Racing to Save Lives

On March 28, 2010, I will be in Kona, Hawaii, swimming 1 mile, biking 26 miles, and running 6.2 miles in the Lavaman Triathlon in an effort to find a cure for cancer. Swim over coral reefs, sea turtles and exotic fish, then cycle next to Lava Fields and be amazed by Mother Nature, and continue to run along the Island’s coast, only to finish surrounded by friends!

I'm training to participate in an endurance event as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training 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. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

The cause is close to my heart as my Grandfather (many of you know him as Gunga) currently receives treatment for cancer, and my Great Auntie Junie, the unstoppable woman, just finished her radiation treatments for breast cancer. These people are amazing motivation for me to keep going, keep running, in order to find a cure. I cannot do it alone. If you have also been touched by this disease either through your family, or yourself, please let me know and I will add the names to my wall of Honorees.

I have set up a blog for everyone to keep up to date with my progress

http://lavawomanunleashed.wordpress.com/

Checks can be sent to my home: Payable to LLS (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society)

Erin K. Cahill

415 N. 2nd Street, #344

San Jose, CA 95112

**Update 11/18

Kareem Abdul Jabar, UCLA Alum, Basketball star, is yet another person I have come to know affected by lLeukemia. I was honored to listen to him speak as our Keynote speaker at my UCLA Graduation in 2007. As one of my rolemodels, this news saddens me. But I know that my cause will one day bring a treatment that will irradicate cancer.

**Update 11/30

Back Home from my trip to DC to see my wonderful friends from UCLA, I am rested and ready to get back into training and conquer new challenges! I am so glad to be back in California, where even in the winter, its still above freezing. Running in DC was extremely freezing, and im surprised I'm still intact with all my fingers and toes.

**Update 3-5

I know I haven't been writing here very often, and for that I apologize. Training workouts have been taking much of my time as well as Grad School. I have been going to a lot more swim workouts with Martin Renaud. He is a great swim coach, and has been helping me perfect my stroke. I am getting a lot faster in the water, which is a great thing! my running is getting better. I am already fast, but my goal is to run the entire run portion and not stop to walk. I have beem doing a lot of Brick workouts, which In triathlon speak means Bike-Run. If you start running more than 15 min after your off your bike, it is no longer a Brick because your muscles have a chance to adjust. I am loving my bike this year! My new road bike is zippy and riding with my clips (that lock into the pedals so you have a better pull going uphill) is so much easier. I fell the first time riding with my clips!! It was rough, but because everyone had told me everyone falls sometime, I knew it was coming. My entire right calf was black and blue for two weeks, with the puncture wounds from the cranks. Still have those, by the way.

I am loving the team this year!! There are so many amazing people here. So many people on our team are Honorees, people who have or had cancer, and are still participating in the triathlon. It is amazing to see what LLS can do for these people, to help them recover faster so they themselves can help others just like them. They are my inspiration.

Thank you so much for your donations!!

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