I had a great visit with Lawrence yesterday at a fundraiser lunch. He is hoping to be well enough to try out for the Fillipino triathlon team for 2012! His cancer treatments are working! We must keep raising funds so a real cure can be found!!

Update - Jan 29

People's generosity always puts such a smile on my face. I had "sold" one of my TNT watches to a cycle coach at the beginning of the season when I went to their first session back in November hoping that I could do Gran Fondo ride as well as Lavaman this season. He was going to give me the $20 the next time he saw me. Well, that turned out to be never and yesterday I sent him an email reminder. This morning I logged on to see that he donated $50 to me. What an awesome guy!!

I have started a Super Bowl pool. Squares are just $10 each this year - $5 goes to LLS and $5 goes towards the prize money. That will be a nice $500 chunk out of the remaining 48% of my goal that I have to go!!

I also signed up for the Rock N Roll half with TNT on Thursday at the kick off. I am determined to get their Grand Slam medal this year - 4 RNR races in a calendar year. I might even qualify for the Super 6 medal before year end! My plan is to help Coach Kerry with the relay team once Lavaman is over and then I can run the half alongside some of the relayers. This year they are having 2 person teams for the half instead of 4 person teams for the full. Want to join us? Training will start in April and the fundraising minimum will be something way less than what is required for a full program. It was tons of fun last year!!

I better start getting ready for our tri session this morning. I need to tape my foot and get all my gear together. At least my bike is already in the car this weekend.

Update - Jan 18

I made it through the Rock N Roll AZ half on Sunday with just a little soreness. I love KT Tape!! I walked all the way to mile 12 and then I just had to run - actually at that point it hurt less to run than to walk. I got to see Cameron (my TNT pal from the RNR team last year) before she started her first marathon and then as she made her way towards the last .2 miles of that marathon. And my friend Tena completed her first half marathon. I had lots of fun rememberances from 2004 when I ran the first RNR AZ marathon with my great running buddies - Clint and Kendra!! I got to hear Frank Shorter speak at the expo and got his autograph - love his hair!! And I got to say hi to Meb and my Competitor buddies - John, Mary & Dave! I am looking forward to getting the Grand Slam medal for doing 4 competitor events in one year. I've wanted that medal since 2004.

I'll be starting a Super Bowl Pool soon to add a big boost to my fundraising - stay tuned for details.

Here is the link to my teammate's blog about his fight with blood cancer - http:/howitri.blogspot.com

Update - Jan 13

So, training has been semi-non-existent since my last update... I did a lot of cardio in Utah, just not running, biking or swimming! I better get back on the tri train real soon!! I have reached the halfway point with my fundraising as soon as a few items post - funds from working at the two bowl games over the holidays and a check from a nice friend who found out what I was doing at my NY Eve Party. I'm hoping to sell some watches tonight and this weekend in AZ. I'm supposed to do the RNR Half on Sunday in AZ but I'm going to have to see how my foot is feeling. I may need to bribe John Correia to take me to the finish line! Thanks to everyone who has donated so far!! You guys rock and your money is making a difference in the fight against blood cancers!

Update - Jan 3

I did two really nice bike rides along the Silver Strand - on back to back days though. Sitting on the seat the second day was a challenge to say the least! Now I need to work on my running and swimming... except I'll be doing some cross training this weekend in Utah! Then the RNR AZ Half on the 16th - that should be interesting because I have not been running much because my left foot has been bothering me. Working at the Pontsettia Bowl and Holiday Bowl in a concession stand was fun. I'm looking forward to seeing those funds hit my account soon!!

Update - Dec 22

I received an email today from a teammate that I want to share with you. After you read it, I think you will have a better understanding of why I keep doing what I do. I missed Saturday's session when Lawrence spoke to the team and now I so wish I had gone for the start of the session before I had to leave to go to Qualcomm. I have known Lawrence since he started with TNT. In addition to being teammates, we've worked various fundraising events together like the Oyster Festival and the Mardi Gras Party earlier this year. Here is the message he sent today:

As I sit in front of my computer, I find that I am at a loss for words. There is so much that I want to say but I am finding it hard to say it. So I apologize ahead of time if this is a long email.

If you were there running at Lake Miramar this past Saturday, you know what most of this email is about, if you weren't, you will soon find out.

I want to thank each and everyone of you for doing what you are doing... Training for the triathlon and also raising thousands of dollars to save lives. Well at least one... MINE.

I was first diagnosed with NHL (Non Hodgkins Lymphoma) when I was a freshman in college. I battled it and was given the term "in remission" in April 2001. After being 5 years free, and completing a marathon with Team In Training, I got a call from my doctor saying the cancer was back. That was in 2006. Ever since then I have been battling this disease. I went through raidation and even experimental treatment but could never get hold of it. The past year, a week before my first triathlon, which was also a half-ironman distance, I found out that it was back. My doctor let me complete the race before I would start treatment again. I completed the Wildflower Long Distance Triathlon and started radiation therapy the week after while also training for the San Diego Tri Classic. In that season, my body wasn't getting any better or worse, so I decided to stop treatment and play the wait and see game. A couple weeks ago, I got a call from my doctor saying my blood counts are not what she wanted and that I needed to start treatment right away. So starting January 4, i will start my first of 6 cycles of chemotherapy treatment.

I am not telling you this for you to feel sorry for me, or even be worried about me. You see, I am confident that I will pull through and get better, even if it means that I go bald. I have this confidence because of the medical advancements that have happened in the last couple years. One of which is Rituxan... which I will be taking which was funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. AND that means funded by people like YOU.

So, I sit in front of my computer, with tears going down my face, with a heart full of gratitude for you and a hope for tomorrow.

I will be better. I refuse to let this take over my life. All because of people like you.

I will try to come out and visit between treatment... BUT in any case, the hope and goal is that I will come and watch each and every one of you cross the line at SuperSeal and at Lavaman!!

Again thanks for the best gift I can receive... The gift of life.

Of course, after reading that, tears were steaming down my face... and it just makes me that much more determined on my relentless race to find a cure. GO TEAM!!

Update - Dec 19

I went to our Sunday morning run at Lake Miramar. However, my left foot was still bothering me and it was raining so I decided not to run. I was sporting my favorite Team in Training hat and left my teammates to do some errands. One of those was to go to my favorite Sunday morning spot - the Farmer's Market in La Jolla. I walked past a gal wheeling some products out of the rain. She saw my hat and said "I love Team in Training. My best friend died of leukemia." She looked so much like my friend and former co-worker at LLS that I had to ask her if her friend's name was Michele. It was! We couldn't talk for long because both of us knew we would end up crying. I told her how I had my Nike necklace engraved with 4MLB - Michele, Lise and Brandt. I almost always have it on but didn't that morning because I had taken it off the night before.

I came home and sent a message to my teammates to remind them why we do what we do - we get reminders weekly at our Saturday sessions, but I had missed the Saturday session because I was at Qualcomm Stadium attending training so I could work at the Poinsettia and Holiday Bowls in a hot dog & beer stand to earn funds for Team in Training.

Update - Dec 16

Thanks to all my wonderful supporters!! My account went from zero to $1825 in less than a week!! You all ROCK!!

UPDATE!!!

Help me stay out of the TNT Pokey!! I have to raise $1800 bail money to avoid having Warden Gurujan throw me in the pokey on Thursday night. Please make a donation of any size to help keep me out of jail and help find a cure for blood cancers. No more people need to go through what Lara did (or Michele or Lese or Aidan or Stephanie or Kyle or Heather or Jason or Carol or Robbie or any of the countless other kids and adults I have met over the years who have had to deal with blood cancers). Thanks in advance - I know I can count on my friends and family to keep me out of TNT prison!! I don't look so good in stripes and I'd probably end up in one of those orange suits and for sure I don't look good in that color orange!! Please donate soon!! Thursday, Dec 16 at 6 pm PST is the deadline to keep me out of jail. Then the phone calls will have to start... Woohooo - I raised over $1800 and was able to get myself out of the TNT Jail - thanks for all your donations!! You all are the best!

Update - Dec 8

Stay tuned for details on how you can keep me out of Coach Gurujan's jail next Thursday night. All it will take is a lot of small donations to post my bail!! Please keep me out of jail and donate what you can. I have to raise my bail of $1800 before 6 pm on Thursday, December 16th.

Update - Nov 28

We are now through with week three of training. Saturday was my first day on my new bike. I still have lots to get used to with it - like all the gears! I've only done a little bit of running since the NYC marathon. I did do the Father Joe's 5k on Thanksgiving morning with Christine. Coach Ginger ran most of the race with us. And I did the mile time trial last Sunday - 9:20 on the most beautiful track probably anywhere - Pt Loma Nazarene College on the cliffs of Pt Loma. WOW!! Now I need to start swimming...